Ties That Bind

Though it’s an entertaining enough way to spend an hour, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about the new police/family drama Ties That Bind from upstart cable network UP. It stars veteran television actress Kelli Williams (The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Army Wives) as Allison McLean, a mom and cop who’s torn between the two roles when her personal integrity forces her to put her brother in jail and then take in his teenage children.

The show has been lightly marketed to Christians as an alternative to the gritty arms race taking over television, and in that respect, it lives up to its hype. Amid storylines with strong dramatic potential, there’s little blood, no language or sex, and a family that prays (if in somewhat “God is good, God is great” vernacular) before meals. And with the exception of a couple of overwrought scenes, the show is much better acted than typical “faith-based” programming. Luke Perry, whose haggard visage will come as a shock to anyone who grew up sighing over Dylan McKay, turns in an especially impressive performance as Allison’s prodigal brother.

What the pilot is missing is a sense of the daily experience of being a follower of Christ.

Nearly 20 percent of the population attends a Christian church on any given weekend. Yet with the possible exception of the Catholic Reagans on CBS’ Blue Bloods, there is virtually no serious representation of this way of life on television.

The market is wide open for a series that authentically depicts conversations and contexts that will ring familiar to the tens of millions of viewers striving (and often failing) to pick up their personal crosses. Such a show would even warrant a little grittiness now and then, I should think.

There’s plenty of room for such exploration in Ties That Bind’s setup. Digging deeper into its ostensibly Christian characters’ motivations, fears, and hopes to capture the realities of living their faith would make it a better drama, and would make it stand out from the vast and ever-growing television pack.