Pretty Hard Cases (2021–2023) User Reviews (113)

It gets better with future episodes

[sdowen-59793 · 8/10 · 8 March 2021]

The first 2 episodes are awkward. The show improves by the third episode when the characters find their rhythm. Frankie Drake had a similar rough start.

The chemistry between the main characters is improving as the series progresses. The over-the-top gibber jabber was annoying in the pilot.

The writers have done a better job writing a more balanced script in the most recent episodes.

You have to give the show a chance. It's hard to judge any show from it's pilot.

Update: Season 2

Season 2 is an improvement over season one. The bad guys are better cast with more realistic characters. They made a wise decision to write her son out of the show. It also helps Tig is no longer part of the series.

Parring down the cast has improved character & story development. So far, the show appears to have found it's stride in season 2.

Don't get all the hate

[wildsheep-49617 · 8/10 · 6 April 2021]

I can't understand the level of vitriol targeting this show - I mean, it's a pleasant little Canadian cop show, people need to relax a little. I also wasn't too impressed after the first episode but wow, the show has grown by leaps and bounds since then and I now look forward to it each week. Yes, of course the American actress is the best actor on the show, but what would you expect? Everyone else puts in a good effort and I think after this rookie season the show will be as good as any other cop show on TV, in fact, much, much better than the usual US fare. If people don't like it, they don't need to tune in, but I'm enjoying it immensely.

Finally a Female Buddy Cop Show That Works

[virtual-93888 · 8/10 · 18 September 2021]

I'm really liking this show. It's pretty smart. Well cast. Entertaining and different. Comparing it to Law & Order SVU the 2 main characters remind me of Iced Tea and Munch - arguably, 2 of the most interesting characters on SVU. The women talk to each other like real people and both define and defend their quirkiness without coming across as fake. I'll be marathoning it.

I'm entertained. Course, I don't crave violence and can live without machismo.

[smartyred · 9/10 · 27 February 2021]

Another reviewer called it quirky. I agree. it's the imperfect characters who are so charming and relatable. I really like this show. The naysayers should spend more time watching what they do like, instead of trolling.

It's not Barney Miller; It's not Brooklyn 99

[gdump · 7/10 · 8 April 2021]

It's something in between. It's a dramedy more than a comedy. MacNeill plays her character a little too over the top, the bad guys are too dumb, the plot is like Swiss cheese, but it is still entertaining. It's not worthy of awards, but I think it's worth a second season.

LOL FUNNY

[kylievision · 9/10 · 9 April 2021]

One of the few shows that makes me laugh out loud...also nothing better than feel good funny.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this show ...

[angiemitch · 9 April 2021]

I've watched all of Season 1 now and have really enjoyed it. There aren't a lot of shows I watch anymore on network tv, but I have really looked forward to watching this each week. The leads are fantastic and the support characters are all great. Love seeing the Toronto backdrops as well. I'm hopeful it will return for a second season!

"The Heat" TV series

[libbysampson · 7/10 · 6 February 2021]

This show is basically "The Heat" turned into a TV series, except now Melissa McCarthy's character is Black and Sandra Bullock's character has a 17 year old son instead of the neighbor's cat.

Great Series! Family friendly

[zaenkney · 9/10 · 13 September 2021]

I loved this and I hope it goes on a while. No bad language, no sexually explicit scenes, it's funny yet has real bad guy/gals. I did not get bored. But, then, I don't need explosions, car chases, CGI or blood and gore. This series is worth a watch. Sit back and enjoy.

Just sat through season 2. I don't write a lot of reviews anymore because there are so many AWFUL shows these days. So, I see I've already written one (badly at that). I'm getting old and my neurons are dropping instead of popping.

This series deserves another attempted review by me - but keep in mind I'm left handed, born on leap year, old and red headed.

I don't care to go on about all things that makes a program technically awards worthy. I want to be entertained and this one improved even more in the second go-round. There is drama, tension, humor (giggle worthy), some romance, surprises, etc. Are there plot-holes? Of course, as there are in 99% of all programming (even the news)! Wow, I guess that makes it true to life?

I like all kinds of genres (except horror and porn), so I'm fairly open-minded as to what I will watch while having no patience for that which wastes my time because I'm old. This series is absolutely delightful with actors, writers and directors that excel.

