More akin to the procedural elements of something like “The First 48” than the mystery-driven shows that have dominated the True Crime genre, “Homicide: New York” will almost certainly rub anyone who has used the word copaganda in the wrong way. It is a show in which not just the cops interviewed but the entire world of law enforcement is painted with such a broadly benevolent brush that I would bet even working cops might think it’s a bit of superficial overkill. When an officer says in the fifth episode, about the East Harlem Serial Killer, that they don’t care if a victim or perp is Black or white, I truly do believe he means well, but it feels naïve to blame only the media for not covering certain crimes as extensively as the law.
There’s a lot of that in “Homicide: New York,” which is honestly not even as big a problem for me (it is Wolf, after all) as some of the showy, almost exploitative interviews with people who feel like they’re auditioning for the next Homicide Hunter. Do we really need to see execution-style killings slowly acted out with a finger gun by one of the investigating officers? It’s indicative of a show that takes complex cases and too often tries to dumb them down for viewers it doesn’t trust enough to investigate something more challenging.
When choosing the cases to profile in “Homicide: New York,” location clearly mattered. Most of these cases take place in world-famous spots like Central Park, Wall Street, and the Carnegie Deli. Each case is unpacked in just-enough detail, and the best thing about the show is when it leans into the procedural elements that define quality police work. Whether it’s basically stalking a suspect to try and get his DNA or refusing to give up on the case of a missing cleaning woman, the dedication to craft is respectable and remarkable.