Against the Wall (2011) User Reviews

Superb

[nowego · 8/10 · 26 September 2011]

I have been watching this since the beginning, coming from Australia I have to download this show and I look forward to it each week.

I have been a big fan of Treat Williams since he starred in DB Cooper many years ago, so seeing a show with him in is a bonus for me even if he is just a bit part.

The show revolves around a family of cops, similar to Blue Bloods, but only in that regard. Abby is the only daughter of the family and she joins Internal Affairs because that is the only detective posting available. This is much to the disgust of her brothers and father, but they get over it as they love their sibling more than they hate IA.

While some of the scraps she and her partner, a pregnant Lina get into are a bit over the top, it is still mostly believable and very entertaining. The show is a police show that adds a lot of family drama and I enjoy watching it very much and recommend it. I look forward to this being on air for a long time to come.

8 out of 10 for me.

Tolerable at best ...

[Hoods77 · 6/10 · 4 March 2012]

I downloaded this mainly to see how homegrown gal Rachel Carpani is faring in the US - she does her best with the lousy scripts and their eye-rolling predictability, but has not so far shone. A shame, as she's a pretty good actress when given decent material. Sadly if this show is going to be her leg up into the US TV scene it won't lift her far. I haven't been surprised or even entertained to any great degree by an episode yet, but as I firmly believe 95% of TV series suffer first season growing and adjusting pains for both the actors and the script writers, I am prepared to give Season 2 a try. (A classic example of growing pains is The Shield - the first season reeked, but it ended up being one of the most excellent police dramas ever.)

Also, this show smacks of being an attempt at a female-oriented version of Blue Bloods, which is an infinitely better show. The premise of one member of a family of cops going into IA is full of potential, but regrettably, so far, Against the Wall fails to deliver, for me.

Lifetime tries scripted cop show

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 19 August 2013]

Abby Kowalski (Rachael Carpani) comes from a long line of policemen. Her father (Treat Williams) and three brothers are all cops. She is frustrated with the lack of opportunities and takes a job in Internal Affairs which causes a rift in the family. She investigates police misconduct with partner Lina Flores (Marisa Ramirez).

Lifetime attempts do something here. Maybe the problem is that they didn't take on more risk. Or else they could have more than 13 episodes. The acting is good. There is some good family drama along with the standard police procedural. The two female police partners may be the pitch for Lifetime. This is a good show but I don't know how committed is the network. It just doesn't feel like a Lifetime show.

Keeps me coming back each week

[sad-eyed-angel · 26 August 2011]

I've read a lot of bad reviews and honestly, I don't understand where the hostility is coming from. From what I've seen of this show, I like it and it keeps me coming back each week. Being someone who watches Lifetime semi regularly, my curiosity was piqued when I kept seeing promos for their new show and I watched the pilot and was impressed. The premise is a Chicago woman takes an opening in Internal Affairs when her father and three older brothers are all blue-collar cops and are upset with her when they find about her new job. I found this show interesting and this is from someone who doesn't watch a lot of crime TV. What makes it interesting isn't necessarily the crime aspect or prominent eye candy (although there are some cuties to be seen) but because of the story and the characters themselves. It is believable that they are a real family rather than just actors and the way they relate to each other makes their family dynamic believable. So far the stories have been interesting enough to keep me coming back and I hope this stays around for a while.

good performances

[roelin · 9/10 · 3 September 2011]

I like the way of acting. I also like the story line with the i.a. cases but also with the family matters. I disagree with another reviewer: sex is part of life and in this series it is good, beautiful and it belongs to the age and way of life of the main character. Especially the end of part 5 when mother and daughter are chatting to each other touches my heart. Good acting, good story lines, go on!!! The main character does a good job, but also her colleague who is pregnant, is a very good character. The role of the father is a special one. With such a daughter, who chooses her own path he has his problems, but I see he starts to understand and accept the way of life of his daughter. I hope this series will go on on the same level. Often this series become quickly mechanical. I hope that will not happen here.

Awesome show

[lazyladyj2007 · 10/10 · 7 August 2013]

I absolutely loved this show. It felt so real to me and I absolutely loved all of the cast, I loved Abby the most because she is such a strong woman and wont let anything stand in the way of what she wants, and the family was a wonderful match up they were all fit the parts perfectly, I was amazed at how good the show was and was very sad to see that they've decided not to air it again. I just wanted to let someone know how I felt about it and hope there are more people out there who would love to see this show again, even if some of the cast had to be changed but I don't think anyone could fit the part of Abby as well as Rachael Carpani. I also think she would be great in other shows and movies! Thank You.

