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The Bridge (2013 TV series)

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For other uses, see The Bridge.
The Bridge
GenreCrime drama
Serial drama
Based onBroen/Bron
by Hans Rosenfeld
Måns Mårlind
Björn Stein
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composerRyan Bingham
Opening theme"Until I'm One with You"
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesEnglish
Spanish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
Running time62 minutes (pilot)
40–50 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFX
ReleaseJuly 10, 2013 (2013-07-10) –
October 1, 2014 (2014-10-01)

The Bridge is an American crime drama television series developed by Meredith Stiehm and Elwood Reid, that was broadcast on the FX network, and based on the Danish-Swedish series Broen/Bron/The Bridge.[1][2] Starring Mexican actor Demián Bichir and German actress Diane Kruger, the series' 13-episode first season debuted on July 10, 2013.[1] On September 24, 2013, FX renewed The Bridge for a 13-episode second season,[3] which aired from July 9 through October 1, 2014.[4] On October 21, 2014, FX announced that it had canceled The Bridge.[5]

Plot

The Bridge follows two police detectives – one Mexican, one from the US – and their joint effort to investigate a serial killer menacing both nations along the Texas–Chihuahua border.[1] Their investigation is complicated by the rampant corruption and general apathy among the Mexican authorities and the violence of the powerful borderland drug cartels.[2] The show title refers to the Bridge of the Americas that serves as a border crossing between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where the series is set.[2]

Cast and characters

Main cast

  • Diane Kruger as Det. Sonya Cross: a member of the El Paso Police Department. Cross has Asperger syndrome.
  • Demián Bichir as Det. Marco Ruiz: a homicide detective for the Policía Estatal (State Police) of the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
  • Ted Levine as Lieutenant Hank Wade: a jaded El Paso cop and Detective Cross' supervisor. He finds himself often counseling Cross to be more diplomatic in her single-minded determination to catch the killer.
  • Annabeth Gish as Charlotte Millwright: a wealthy widow whose rancher husband suffers a myocardial infarction on the Mexican side of the border and dies back in El Paso. Shocking secrets about his cross-border activities quickly come to light as Ruiz and Cross' investigation commences.
  • Thomas M. Wright as Steven Linder: a "lone wolf" trying to survive in a near-lawless borderland
  • Matthew Lillard as Daniel Frye (season 2; recurring season 1): an El Paso Times reporter whose once-promising career has been derailed by a life of partying and substance abuse
  • Emily Rios as Adriana Mendez (season 2; recurring season 1): a young reporter for the Times, who is a Juárez native

Recurring cast

  • Johnny Dowers as Tim Cooper: an El Paso PD detective
  • Eric Lange as Kenneth Hasting: a colleague of Alma's who becomes her confidante.
  • Carlos Pratts as Gus Ruiz: Marco's son
  • Catalina Sandino Moreno as Alma Ruiz: Marco's wife
  • Ramón Franco as Fausto Galvan: a cartel leader, and the owner of El Rey Storage
  • Alejandro Patino as Cesar: loyal confidant of Karl Millright, and Charlotte's window into her husband's shady dealings
  • Juan Carlos Cantu as Captain Robles: Detective Ruiz's supervisor in Juarez
  • Diana-Maria Riva as Kitty Conchas: the El Paso PD's desk clerk who is of Mexican heritage, but speaks no Spanish
  • Stephanie Sigman as Eva Guerra: Hector's girlfriend and the object of Linder's affections
  • Alma Martínez as Graciela Rivera: a smuggler and former associate of Karl Millright, who intimidates Charlotte into allowing her continued access to Charlotte's ranch
  • Brian Van Holt as Ray: Charlotte's shady former lover who she enlists to help her deal with Graciela Rivera
  • Daniel Edward Mora as Obregon: Fausto's bodyguard and enforcer
  • Larry Clarke as Manny Stokes: an overeager El Paso County sheriff's deputy
  • Lyle Lovett as Monte P. Flagman: Graciela Rivera's lawyer
  • Arturo del Puerto as Hector Valdez: an employee of Fausto's
  • Don Swayze as Tim: Ray's contact in Tampa
  • Chris Browning as Jackson Childress: an immigrant hunter
  • Franka Potente as Eleanor Nacht: a "fixer" for the cartel
  • Manuel Uriza as Abelardo Pintado: a Mexican state prosecutor investigating police corruption in Juárez
  • Nathan Phillips as Jack Dobbs: the brother of Jim Dobbs, the man who killed Sonya's sister
  • Abraham Benrubi as Agent Joe Mackenzie: a DEA agent investigating Fausto Galvan
  • Bruno Bichir as Sebastian Cerisola: the CEO of Grupo Clio, which is connected to the Mexican cartel

Production

FX ordered the series' pilot episode in July 2012. Shooting for the pilot took place on location in the El Paso area and wrapped in December 2012.[2][6] Critically acclaimed director Gerardo Naranjo, best known for 2011's Miss Bala, directed the pilot.[7]

