'Low Winter Sun'  on AMC Season Premiere: Episode 1 "Pilot" Review / Episode 2 Trailer Preview / Premiere Sunday, August 18 at 10/9c

Low Winter Sun [you know the show that came after the Breaking Bad premiere Sunday night?] aired the first episode of Season 1 last night. Guess what? It was pretty good.

Sure it's not the network's next Breaking Bad, but if you're into hushed crime dramas then it's not a bad alternative.

Low Winter Sun is directed by Ernest R. Dickerson [The Wire, Dexter, The Walking Dead] and stars Mark Strong [Frank Agnew], Lennie James [Joe Geddes] and James Ranson [Damon Callis].

In last night's Episode 1, detectives Frank Agnew [Strong] and Joe Geddes [James] try to convince each other that if a cop is corrupt then killing him is justified. The show is full of the same grit that made characters from Breaking Bad like Walt White and Jesse household names. I just hope the writing can sustain that level of intensity in future episodes.

One of the best parts of Low Winter Sun had to be the backdrop; the environment. Though the city of Detroit isn't exactly on the payroll, its certainly one of the principal characters in Low Winter Sun Season 1. Much like The Wire gave a voice to parts of Batlimore that, from day to day, are grossly misrepresented, Low Winter Sun gives the underbelly of Motor City a real identity.

With that being said, Low Winter Sun is a fine show to curb the "Breaking Bad is over after this season" woes, but it can't replace them.

Tune in for Low Winter Sun Episode 2 "The Goat Rodeo" Sunday, August 18 at 10/9c on AMC.