The Beat

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

It's too bad The Beat's on UPN; few people will actually see it. Written and created by Homicide's Tom Fontana, the show is a well-written, stylish cop show that emphasizes character over crime. Perhaps that's because the uniformed cops walk the beat and leave the crime-solving to the plainclothes detectives. As a stunt to set The Beat apart from other shows of the genre, the job-related scenes are shot on video, appearing grainy and jumpy, and the personal-life scenes on film, appearing crisp and glossy.