I have a soft spot for crime dramas that use criminals to catch criminals. Think 48 Hours, Players, Leverage. It's a great premise, but one I think gets short-shrift on television. And honestly, I can't tell you why that is since we as a society tend to root for a bad guy out to redeem himself. I can't tell you why that is either. I'm no psychologist or sociologist - I just know that I tend to root for flawed individuals seeking some modicum of redemption and I'm going to attribute that to society as a whole. Don't like that? Sue me.Which brings me to Breakout Kings, a new drama created by the minds behind Prison Break. So, what do we get in the pilot? A convicted murderer busts out of jail six months into a 25-year bid. I must say, it's a pretty clever use of license plates so props to the writer on that. To capture him, U.S. Marshals Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso) and Ray Zancanelli (Domenick Lombardozzi) form a special unit made up of former fugitives: Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson), former child prodigy and psychology whiz; Shea Daniels (Malcolm Goodwin) former gang leader and counterfeiter); con artist "Philly" Rothcliffer (Nicole Steinwedell); and big-game hunter Gunderson (Brock Johnson) - who learns that it's probably not a good idea to stash a knife in your sock at a diner. The cast is rounded out by Julianne Sims (Brooke Nevin), who's hired by Ray to do the background work in their Brooklyn offices.
