Ads for Steven Bochco’s much-anticipated drama,

"Brooklyn South," herald it as "a different shade of

blue." That is a reference, of course, to Bochco’s huge-

ly successful duo of "Hill Street Blues" and "N.Y.P.D.

Blue," which have redefined what a cop drama should

aspire to be. "Brooklyn South" may have the best aspi-

rations in the world, but it’s soon to have a reputation

just as tarnished as its real-life counterparts.

Dylan Walsh ("Congo") headlines an ensemble cast

of wawkin’, tawkin’ Italians with attitudes.

Recognizable faces involved in the recognizable plot

include Yancy Butler ("Drop Zone"), James B. Sikking

(Doogie Howser’s dad) and Michael DeLuise.

"Brooklyn South" premiered Monday night, with a

heavily hyped "first nine minutes" of violent blood-

shed. During morning roll call, a wanted criminal

starts firing off bullets outside the precinct. He shoots

a cop in the head (bloodless), takes out an innocent

bystander (also bloodless) and wounds a few others.

Suddenly, an unseen sniper starts taking shots

from above, and only then did the show garner its

adult TV-MA rating (most episodes of "Brooklyn

South" will carry a TV-14 tag, though).

Hiding behind a patrol car, a cop gets a bullet in the

head from above, sending pieces of hair flying. When

he hits the ground, we see blood pour out onto the

sidewalk. But where the makers of "Brooklyn South"

likely see this as a real, gritty example of street vio-

lence, it only serves the visceral thrill of seeing brains

on the pavement.

The show is also rife with cliches, including "the

husband who’s more attached to his job than his wife"

and "the fresh-faced kid about to join his big brother

on the force." And near the end, when a New York civil

rights leader accuses the department of murdering

the shooter (a black man who died in police custody),

the show takes on the distinct feel of an us vs. them,

black vs. white mentality. While that would seeming-

ly be a mirror of real life, the show paints the blacks

in such broad strokes it almost seems racist.

The show does have its good points, including some

decent lines. When sending a squad to arrest some

panhandlers, a sergeant says about a guitar player,

"Don’t bother him. He’s legit blind, and I like the way

he plays."

And "Brooklyn South" certainly has many ways to

improve. Like any premiere episode, it introduced the

audience to the entire cast of characters. When it’s

able to focus on one or two primary stories, maybe the

dramatic juices will start flowing.

On the other hand, the debut of "N.Y.P.D. Blue"

served the same introductory purposes but still man-

aged to draw us into the grit from the get-go, with

instantly dynamic characters such as John Kelly

(David Caruso) and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz).

"Brooklyn South," in its current state, doesn’t look

to stand a chance in the prime-time big leagues. It

may get better, but, for now, it doesn’t seem coinciden-

tal the show’s initials are "B.S."