Prime Video started out the 2025 TV schedule with a show that already had a recipe for success: On Call, a new crime drama from the Wolf Entertainment team. Starring Pretty Little Liars' Troian Bellisario as veteran Long Beach cop Tracy Harmon and The Good Doctor's Brandon Larracuente as Alex Diaz, her ambitious rookie trainee, the project is a half-hour streaming series that dropped all eight episodes on premiere day... which makes it entirely unique from the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe.
I binge-watched first season ahead of speaking with the cast and creators, and I love what co-creators Elliot Wolf and Tim Walsh said about the twist on the usual Dick Wolf formula that has worked so well for shows like Law & Order: SVU, Chicago P.D., and FBI. They explained what makes On Call binge-worthy for anybody with a Prime Video subscription and why this is Wolf Entertainment's first half-hour streaming option.
How Binge-Worthy Is On Call?
Not many production companies can boast as many long-running hits as Wolf Entertainment, with five shows currently in double-digit seasons airing on network television. (NBC's Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med.) While those release episodes weekly, all eight installments of On Call with its combination of body cam, dash cam, cellphone video, and traditional footage were available starting on January 9.
As somebody who enjoyed the binge experience mostly spoiler-free, I won't get into spoilers here beyond the action-packed trailer and to hype the supporting performances of Eriq La Salle and Lori Loughlin. When I spoke with co-creators Elliot Wolf (Dark Woods, Law & Order: Criminal Justice System) and Tim Walsh (Chicago P.D., Hightown) about the Long Beach-set show during Prime Video's press event for the new show, I had already seen all eight episodes.
So, how binge-worthy would they consider the show, when so many other crime dramas release weekly? Walsh stated that it's "11 out of 10" when it comes to binge-worthiness, and Wolf elaborated:
That was the goal. There is a through line to the series that has an undercurrent that pulls you through, and it's sort of unspoken in the dynamic between our two leads. And with these two characters, we hope that you want to do more than just eight episodes with them. You want to know everything about them. The idea is that you can sit down and watch them for hours because the stories are endless.
While it remains to be seen if there will be more than just the initial eight episodes with Tracy Harmon and Alex Diaz, a binge-watch actually doesn't take all that long compared to many other dramas. With each episode coming in at just over or just under half an hour, I found it easy to get caught up enough to keep on watching. Tim Walsh agreed with his co-creator and then shared his two cents:
This was made by people who love popcorn entertainment, for people who love popcorn entertainment.
You can binge-watch all eight episodes (which are available now) in around four hours, which is certainly less time than it takes for a season of Law & Order or Chicago P.D.! In fact, as somebody who regularly watches the Wolf Entertainment shows on network TV, it was an adjustment for the credits to roll after 30 minutes for On Call, and the co-creators explained why they chose the direction of shorter installments.
Why Half Hour Episodes?
Fresh off of my On Call binge-watch when I was fortunate enough to speak with the co-creators, I had to know: why choose a half hour format when Wolf Entertainment has a 30+ year history of incredible success with episodic dramas of around 42 minutes without commercials? As it turns out, the answer isn't totally straightforward. Elliot Wolf explained:
There's multiple answers to that question. First and foremost, I think that in today's world, attention has never been more valuable. You look at the 1950s and 1960 prime time schedule, it's all half hour procedurals. They don't exist today. So from conceptualizing the series, we thought it was a really interesting format with a proven track record to try and dive into. Once we actually got into the half hour format and the idea of it being a procedural, I think we really made it our own.
On Call certainly is unique among procedurals with its half hour format, and I can't imagine that it could have worked on a non-streaming platform in modern days. The show hasn't yet been renewed for a second season, but the co-creators are both enthusiastic about the finished product. Wolf went on:
And one of the things that we pride ourselves with this series is that there is no true format or rules to an episode, and the heart of the series is the characters and the relationships between them. So it started looking back and taking something that was old and making it new again, and then eventually, I think, making it completely our own.
At the time of writing, the wait is still on for whether On Call will be back for a second season. No news is good news sometimes, though, and Wolf Entertainment at least is still promoting the show. Take a look at a recent social media post:
The comment section of the Instagram post has plenty of praise from viewers, and not just because there's a pretty cute dog in the photos. In fact, a frequent comment is asking for a second season, so there is clearly already an audience hoping for more. And if you haven't already watched...
Well, if you have a Prime Video subscription and four hours to spare, I have a recommendation for you! On Call certainly worked for me as a binge-watch, and that's coming from somebody who watched eight hours of Wolf Entertainment on network television this week between the FBIs, the two Law & Orders, and One Chicago. The half hour format was an adjustment, but not a bad one.
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