| Public Morals | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Edward Burns |
| Written by | Edward Burns |
| Directed by | Edward Burns |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | TNT |
| Release | August 25 (2015-08-25) – October 20, 2015 (2015-10-20) |
Public Morals is an Americanpolice drama television series, created, written, executive-produced, directed by and starringEdward Burns. Set inNew York City during the 1960s, the show focuses on the Public Morals Division of theNew York City Police Department and its officers' attempts to deal withvice in the city, while managing their personal lives asIrish Americans. The series aired from August 25 to October 20, 2015, onTNT. The network collaborated withAmblin Television,Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, and Aaron Lubin as producers.[1] On December 15, 2015, TNT canceled the series after one season.[2]
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| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Fine Line" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | August 25, 2015 (2015-08-25) | 2.14[5] |
| 2 | "Family is Family" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | August 26, 2015 (2015-08-26)(online) September 1, 2015 (2015-09-01)(TNT) | 1.53[6] |
| 3 | "O'Bannon's Wake" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | August 26, 2015 (2015-08-26)(online) September 8, 2015 (2015-09-08)(TNT) | 0.96[7] |
| 4 | "Ladies Night" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | August 26, 2015 (2015-08-26)(online) September 15, 2015 (2015-09-15)(TNT) | 0.78[8] |
| 5 | "A Token of Our Appreciation" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | September 22, 2015 (2015-09-22) | 0.63[9] |
| 6 | "A Good Shooting" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | September 29, 2015 (2015-09-29) | 0.65[10] |
| 7 | "Collection Day" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | October 6, 2015 (2015-10-06) | 0.62[11] |
| 8 | "No Crazies on the Street" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | October 13, 2015 (2015-10-13) | 0.53[12] |
| 9 | "Starts with a Snowflake" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | October 20, 2015 (2015-10-20) | 0.50[13] |
| 10 | "A Thought and a Soul" | Edward Burns | Edward Burns | October 20, 2015 (2015-10-20) | 0.49[13] |
CreatorEdward Burns began working on film scripts about Irish-American New York City police officers andIrish-American gangsters when executive producerSteven Spielberg suggested he write a script about his father's experience on the NYPD, while on the set ofSaving Private Ryan. ThoughPublic Morals did not draw from those scripts, Burns' research for them helped establish a foundation for the television series.[14] In May 2015, TNT placed a 10-episode order for the series.[1] While producing the series, Burns incorporated references to some of his favorite police and gangster films, including references toThe Hustler,The Godfather,The French Connection, andMean Streets, among other films.[14]
The series premiered on TNT on August 25, 2015.[15] All other episodes were released on demand before they were broadcast on TV: episodes 2–4 on August 26, and the remaining episodes on September 5, 2015.[16]
Public Morals received generally positive reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes the series holds an approval rating of 82% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.06/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Public Morals is a worthy mob crime drama, with a strong leading man and a talented supporting cast counterbalancing cliché-ridden dialogue."[17] OnMetacritic, the series has a score of 69 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]