Better than Good Girls

[williamsteenstra · 7/10 · 20 February 2021]

Simple with a sustainable premise - some good characters. Adrienne C. Moore, Tara Strong, Ronnie Rowe and Susan Kent fit very smoothly into their roles, the other actors seem like tourists in their roles, hopefully this won't be cancelled before everyone gets into the swing of things - I look forward to more, it'd be cool if they kept Ronnie's character relevant even though they just sent him to prison-the show doesn't have enough stand-out characters to last if they ignore him so soon. I'm already sick of Dan Petronijevic's character - snake wearing redneck gamer? no thanks.

It gets better 👍

[StatusJJ · 5/10 · 18 March 2021]

This Canadian TV series will grow on you. The characters are very likeable and the writers are unique with this series. Each episode seems better than the previous.

Not sure what all the hate is about

[anavrinin · 8/10 · 19 February 2021]

I like this show! It's funny and interesting. Very confused as to why so many people chose to write these awful reviews. Things that make you go hmmmmm....?

Good for Filler

[kpassa · 7/10 · 31 March 2022]

Not much of a plot. Not much in the way of interesting characters. Not very funny, even though in places it's supposed to be. Not shot in interesting locations. But, that said, it isn't overly gory or violent so it is a good show for us to put on when there is nothing else to watch.

I wasn't entertained.

[Max_Lucas · 2/10 · 27 February 2021]

Really not much to say about it. Except ask, So are we supposed to use a different rating system just because there are a few mentions that this is a Canadian show? I don't see reviewers on other shows, saying "What you expect, it's Korean, Spanish or French, don't be too salty..." Ratings should not be determined by where the studio is located... Wasn't Stargate and 'aboat' 50% other U.S. shows filmed in Toronto? This show is just bad, no chemistry, no humor, no action. And reminding me it came from Canada isn't going to change my rating.

Weirdly Interesting

[dlwooden-333-856395 · 9/10 · 19 September 2021]

I really enjoy this show. The characters are interesting weird and funny. I like the show because it's like you are becoming friends with characters as they become friends with each other. If you like crime shows like Law and Order and tv shows like Friends and Scrubs will you love this because it's like a combination of the two genres. I can't wait for season 2.

Really Enjoying This Show!

[jirvin_98 · 15 February 2021]

Love the chemistry between the 2 leads, Meredith MacNeill and Adrienne C. Moore. The former's wackiness and the latter's coolness make for truly hilarious, laugh out loud moments. The show is very well cast, well-acted and very entertaining. Kudos to the writers, keep up the good work!

1/2 through S1E1

[EyeSeesMovies · 7/10 · 8 April 2023]

Okay, just want to say, "where's your belt detective?!" Also, "why are your shoes untied!?" Okay, carryon. I'll come back and review later, but I'm still typing to meet the required minimum character count.

It seems like this is going to be a good series. The script seems okay, even though it did irritate me that Squad was full blown guns drawn on the kid (media PTSD, maybe) and the main lead spouted crap about 'rules and losing there jobs'. Anyhow, I scored a 7, up into this sentence, but now I've decided to bump to an eight, because as I watch, it already seems to be improving. So there you have it folks. Thanks for reading.lol.

Worth giving this show a look

[katieintoronto · 9/10 · 5 April 2021]

I hope people give this show a chance. I originally was afraid it was going to be fluff, but it's a really good detective show. As the story line develops, so do the characters, and the two leads in particular are excellent - I love the dynamic between them. I just recently picked it up and have been binge watching it. Can't wait for more!

Fresh & Funny (Seasons 1 & 2)

[dthoughtsinc · 7/10 · 19 February 2024]

I still upon Pretty Hard Cases Season 1 & 2 and immediately got sucked in to the predominately female cast and the fresh relationship dynamic of Kelly (Adrienne C. Moore) and Sam (Meredith MacNeill)

I very much appreciate Kelly's character and her romantic relationship and how they challenge and upend historical impressions/images of what is sexy, beautiful and feminine. Adrienne C. Moore Is beautiful and her character is presented as a relatable, authentic, accessible person one may have as a family member, friend, coworker or neighbor.

