Dick Wolf is well-known for several successful procedural dramas that continue to dominate the 2025 TV schedule, like the Law & Order franchise and the One Chicago shows. For his latest creation — On Call, which is available to stream January 9 with an Amazon Prime Video subscription — he’ll be tackling that genre in half-hour episodes for the first time. Will Wolf’s first foray into the streaming world be as good to him as network television has been? Critics have some pretty harsh reactions after seeing all eight episodes of On Call Season 1, but I don't necessarily think that's enough to stop the Dick Wolf Entertainment train.
On Call stars Troian Bellisario as Long Beach PD training officer Traci Harmon, who is grieving the loss of a fellow officer as she trains recruits including her new partner Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente). Fans of other Dick Wolf projects might be excited to see a familiar face, as the trailer showed a surprise appearance from Chicago Fire star Monica Raymund. As for what else to expect from the new show, The Wrap’s Thelma Adams says viewers shouldn’t look for a huge shift away from the familiar formula, writing:
The new On Call characters have plenty of runway to make strong impressions, but they pale in comparison to [Law & Order’s best] standouts… The writing, too, is intentionally spare, lacking the wit and barbed one-liners of the older one-hour shows… These aren’t particularly bad cops, but they’re not as compelling as they need to be to break through in a flooded marketplace. While the Wolf pack named the series On Call, don’t feel the obligation to put it on speed dial.
THR’s Angie Han is just glad the episodes clock in at under 30 minutes, because “at no point” does On Call justify the longer runtime of other procedurals. The writing shows little curiosity — even after all eight episodes — about the characters or the world they inhabit. The critic says:
On Call’s unwillingness to engage too deeply with anything we’re seeing onscreen makes it hard to ever become totally engrossed by it. But then, not every show wants you to look that closely. Some are content humming along as background noise. If you’re looking for a rich and ambitious exploration of policing in modern America — to quote one of Diaz’s go-to phrases, ‘this ain’t it.’ If all you want is the experience of channel surfing to the middle of a Law & Order episode without worrying that you’re missing too much of the plot, this should suit just fine.
Isabella Soares of Collider gives the series a 6 out of 10, writing that the chemistry between Harmon and Diaz is enjoyable, and the use of bodycam footage and other unique camerawork make for exhilarating action sequences. However, as other critics have said, the show fails to go deep enough to inspire potential bingers to click on the next episode. In Soares’ words:
Even though the main duo has a fresh dynamic and the filming style is unique, this police drama lacks the stamina of a show made for streaming. Aside from the main characters' personal dilemmas, Wolf's latest project doesn't fit the binge model. Yes, the episodes are relatively short, but the narrative is so surface-level that it won't compel someone to watch everything in one sitting. It would've been much more fitting to release episodes on a week-by-week basis and retain viewership that way than having them all drop on the platform at once, hoping viewers stick around.
Alistair Ryder of Looper’s response to On Call is a bit harsher, as the critic rates the series just 3 out of 10. Ryder calls watching the series “less fun than getting arrested” and says with its cliche-ridden storytelling and uninteresting characters, the only positive to this show is that it will inspire you to revisit better cop shows. Ryder continues:
Nobody could accuse On Call of having similarly attention-grabbing protagonists, both of whom are devoid of any character beyond what their job description entails. And as for how they approach the job itself, well, the tension between playing by the book and breaking the rules has been done to death in cop dramas for years now — maybe a spark of personality could have helped the trope go down easier. The only standout quirk the series boasts is the abundance of awkward mid-scene zooms, which shatters the illusion of realism and will likely leave viewers wondering if they accidentally turned motion smoothing on.
Aramide Tinubu of Variety blames the half-hour runtime for why the characters — both main and supporting — are not developed and lack robust dialogue. While the body camerawork seems unique at first, it becomes overused as the series goes on and never serves to push the narrative forward. Tinubu concludes:
Overall, On Call gets into the daily minutia and routine of police work. The calls and the paperwork are constant, as are the thousands of decisions and unpredictable scenarios one must make and encounter daily while trying to stay alive. But, in locking its characters and, in turn, its audience within this specific patrolling time, the drama doesn’t reach its full potential. Instead of offering a compelling viewpoint, the series is stressful and often mechanical. Viewers are never let off the job, so there is limited motivation to clock in for the next episode.
It sounds like On Call might have been able to use that extra half-hour in order to develop the characters more or dig deeper into some of the issues portrayed, but with the way Dick Wolf’s series have connected with viewers so well over the years, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that there’s an audience for these quick bites of fictionalized police work.
If you want to check out On Call, all eight episodes can be streamed now on Amazon Prime Video, one of the best streaming services to subscribe to.