ATW is excellent

[sallympg · 10/10 · 27 February 2012]

This show was a breath of fresh air in the midst of pointless and scripted "reality" shows as well as the numerous male dominated cop shows. It had a great cast, many of which were newcomers and a great storyline that always left you waiting for more. Abby goes into internal affairs a temporary position as she awaits a detective spot to open and ends up really finding her place in IA. Her family is a close knit family in Chicago and makes you feel like you are one of them while watching. Plus, the love triangle that Abby gets herself into is a fun side plot to watch. All the characters are interesting and all the stories leave you wanting more. It is a great show and great job to Lifetime for airing such a great story.

Wow! Pretty Bad. This is NOT Chicago!

[tommyz · 3/10 · 25 September 2011]

The only reason I decided to check out this program was because I saw the promos showing Chicago.

If you are from Chicago, you can clearly see this show is not filmed in Chicago. The only shots from Chicago are the transition scenes.

The actual scenes in the program don't even remotely resemble the Chicago area. Where's the green street lights, there are no wooden picnic benches in Chicago parks, they are not "Divisions" they are called districts.

If you are going to make a show based in Chicago, put some effort into making it look and feel real.

Showing the skyline, an 'L' train, the River, the Lake, etc. doesn't make it Chicago.

Show FAILS!

A close family show and cop show all in one.

[rhiog · 10/10 · 26 March 2012]

I loved this show and have been waiting to see the continuation of it. I hope it will be on again as my husband and I DVR'ed it and watched it religiously. The combination of a family story and police show and all the stories that go on around the lives of each makes it interesting and compelling. This is one of those rare shows that you don't want to fade away. Everyone in the show is well cast and I want to know which guy the daughter will pick. The main character has left the family route of police work and chosen Internal Affairs to the chagrin of her father and brothers. There is a great deal of tension between her and the rest of the family in her attempt to be herself, make her own choices and still belong to the family. Her father and brothers have turned their back on her for her choice but she stands her ground. I sure hope there is more to come because I would be sorely disappointed if it isn't slated for a new season.

Sad view of women

[woodstonepd · 3/10 · 7 September 2011]

I wanted to LOVE this show because I loved Rachel Carpini from Mcleod's Daughters but unfortunately this is a terrible show. I am not a prude so the sex scenes don't bother me in that way, it's the whole idea that the female lead has no other coping skills other than to have sex. Does she have any female friends to talk to? I don't know if the writers think it makes her look like a modern independent woman but it really just makes her look pathetic and male dependent. It would be sooo nice to see a female lead hanging out with girlfriends, or heaven forbid, have her own hobbies. Also, the family situation stresses me out. A totally dysfunctional family with no boundaries and no real respect. It reminds me of why I couldn't make it through more than about 6 episodes of Brothers and Sisters. Skip it.

Fresh and Interesting...great potential.

[ms_sp · 28 October 2011]

Another reviewer has panned this show purely because the backgrounds aren't Chicago. Whilst any person proud of their city may be remotely offended...it isn't a valid reason to pan the show. Also the premise of a heavily pregnant woman on the streets wielding her weapon is probably a little hard to believe...at the same time it was probably done as an experiment to do something different and create interest.

The pilot was a bit rocky and occasionally so was the scripting here and there. But that is usually true for the first seasons of most shows and the characters and acting really stands out in this show. Racheal Carpani does really well to charm the viewers and as a young almost newcomer she holds the show together really well with the help of a very charming and talented ensemble cast. The choice of Kathy Baker and Treat Williams for her parents was a good one to back the show up so to speak with some star value....but I agree with other reviewers that Papadol could be either strengthened or lost completely.

So far I am entirely charmed and think this show is certainly worth seeing how season 2 fairs. It is a step apart from the regular action packed hard-ass cop dramas which is why it has a freshness to it. Racheal Carpani is absolutely one to watch which being a fan of hers from McLeod's Daughters is the only reason I set out to watch this show in the first place.

Very Disappointing

[jul-brown · 1/10 · 29 August 2011]

This show is very disappointing. It is full of casual sex scenes. I think the female lead character has a real sex addiction problem. I don't care if she is 30 yrs. old, we don't need to see her having casual sex, ever. What ever happened to mystery, and leaving things to the imagination? I thought having Kathy Baker and Treat Williams in the show would bring class, but apparently they will take any role. The concept and idea are interesting and the acting is pretty good. I am also from Chicago so I was happy to see the Chicago scenes and references in the dialog. It could have been a really good show, as the crime stories have been pretty interesting and the family dynamics are good. Unfortunately, the creators of the show apparently get their thrills watching the female lead half-naked acting out sexual situations. If there are actually people who act like that, I don't want to know about it and no one needs to watch it on TV.

