‘Serve’: Cop Family on Trail of a Serial Killer

“To Serve and Protect” is that endangered species, a TV drama about a cop family that isn’t Irish.

That’s by far the best news about this unpersuasive NBC two-parter that can’t make up its mind whether it’s about family matters or serial murders whose only pattern is that they have no pattern.

It’s no easier following the narrative thread of this Vince Patrick-written story that juxtaposes the Carr family’s internal squabbles with their homicide work, mainly the pursuit of a serial killer (Kirk Baltz) who uses his inexplicable mastery of disguise to pick off his victims randomly.

The plot awkwardly straddles three generations of Carrs who are Dallas police officers. Richard Crenna is a retiring sergeant, Craig T. Nelson his homicide detective son and Amanda Detmer his estranged rookie cop daughter who is dating his partner (John Corbett) on the sly.

The pace is largely static and director Jean de Segonzac seems unable to motivate his actors, with Nelson especially passive in a hard-boiled role that demands energy.

Things turn especially ludicrous when the flyweight Detmer is required to shove around and overpower much larger thugs as if she were a brawny 6-footer.

Meanwhile, there is no attempt here to explain who the serial killer is, why he is on a rampage and why he suddenly becomes fixated on the Carrs, an intense interest that viewers cannot be counted on to share.

*

* “To Serve and Protect” airs at 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday on NBC. The network has rated it TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children younger than 14).