One of the best new series this year comes in the dead of summer, where it may initially be mistaken for another cable drama shows.
“The Bridge” (AMC, FX, 10 p.m.) is, like “The Killing,” based on a dark Danish series and stars a troubled, somewhat enigmatic and thoroughly serious women as lead investigator. In the original, it was about a body found on the border of Denmark and Sweden. In the remake, it’s switched to a much more politically contentious international border — the U.S./Mexico line.
Specifically, it’s the bridge between El Paso and Ciudad Jurarez and the finding immediately puts the unusual, almost Vulcan-like El Paso detective Diane Kruger at odds with her Mexican counterpart, drolly played by Demian Bichir. The cast includes Ted Levine of “Monk” as her world-weary superviser, and Annabeth Gish as a widow investigating her own personal mystery along the border.
Smartly adapted by Meredith Stiehm, who has written for “Homeland” and “Cold Case,” and Elwood Reid, it treats viewers as intelligent creatures, for whom they don’t have to spell everything out. The realism of the border drama is enhanced by appropriate parties actually speaking Spanish as well as needed.
Dark, with some light touches and some nifty character details that make future episodes look promising “The Bridge” looks like a show that won’t fail for a while. And any attention on immigration reform will only make the series seem that much more relevant.