Long Beach Stars in New Police Drama TV Series ‘On Call’

This city has had many movies and TV shows filmed here over the years, but how many of them are actually set in Long Beach, California?

‘On Call,’ a new TV series on Amazon’s Prime Video that started on Jan. 9, is filmed and based here. Brought to TV screens by legendary ‘Law & Order’ creator Dick Wolf’s production company, the series focuses on the fictionalized lives of Long Beach Police Department officers and what it’s like for them to do their jobs.

In this half-hour TV series, veteran Traci Harmon (played by Troian Bellisario) trains newcomer Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente) on the complex realities of being a police officer these days.

The pilot episode starts with a beautiful waterfront view of the city and the downtown, as Officer Maria Delgado (Monica Raymund) patrols in her squad car. You get to see the Queen Mary, the harbor and the Long Beach Civic Center. At Anaheim Street and Oregon Street, Delgado types in a license plate number and radios dispatch about a car she’s pulling over with lights and siren. It doesn’t take long before she’s gunned down and the three suspects get away.

As Harmon meets her rookie officer Diaz for training, she’s emotionally taxed by losing one of her officers – and defensive about the pressure she’s under. She makes sure Diaz understands that an officer can never solely approach a car under similar circumstances.

Lori Loughlin plays Lt. Bishop, whom Harmon reports to. Loughlin is best known for her role as Rebecca “Aunt Becky” Katsopolis on the situation comedy “Full House” and its Netflix revival, “Fuller House.”

Eriq La Salle plays Sgt. Lasman. He’s known for his performance as Dr. Peter Benton in the NBC medical drama “ER.” La Salle directed four of the episodes of “On Call,” including the pilot.

The Worst/Best of Long Beach?

‘On Call’ presents a unique opportunity for the city to stand out. While some residents likely won’t care for the emphasis on crime in the city, most people will probably be thrilled to see Long Beach star in its own show instead of being used as background for other locations.

Long Beach has benefited economically from several production crews coming here to shoot TV shows and movies. As tourist website Visit Long Beach reports, at least 2,386 film and TV titles have been shot in Long Beach over the past 100-plus years. That includes classics such as “Titanic,” “Clueless,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Airplane!” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Don’t forget “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” a 1963 comedy caper. It features a wild car chase finish filmed in the old downtown, back in the days when The Pike was still there.

The local economy, including food services and restaurants, benefits from film production coming to town. Local business owners and residents get to brag about famous scenes being shot here and many of them get to tell stories about saying hello to a famous actor on the set – or as they both stood in line for a latte at one of the local coffeehouses.

Kathleen Schaaf, the owner of Meow vintage store in Long Beach’s Retro Row district, says that she’s been providing period wardrobe for Hollywood productions since the late 1980s, according to Visit Long Beach.

The new “On Call” TV series does offer panoramic views of Queensway Bridge and other famous local sites. There’s also another side of Long Beach that’s depicted in the show – tougher neighborhoods with gang members and weathered and worn-out visual landmarks and neighborhoods.

It’s more likely to be a source of pride for Long Beach locals who want to have their city become more respected and recognized. In fact, Dick Wolf and other production executives and actors, would probably be grateful to have Long Beach residents and businesses promoting the TV show on social media and in other communications with their social circles.

According to a few media reports, “On Call” does face a serious challenge: standing out in a market packed with competing law enforcement shows and other entertaining programs. It’s the first-ever streaming channel TV series for Wolf’s production company.

If you watch an episode or two, you’ll see that it’s made with a similar level of quality and storytelling structure about the lives of professionals whose careers can be all-encompassing. TV shows like “Law & Order: SVU,” “Chicago P.D.” and other Wolf productions, have been renewed for several seasons. They’re known for providing engaging stories about the lives of people working in law enforcement, the medical field and other first-responder services.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.