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Ellen Gray | Complications abound in 'K-Ville'

K-VILLE. 9 tonight, Channel 29. THEY HAD ME at Katrina. Fox's "K-Ville," a cop show set (and filmed) in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, has just about everything going for it: a solid cast, led by "The Shield's" Anthony Anderson; a creator, Jonathan Lisco, whose writing credits include "NYPD Blue" and "Damages"; and the Big (Un)Easy itself, a city destined to be the most engaging and frustrating character in any story told there.

K-VILLE. 9 tonight, Channel 29.

THEY HAD ME at Katrina.

Fox's "K-Ville," a cop show set (and filmed) in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, has just about everything going for it: a solid cast, led by "The Shield's" Anthony Anderson; a creator, Jonathan Lisco, whose writing credits include "NYPD Blue" and "Damages"; and the Big (Un)Easy itself, a city destined to be the most engaging and frustrating character in any story told there.

But then "K-Ville" had to keep on going.

No one expects a routine police drama from a city where, two years ago, the police department contended with desertion in its ranks amid one of the largest disasters this country has ever faced.

There are problems peculiar to New Orleans that no doubt make police work there challenging. I'm not sure "K-Ville" is best served, though, by introducing quite so many of them in the pilot.

When we first meet Marlin Boulet (Anderson), an NOPD officer on a specialized unit, he's just gotten a new partner, Trevor Cobb (Cole Hauser), a veteran of Afghanistan who's said to hail from Cincinnati.

(Thanks to "John From Cincinnati," I no longer believe that anyone is actually from Cincinnati, but that's another story.)

Marlin's last partner deserted him at the height of the flooding, and that would probably be enough to make him wary of Cobb, even if the new guy didn't also insist on sticking to non-alcoholic drinks while on the job.

Let's just say that situation's about to get a lot more complicated. If not more than a little far-fetched.

Marlin's wife appears to have also semi-deserted him, taking their young daughter to Atlanta. They're back for what seems to be a visit in the pilot, then missing completely from Episode 2.

That situation's complicated, too. Though less far-fetched.

Then there's the first case Boulet and Cobb catch together, which involves the shooting death of a local singer during a benefit for the struggling Ninth Ward, where Boulet still lives, surrounded by the boarded-up homes of neighbors who've decided to cut their losses.

There's more to that situation than meets the eye. But then there's no such thing as an uncomplicated conspiracy.

As a fan of shows like "Damages" and "Lost," I can hardly complain about conspiracy, but "K-Ville's" Lisco seems to want to have it both ways, presenting very complex cases and then wrapping them up neatly within the hour.

At this rate, he could have the entire city fixed up by Christmas.

It's an approach that might please "Law & Order" types who don't want to have to tune in every single week, but some drama junkies demand more.

There are no simple solutions in New Orleans. They shouldn't exist in "K-Ville," either.

Readers weigh in

But hey, what do I know?

Daily News Reader Reviewers mostly loved "K-Ville," awarding it an average 8.3, with several insisting it was a perfect 10.

"Very exciting [and] action-packed," raved Carmella Jackson, of South Philadelphia.

"Loved the action," agreed Naomi Loadholt, of West Philadelphia, adding, "Anthony Anderson was excellent."

"Action-packed drama that keeps you on the edge," commented Don Devlin, of Mayfair, who called it a "must-see series."

Janice Winston, of Northwest Philadelphia, who said she spent 2 1/2 months in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, found "the show, the dialogue, the scenery all authentic" and the show "full of suspense."

But not everyone was charmed.

"Mr. Anderson . . . will need more than gumbo to save this one," wrote Stephanie Stith, of Germantown, who called the "K-Ville" pilot "predictable and full of gunplay."

Need a 'Break'?

If there's ever been an argument for limited series, it's Fox's "Prison Break" (8 tonight, Channel 29), which enters its third season with a test of viewer loyalty not all of us are going to pass.

If you've stuck with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and his not-so-merry band of miscreants so far, you know that he ended last season with his brother, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell), finally cleared of the murder of the vice president's brother.

Too bad Michael himself is now in a Panamanian prison that makes Fox River Penitentiary look like Club Med.

And look! Some of his former associates - from both sides of the bars at Fox River - are there, too!

Will his tattoo blueprint offer up a solution for this thorny problem? Will Linc return the favor by getting himself reincarcerated to break his brother out? Will this wild goose chase never end?

Don't know about you, but I'm not sure how much more time I can serve. *

Send e-mail to graye@phillynews.com.