It Takes A "Thief"

Since the season finale of The Shield has come and gone, my Tuesday nights are free. Of course, I could spend more time with the family, but how rewarding could that be? Besides, the new FX drama, Thief, had its debut on Tuesday night, and since it stars Andre Braugher (formerly of Homicide: Life on the Street), I was front row center.

In Thief, Braugher’s character, Nick Atwater, is the front man in a professional burglary ring. The pilot opens with Atwater and his crew hitting a bank vault in San Francisco during the Chinese New Year celebration. During the heist, Atwater’s wife (the lovely Dina Meyer) calls him from the police station and tells him that his stepdaughter has been arrested . . . for burglary. Meyer puts the arresting officer on the phone with Nick, who is in the middle of moving cash from the vault. Nice.

Unfortunately for Nick and his crew, their doped-up computer hacker forgets to reset the security password and the alarm sounds as they are leaving the bank . . . just in time for a lieutenant in the Chinese Mob to see them. Not so nice.

Thief’s pilot episode is not spectacular, but it is good enough to grab your attention. Braugher can carry this show on his back, but with a decent supporting cast (including Linda Hamilton and Michael Rooker), he won’t have to. As far as the babe factor, I was as impressed with how hot Dina Meyer looks, as I was disturbed with how old Linda Hamilton looks. Yikes!

Thief is broadcast Tuesday nights at 10pm on FX. Check it out.