Breath of fresh air from typical cop dramas

[togoodyou2008 · 23 October 2011]

When I first saw the previews for this show, I thought it was going to be another cheesy cop drama. Boy was I wrong! It's not like another cop drama with cheesy one liners or music that doesn't fit just to add suspense. It's about Abby Kowalski, the youngest of four cops and the only daughter of the chief of police. She wants so badly to become a detective but the only opening is in IA (Internal Affairs). When she tells her family her job choice, they are upset and her mother is the only one that will talk to her but wants nothing to do with argument. Her dad and her brother Donnie think that she is betraying the family because they believe IA is just out to get cops in trouble. Her brothers, Richie and Steve, are a little mad but are more worried about Abby and don't want her to get hurt. Because she has been surrounded by the police force all her life, a lot of her investigations involve people she has known her whole life and it makes it harder for her to keep emotions out of the investigations. Her pregnant IA partner keeps her grounded and her mind on the cases. On top of everything else, she is caught in a love triangle between Richie's partner, Brody, and a District Attorney named Danny. She has told them both that she doesn't want a relationship, because of her own insecurities, but continually runs into both of them. I find myself rooting for her because she's a woman in a man's world and it's entertaining because she puts doubters in there place. And even with all her relationship insecurities and the fact she's claustrophobic and refuses to take elevators, she very empowering and is a change from the man-dominating cop dramas.

Love Love Love this show

[calgalntn · 11 September 2011]

This show is great. I love it for the characters and the interaction between them. Rachael Carpani is outstanding as she is able to bring a softness (clumsiness, singing little songs to herself) to Annie at the same time that she makes it clear that Annie is tough as nails (like during the "touch" football game). I also like the Lina/Annie relationship as they go about their investigations. Thank goodness their partnership is professional and genial. So many times women are portrayed as backbiting and bitchy toward each other. But the meat of the show is the relationship of Annie and her family. The family dynamics are wonderful. Her relationship with her police officer father and brothers, who detest IA, do not deter from performing her IA duties. It's easy to understand how she was able to work her way up the career ladder and apparent that she is capable of going farther. Great show!

Up Against the Wall is a good show, but one that has one significant flaw that needs to be fixed before it can be a great one.

[lancaster-880-508452 · 25 September 2011]

I actually think this a fairly good show. The plots are interesting and Rachael Carpani is quite good in the lead role as Abby. My main criticism - and what probably lowered my rating by a star - is the over the top portrayal of Abby as the "queen of booty calls." Why is it that many of the TV shows these days think it is so modernistic to have female characteristics imitate the worst traits of the male gender? Okay, we get it. Women have just as much of a right to use men for sex as men do to use them. What a notable victory for women's rights! The significance of getting the right to vote pales in comparison.

But how many times do we have to see Abby get a sudden "itch" and call her brother's partner to scratch it? And now she's got another guy to do the same thing (she dropped the other because he wanted to actually date her!), but God forbid she actually develops a real relations with any of these men, or she might lose her title as the best female version of a man whore on television today. I get the feeling that if she ever went out with a guy and he refused to take her to bed on the first date, he would be history.

My suggestion is stop waving the banner for women's equal right to casual sex on every episode and focus on giving a little more depth than that to Carpani's character. There are plenty of man whores on TV already. We can do with one less female version of "McSteamy."

Bad Bad Bad

[robmirley · 6 September 2011]

I'm completely fed up with Cop drama's and hospital stuff.

But this caught my eye. Being a different slant to a cop program.

The first one came across OK just OK. But the second! not researched, Improbable, weak rubbish!!! My sink could write better scripts. Which is where this program is going.

The over acting is, cringe worthy. But I will for the most part, put that down to Very bad screen play.Coupled with even worse directing.

The pregnant partner. I think I know where that's going, Gush Gush.. The guy who plays the captain. Couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.

"Great work detectives" Something I think the captain, will say in every episode. Like its a real surprise that women can do that job.

all that's missing from that statement is. Him ruffling up their hair as he say's it. Then giving them a dog treat.

It is so bad I'm embarrassed, to admit I watched it.