Just by looking at the TV schedules the vast majority of shows are cop shows. Even shows like Grimm, 24, The Middleman and even House M.D are essentially cop dramas wrapped up in a different skin. Not that I have a problem with this. Shit, the greatest TV show ever is The Wire, which is a old fashioned story about cops and robbers at its heart.
It is perhaps the oversaturisation of cop shows that has lead them to develop a unique selling point (USP) to differentiate them. Though the USP for any of the many CSI programs seems to be the city they are set in. The number of cop programs do seem to speak to us as a society, which explains the vast number of crime fighters on our TV's.
Awake has one of the most unique USP's in a very, very long time. It is the unique USP of the show that is both it's plus and it's minus.
Detective Michael Britten (hello to Jason Isaacs) is in a car accident with his wife and son. Britten then find that when he goes to sleep he wakes up living parallel lives where his wife has survived the accident and his son has survived has survived the accident. In each of Britten's lives he is seeing a police psychiatrist both of who are trying to convince him each life is the reality. Whilst coping with living in two realities, Britten must carry on with his job of solving homicides. The homicide in each reality is distinct in itself, but each case seems to have facts that seep into either reality.
The concept in and of itself is simple and one wonders why it has never been done before. Over the course of the pilot is worked very well, and kept you interested enough despite the brunt of the episode being what was a generic cop drama, which by the second episode is feels like. However, by the second episode they introduce a conspiracy of why the car accident occurred which will, no doubt, make for a season long arc. Which, whilst a tad cliche, does bring an extra level in to keep the viewer interested.
Awake has a concept that works if it had been a movie. But the main question facing the viewer is not which reality is real (most people over the course of the series will no doubt make their own mind up as to which they want to be Britten's real life), the main question is can it sustain this concept for a season let alone a series run and not just fall into generic cop show x with the interesting premise.
