O’Neill takes a bite out of the ‘Big Apple’

In this age of pop-fluff teen dramas, an overblown set of each-as-bad-as-the-next reality shows and dying sitcoms and cop dramas, more of the same might not seem like a wise choice. But there’s a lot to be said about taking a formula and doing it right, especially with some vintage screen faces and a killer resume backing. Such is the case with Stephen Milch and his gritty new cop drama “Big Apple.”

“Married With Children” patriarch Al Bundy takes his hand out of his pants, gets up off the couch, and is suddenly actor Ed O’Neill again, a tough-as-nails, in-your-face NYPD detective named Mike Mooney, who is none too happy that he and his partner (Jeffrey Pierce) are forced to collaborate with the FBI on a set of unsolved murders. Enter long-under-appreciated character actor David Strathairn (“LA Confidential”), who matches Mooney’s arrogance and wields his authority with the same one that grips his cold sidearm. The two face off each other in perfect foil. Mooney at one point tells one FBI agent to “kiss my underpaid Irish ass.”

If nothing else, “Big Apple” is the fresh form of the cop drama “NYPD Blue” used to be, without the constant soap opera developments and the recycling of the same plot points week after week. As the formula grows stale in coming seasons, the show will most certainly begin to grow tiresome, but a little crackling dialogue goes a long way, especially in the hands of such a talented and able cast. And is it ever good to see Michael Madsen as an FBI informant, proving he can still bring across the bad-ass appeal that made him a star in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” only a decade ago.

Give “Big Apple” a try, if for nothing else than to watch a tried-and-true formula done well, infused with testosterone, multi-layered plotlines and dark, intimidating backdrops. It’s also a welcome alternative to “ER,” now one of NBC’s soapiest, which needs to be put out of its misery, stat. Tell them Al Bundy sent you.