Raquel Laguna/ SUCOPRESS. Lori Loughlin and Eriq La Salle star on Prime Video’s drama series On Call. In this interview, both actors talk about their characters and about how was working in this adrenalized and visceral police drama. On Call, a thrilling new half-hour drama series from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, follows a rookie and veteran officer duo as they go on patrol in Long Beach, California. Incorporating a mixture of bodycam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage to create a cinema verité effect, the innovative series explores the morality of protecting and serving a community. Co-created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, the series stars Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars) as hard-charging but protective veteran officer “Traci Harmon,” who struggles to find her place in the department while training the next generation of officers. Brandon Larracuente (The Good Doctor) stars as “Alex Diaz,” an ambitious rookie who grapples with holding onto his optimistic outlook as he realizes the challenges he’ll face in today’s climate. Additional cast includes Eriq La Salle (ER, Logan) as “Sergeant Lasman,” who also serves as an executive producer on the series and directed multiple episodes, Lori Loughlin (Fuller House) as “Lieutenant Bishop,” and Rich Ting as “Sergeant Koyama” (Tulsa King). Dick Wolf (Law & Order, Chicago, FBI-branded series), Tim Walsh (Chicago P.D., Hightown, Night Stalker), Elliot Wolf (Dark Woods, Hunted), Eriq LaSalle (former EP/Director Chicago P.D.), and Peter Jankowski are executive producers. On Call debuts on Prime Video on January 9th, 2025.
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00:00I will start with Laurie. So what attracted you the most to the character of Lieutenant Bishop
00:08and how would you describe her leadership style? Well, jokingly I always say what attracted me was
00:18two words, Dick Wolf, because who doesn't want to be working on a Dick Wolf project?
00:23But I was just really honored to be offered the role of Bishop. It is such a different character
00:30than characters I've played in the past. I love her strength, her determination, her no-nonsense
00:37style. She's no BS. I think you don't always maybe know what her motives are, but I think
00:44she has a good heart and her heart is in the right place. I credit Eric as our director,
00:51really helping me find Bishop and really pushing me, as you said earlier, to be unapologetic in my
01:00approach in playing the character. I'm more diplomatic, she's more direct, and she is
01:05unapologetic. And Eric really helped me find that voice. And once I found it, then it was like you
01:11said, we could add on the layers. She had a party with it when she found it. And she found it early
01:17on too. It was challenging in this show to balance your responsibilities as an actor, director,
01:27executive producer. And what do you like the most? What do you enjoy the most? I love it all.
01:33I love it. It's just different aspects of storytelling. I mean, at the end of the day,
01:38I love working with actors. I'm always an actor in my heart. I love working with actors.
01:44I love treating actors and empowering actors in ways that I've always wished I had in my career.
01:52And I have in various situations and sometimes not. And that's just the nature of it.
01:58But having an opportunity to empower an actor, to give an actor a challenge or to give them a type
02:07of role they haven't normally had, because I know what kind of joy I get from that. So that's
02:15the nitty gritty of just like that's the big passion. I love visual storytelling. I love
02:22putting a camera in a certain way and knowing I have these wonderful performances on this end.
02:28But how does the camera assist that? How does it pull the audience in? So storytelling, I love it all.
02:36Lori, what message do you hope the audience takes away from the show,
02:43especially from the human part of the police work?
02:50You know, for me, when I sit down to watch a show, I just want to be entertained.
02:56I want to forget my own problems. I want to go on a fun journey with the characters.
03:02And I think we really offer that in this show. We have very interesting characters. I think the
03:06dynamic between the characters will suck an audience in. And the show is very energetic
03:13and it's high stakes and it's cinematic. It's beautiful to look at. But at the end of the day,
03:18I think it's the relationship between the characters that will keep the audience coming back.
03:24And for you, Eric, what do you think?
03:27The same thing. I mean, I think, you know, we have a new style of storytelling. It's a
03:33half hour drama that we pack an hour and a half worth of action and intrigue and character into.
03:41So I love that challenge. I love the different ways we shoot it. Body cam, dash cam, drones,
03:50telephones. We use so many different medias of capturing because that also represents where we
03:55are in society right now. But at the end of the day, you take everything away at the end of the
04:02day. I just love good characters and good storytelling with characters at the end of the day.