Review of Rush Hour

This review is based on the Pilot episode which aired 3/31/2016.

Rush Hour is a 60 minute primetime Drama on CBS based on the classic 90s Buddy-cop franchise by the same name starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. The show, stars Jon Foo reprising Chan's character Lee, and Justin Hires as Tucker's Carter.
The show is a re-imagining of the movies and as such, is based on a premise and its characters rather than a plot. So clearly, the show will be procedural and focus on the chemistry between the characters and the humorous situations they encounter.

The pilot felt a lot like the movie with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, Ride Along. It wasn't bad, but you wouldn't go to theaters to see it. Rush Hour the movie was phenomenal because the jokes were carefully written, very funny, and the action was extremely well choreographed and the stakes, high. As a TV show, all of that is minimized for the small screen. It becomes more of a Beverly Hills Cop/Ride Along rather than the super epic Rush Hour.

Justin Hires is extremely grating. He's sort of like Kevin Hart, without the high-pitched voice, or the funny. He's just straight up annoying. That being said, the writing wasn't bad. His wise-cracks were very Carter-esque and funny, he just didn't deliver them well. Foo as Lee was pretty spot-on.

Overall, I'd definitely give the show more time to polish its act and discover that sweet spot. I think it has the potential to be the next Castle if the cases stay smart and the banter between them just keeps on improving. Otherwise, it could go the route of The Player, which was a great show, but got canceled really quickly.