Kidnapped

Kidnapped, which aired in 2006 and 2007, was one of those TV shows that were gone before I realized it existed. Despite being well written and well acted, the show survived for only a single season—but the 13 episodes make up a suspenseful and satisfying miniseries.

The cast of the show is worthy of a Hollywood movie. Jeremy Sisto plays Knapp, a kidnapping expert very much in the mold of the scruffy, erudite, tough-yet-sensitive detective he played on Law & Order. He is joined by his L&O colleague Linus Roache and by Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany as the Caines—a rich Manhattan couple with secrets whose son is taken in broad daylight in a well-planned and violent raid. Mykelti Williamson, who lumbered around so memorably in 24, is the family bodyguard, and Carmen Ejogo provides sharp repartee and eye candy as Knapp’s assistant. ("Contrary to popular belief, Knapp and I share neither a bed nor a brain.")

Delroy Lindo deserves his own paragraph. As the FBI agent snatched back from retirement by that one last case, he breathes life into a stock character. Smart, forceful, and empathetic, he anchors the show. I haven’t seen him this good since his breakout role as West Indian Archie in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.

Worth checking out on DVD.