USA Network’s new “bad bromance” cop comedy, Common Law, premieres this Friday, May 11, at 10 p.m. ET. To whet your appetite, we have some scoop from star Michael Ealy himself about his character, Detective Travis Marks, and what we can expect from the new show.
The most interesting things about his character is . . .
“I would say one of the more interesting parts about Travis is his fear of commitment and abandonment. Those two make him a little bit more complex than he seems. So it was more interesting and fun to play him, because there were more layers than just what we see on the surface.”
And how this challenged him:
“I find that the most challenging thing was trying to play Travis’s fear of abandonment and his fear of commitment, trying to play it like a Travis way. And that’ll make more sense at the end of the season. But he does have some issues and those issues come out in therapy. And it’s so hard to be vulnerable, especially when you’re a tough detective. But this show is about character. It’s about the characters and Travis has to open up and, you know, I think that was probably the most challenging, is to have those issues kind of just under the surface of every decision that he makes.”
On his chemistry with costar Warren Kole . . .
“I think there’s a certain connection that we both have to the material and our respective roles that end up somehow lining up perfectly and we just clicked. Hats off to USA for casting both of us together and recognizing the chemistry in the room, because it was a long process to find the character of Wes and to find the actor to play the character of Wes. And, you know, Warren and I, it was just easy. I don’t know how to explain it any other way. It just kind of happened. And so, yes, hats off to USA for that.”
And how that chemistry is a hallmark of USA Network shows:
“I’ve got to say, it’s a deep, dark USA secret. Chemistry is key. Chemistry is key, and I think the chemistry is what really makes the show. It just does. Even when we’re like at each other’s throats, if you’re still rooting for us, that is the USA way. So I don’t know how it happens, but somehow when you see the final product, it works. God bless them.”
How the characters’ therapy sessions affect their cases:
“The therapy sessions really become kind of like the Greek chorus of the show, and you know, we begin to work on our cases with whatever therapy is going on in our heads . . . that to me is the biggest impact of therapy on these guys later on in the season. . . . We begin to solve the cases with whatever we have in therapy in our minds. It can affect us positively. It can affect us negatively. You never know. You know what I mean? And that’s what makes it kind of fun.”
We can confirm that the show is definitely fun. Tune in to the Common Law premiere on May 11 at 10 p.m. on USA Network!
(Photo courtesy of USA Network.)
