Not only is Judd Risk Management, a Los Angeles private investigative firm, in financial trouble, but one of Tim Daly’s operatives, played by Rick Worthy, has spent time in a mental institution. Another co-worker, played by Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, is on the payroll of a murderous competitor. And while Tim is being deceived by the employee he trusts to investigate company leaks, he’s also being lied to by his old college roommate in a kidnapping case. We may wonder how he keeps that grin on his boyish face. Maybe it’s because he’s keeping company in the field with undercover operative A. J. Langer, ex of My So-Called Life. But mostly he’s incorrigible. What makes Eyes work so well isn’t just the snappy patter, the slick camera angles, and the surveillance technology; it’s also the smarty-pants scams. Like the canny bygone Rockford Files, each episode can be counted on to feature a satisfying and ingenious sting.

ABC
Wednesdays, 10 P.M.

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• Archive: “Television”
• Articles by John Leonard
• Table of Contents: Apr 11, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!