Work on the remaining twelve season one episodes began in early April 2013. Meredith Stiehm, creator of Cold Case, and Elwood Reid serve as the series' executive producers and head writers.[1] The show is co-produced by Shine America and FX Productions for FX.[1] Alex Plank of Wrong Planet serves as the consultant for Sonya's Asperger syndrome.[8][9]

Shine America wanted Stiehm to begin the series on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, in order to mirror the original series' winter setting. However, Stiehm and Reid successfully argued to set their version in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez at the Bridge of the Americas.[10]

After the first season, co-developer Meredith Stiehm departed the series to rejoin the writing staff of her previous TV series, Homeland, leaving Elwood Reid as the sole showrunner for the second season.[11] Also, Matthew Lillard and Emily Rios, who had recurring roles in the first season, were promoted to series regulars for the second season.[12]

Episodes

Main article: List of The Bridge (2013 TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113July 10, 2013 (2013-07-10)October 2, 2013 (2013-10-02)
213July 9, 2014 (2014-07-09)October 1, 2014 (2014-10-01)

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 77 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 90% 'fresh' rating based on 42 reviews, with the consensus "A seductive crime drama, The Bridge draws viewers in with culturally conscious themes that combine intelligent mystery and spellbinding drama."[14] Chuck Barney from the San Jose Mercury News gave The Bridge its highest praise, saying: "FX may have struck dramatic gold again. This series is mesmerizing. It sucks you in like a good book and has you yearning for more."[15] HitFix's Alan Sepinwall wrote: "With these characters, with this fascinating, complicated place – and one that's at the forefront of so much of what we're talking about in real world politics... The Bridge is off to such an outstanding start."[16] Maureen Ryan from The Huffington Post commented: "Mismatched cops forced to work together is one of the oldest TV tropes in the book, but The Bridge builds such a realistic, detailed world around the detectives here that the dynamic is often fresh."[17] The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman called the series "mandatory viewing for drama lovers", adding, "but it will be interesting to see where the writers take it and whether they have the big-league ability to make the evident potential materialize. One thing they've hopefully learned is that sometimes holding back information isn't mysterious, it's just confusing."[18] Robert Bianco from USA Today thought there was "rich ground to explore in the problems Mexico faces and the responsibility we may bear for some of them", adding "but the show's clumsy attempt to boil that down to a catchphrase is offensive and silly, particularly as it has no real connection to the story being told."[19] The second season received a Metacritic score of 68 out of 100, based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

Awards

In June 2013, the series was honored, along with five others, with the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series.[21] The pilot episode of the series received the 2013 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television: Long Form – Dialogue & ADR from the Motion Picture Sound Editors society.[22] The series won a 2013 Peabody Award, which noted that "its rare, non-stereotypical depiction of two cultures rubbing against and informing each other is as fascinating as the mystery."[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Andreeva, Nellie (February 12, 2013). "FX's The Bridge picked up to series". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Bridge: About the show". FX Networks. February 12, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  3. ^ Harnick, Chris (September 24, 2013). "'The Bridge' Renewed: Season 2 Premieres Summer 2014". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 15, 2014). "FX & FXX Set Summer Premiere Dates for 'Tyrant', 'The Strain', 'The Bridge' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  5. ^ Hibberd, James (October 21, 2014). "'The Bridge' canceled by FXe". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "Trailers released for FX show The Bridge". KVIA-TV. April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  7. ^ Carp, Jesse (May 15, 2013). "The Bridge's First Trailer Reveals An Atmospheric Border Drama Headed To FX". CinemaBlend. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  8. ^ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (July 9, 2013). "'The Bridge': Diane Kruger on Asperger's and Female TV Roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  9. ^ Raftery, Liz (July 9, 2013). "FX's The Bridge Is More Than Your Average Serial Killer Drama". TV Guide. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  10. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (July 8, 2013). "'The Bridge' producer Meredith Stiehm on translating Denmark/Sweden into U.S./Mexico". HitFix. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  11. ^ Rose, Lacey (November 19, 2013). "Showrunner Shakeup: 'The Bridge's' Meredith Stiehm Departs for 'Homeland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 10, 2013). "Emily Rios & Matthew Lillard Promoted To Regulars On FX's 'The Bridge'". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  13. ^ "The Bridge (2013): Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  14. ^ "The Bridge (FX): Season 1 (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  15. ^ Barney, Chuck (July 2, 2013). "Review: 'The Bridge' on FX weaves a mesmerizing crime thriller". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  16. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (July 9, 2013). "Review: FX's 'The Bridge' a gripping look at crime on El Paso/Juarez border". HitFix. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  17. ^ Ryan, Maureen (July 9, 2013). "'The Bridge' Review: A Compelling Look At Complex Border Cops". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  18. ^ Goodman, Tim (June 26, 2013). "The Bridge: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  19. ^ Bianco, Robert (July 9, 2013). "'The Bridge' fails to support its weighty premise". USA Today. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  20. ^ "The Bridge (2013): Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  21. ^ "The BTJA Announces Icon Award Recipient and Most Exciting New Series Honorees". The Broadcast Television Journalists Association. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  22. ^ "2014 Golden Reel Award Winners: TV/Feature Animation & Documentary Category". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  23. ^ "The Bridge (FX)". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
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