In Reporting for Duty, a cowardly chief is promoted to work at one of the most skilled precincts in Rio. With a mafia gang hunting him down, he does his best to ensure his safety. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Chief Suzano is transferred and promoted to the 8th precinct of the Tijuca neighborhood in Rio after accidentally catching a member of a gang called the Slot Machine Mafia.
Suzano believes he is going to continue to solve petty crimes here. However, when he learns that he will be involved in solving heinous crimes too, he starts questioning the promotion.
Suzano is introduced to the Hallway of Glory, where pictures of all the chiefs who served at the 8th precinct are hung. They all died serving this precinct, except for Suzano’s predecessor.
Suzano learns that this is the Slot Machine Mafia’s work. They have a habit of targeting station chiefs, and Suzano now has their attention.
Nobody believes Suzano is going to last long here. Will he be able to prove everyone wrong, or is he going to be the next chief dying at the hands of the Slot Machine Mafia?
Performances
Leandro Hassum is pretty serious about portraying the role of Suzano, and he plays the character with utmost sincerity, even when Suzano is pulling off some of the most absurd moves.
Luciana Paes, as Mantovani, is not just another responsible cop trying to prove herself. Her character is already a well-respected one in the show, and Paes is able to highlight that this obedient cop’s life is not that sorted and she is wrestling with emotions too.
The show is much more invested in Suzano’s story, and hence, Paes and the other cast members, who have intriguing characters of their own, get comparatively less time to show their talents. Their performances are restricted to everything going on at the precinct with their characters.
Positives
Reporting for Duty is able to capture a viewer’s attention once it makes them familiar with the characters and the kind of humor, which may not be unique but works, that it is pursuing.
The show never loses the focus of its main plot throughout its eight-episode run, even when many subplots are thrown into the mix. It definitely has a goal for the story to be told, rather than just making itself another workplace comedy.
Negatives
Reporting for Duty brings together an interesting group of characters who have their own life challenges. However, it favors Suzano’s story more, and it doesn’t even make the best of the subplots featured that could have helped the viewers better understand the supporting characters.
The humor and comedy style of the show are formulaic and follow the generic rules of the sitcom; even when it comes to twists and turns, a viewer can figure out the outcome of an episode’s plot vaguely.
The show also struggles to balance its ridiculous ideas. Of course, police precincts don’t work like this in real life in any manner, but the ideas the show brings are sometimes hard to digest, even if it is seen as a work of fiction.
Verdict
Reporting for Duty is a mediocre sitcom that will struggle to build a fanbase when there are other shows out there making the most of the same formula this show is using.
Though it never loses its focus, its inability to connect the viewers to the supporting characters is another reason one might leave the show midway.
Also Read: The Great Seduction (2023) review: Average drama is occasionally funny
