Prime Video's new cop series looks scarily realistic

Cop shows have been one of the most enduringly popular serials for decades now, whether they're glossy American productions or gritty and arguably more depressing UK and European exports. Now it looks like Amazon's looking to get in on the action, with a new show of its own that fits right into this venerable genre.

On Call seems to be part of a play from Prime Video to pitch itself not just to streaming fans, but also to those who like their long-running traditional TV series – maybe the best streaming service out there could be a new home for them. It'll tell what looks like a relatively familiar story when it arrives on Prime Video on 9 January 2025.

On Call - Official Trailer | Prime Video - YouTube

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The setup is fairly predictable, as I've mentioned – a new rookie graduates from the Police Academy and finds himself assigned to patrol duty with a more experienced, and altogether more grizzled veteran cop. She makes it clear to him that she expects loyalty and a minimum of questioning, but also that she has some shady connections who might well be gunning for her.

Intriguingly, it looks like On Call will try to blend some of this political manoeuvring with its more action-packed sequences, offering viewers both a thriller about the difficulty of not making enemies in a job like policing and the challenges of making tough arrests.

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The trailer underlines the fact that there will be plenty of action to enjoy, though. It features a bunch of glimpses of what looks like adapted bodycam footage, which the show will presumably use to create authentic chase and search sequences that make you really feel like you're watching credible real-life footage. Those moments look like they're frankly guaranteed to be stressful to watch, in a good way.

Whether our main characters will be slowly uncovering one main conspiracy, or just doing their best to keep on top of things as normal everyday patrol cops isn't quite clear yet, but it certainly seems likely that there will be an overarching plot. That's something that can occasionally be missed from "crime of the week" cop serials that have been running for years, so it could be a unique selling point. All should become clear when the series drops in early January, though!