And the sleuth aspect isn't bad either. The cases and subplots are pretty good and engaging. Humor has me laughing out loud at times.

Sam's character is hilarious. The two (Kelly and Sam) play very well off each other. Their screen friendship is believable, funny and touching.

Like the fact that it's set in Canada rather than the US because it adds another cool twist to the series.

I thought the story was rather unique. Seasons 1 & 2 aren't overly slapstick-ish or too terribly unrealistic. It includes real-world issues and concerns. Shows the diversity of life and people in the real world. Glad I found it!

Season 3 is a different story...

I still enjoy Kelly and Sam and their friendship/working relationship. However, the writing seems to be of a much lower quality than seasons, 1 and 2. Season 3 is very slapstick-ish, the storylines don't flow as well, some of the scenes are just totally unnecessary, and somewhat annoying in several episodes, the believability/relatability of the storylines/cases just isn't there. Too bad though because I liked the series so much I was binge watching it night after night. Wish it would have finished as strong as it started.

So far so good!

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 4 February 2021]

It's a great storyline and perfectly cast. The genre is crime and drama on IMDb, but I found this episode subtly hilarious. Meredith MacNeill is great in this and makes me laugh, and pairing her character up with Adrienne C. Moore was spot on. Katie Douglas' performance was great and the rest of the casting couldn't been better. There was even some awesome soundtracks. Directing is on point, and I hope this series' writers can keep up the great work. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me - for now.

hard to watch first episodes but gets better later on

[xegean · 7/10 · 25 June 2023]

Miscasts is the main issue in this series. No chemistry between mother and son, no chemistry between partners.

The plot and characters and twists are all there but that is all. Meredith Macneill makes the series watchable, the rest of the cast in my opion are examples of worst miscast mistakes ever If you decide to watch the series please consider that the first episodes are really hard to watch as everything seems out of place, but if you can endure this awkwardness for a few episodes than it gets better at around the 3-4th episode.

At best a watchable series, you can do much worse but still a waste of time.

Disappointing.

[jamjoh-14906 · 3/10 · 9 February 2021]

I was really looking forward to this show but couldn't watch it all. At the 30 minute mark, I stopped. It wasn't working. Was it silly funny? Was it kind of serious? Did the writers know where they wanted to go with this? I love Meredith MacNeil in B V S Show but she wasn't shining here.

Character Driven Storytelling

[splode-78793 · 8/10 · 3 March 2021]

The two leads are complex, vastly different styles and it's been fun to see them clash. And both are great at holding their own rhythms and are written and played with truth. They feel like real humans. The supporting all have hints of depth and I'll be interested to see where they take this cast. The stakes got good and high in Ep. 4 so that has me bought in. It always takes a series most of first season to lay a foundation and then writers can play with all the connections. Hopefully they go for surprising and not by the book for this sort of cop show.

Starsky & "Not Much"

[Ed-Shullivan · 5/10 · 4 February 2021]

Is this a crime / drama or a straight up sitcom? The first 15 minutes of banter between Detectives Samantha Wazowski from Guns and Gangs, (Meredith MacNeill) and Kelly Duff from the Drug Squad (Adrienne C. Moore) quite frankly left me dizzy, and as such I thought this pilot episode was kind of dopey. Of course these two quirky cops are after the same thing, a big time drug dealer, so they reluctantly try to work together and wouldn't you know it, their two vastly different styles of policing seems to work in catching the bad guys.

It's not that I thought the show was bad, but my issue with this series is I am not sure who the target audience is? Is it single working moms like Detective Samantha Wazowski is, or is it for hip hop street smart ladies like Detective Kelly Duff?

I will give it a few more weeks and assess it again if maybe some good story lines can help maintain a steady and loyal audience base.

For now, I give it a 5 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Definitely gets juicy

[sramage-49321 · 8/10 · 8 March 2021]

A few episodes in and the story lines and character development are getting really good! We're getting to see that these two cops are actually very good at their jobs. The depth of the supporting characters brings a lot to it too, the development of the same story line over multiple episodes means that we get to follow the bad guys too, and some of them are turning out to be pretty creepy. (I do find it strange that this is Toronto and we haven't seen any Asian characters yet, I feel like you might have to make extra effort to achieve that.)