A Memphian’s Guide to Watching “Memphis Beat”

First, you must learn to ignore the factual errors.

“Memphis Beat”, TNT’s new procedural cop drama set in the Bluff City is full of them. The convenience store at the beginning of the show sells both hard liquor and beer (not in real Tennessee, it doesn’t), Jason Lee’s character refers to a neighborhood as a “ward”, and locals know that Gus’s fried chicken comes in a greasy paper bag, not a box. Also, if anyone knows where the Memphis County referenced on the police badges is, I’d kind of like to go there.

Secondly, you have to understand that this is TV Memphis, not Real Memphis. Cliches abound. The show opens and closes with Dwight performing Elvis songs with his band. Biscuits are eaten, there is a Sassy Black Lady Detective, and the stairs at the police station are inexplicably occupied by a handful of Asian Elvis lookalikes in shiny gold jackets.

Those things aside, “Memphis Beat” is enjoyable, if a little bland. Jason Lee dusts off his “My Name is Earl” accent to play Dwight, a quirky mama’s boy detective who spends his days using his instincts to solve crimes and his evenings fronting an Elvis tribute band. I couldn’t help but like Lee as he tried to solve an elder abuse case involving a former WHER DJ.

The supporting cast is equally lovable. After watching the first episode, I hope that the writers continue to develop them as characters rather than stereotypes. DJ Qualls (who was also in “Hustle & Flow”) is played for laughs as Dwight’s bumbling underling. I’m also curious to see where the writers will take Tanya Rice, the tough new boss played by Alfre Woodard. She’s talented enough to be so much more than the Sassy Lady Cop.

Since the show was announced, there’s been a fair amount of uproar in Memphis over the show’s filming location. While some exterior shots were filmed in Memphis, the majority of the show was shot in New Orleans because of the tax incentives that Louisiana gives to filmmakers. I was hoping that it wouldn’t matter in the show’s final product – that it would be easy to believe that the interior shots or bad neighborhoods were ours. Like Memphis, New Orleans has a personality and look that’s all its own, and it shows. There’s just something subtly off about the setting. It’s little things that people outside of Memphis won’t notice – the light, the skyline shot that looks like here but isn’t, the blue street signs – but that locals will find distracting.

I’m willing to give the show time, though. Last night was just the first episode, and viewers have to be willing to forgive a show its pilot. “Memphis Beat” could (and probably will) get better with time.

Ultimately, a show like “Memphis Beat” will do more good than harm. Like it or not, our name and our culture (and yes, our cliches) are the subject of a national television show. If the show runs long enough or ever has the budget to do so, maybe they’ll dig a little deeper into the soul of the place and make “Memphis Beat” something that we can watch with pride.