2. feature
detroit
1-8-7
ring Kevin Costner. He wrote the pilot for Detroit 1-8-7, and is the creative force
behind it as executive producer and creator.
How did Detroit 1-8-7 come
about?
Jason Richman: I’d been writing
and watching police documentary
shows. It just feels very troubled
and un-staged so I thought I’d
write from that. I’d gotten a deal at
ABC and always wanted to write a
police drama.
Character dramas of the
‘70s and ‘80s, Hill Street Blues and
NYPD Blue, had a touch of proce-
dural, but were character oriented. I
wanted to tell a story about people.
I’d visited Detroit a couple of years ago and was fascinated with
the city. It’s a compelling story all around. The historical aspects of the
city, where the city is now; it’s in transition. I thought it would be a great
place to set the show so I could bring it to people and they could have the
same revelation that I had when I came here.
From initial concept to pilot — how has the show evolved?
Richman: The show started as a documentary style show. It was very
ABC’s new prime time TV series Detroit 1-8-7 hits a different kind of spotlight
on Detroit.The show has sparked a hot bed of dialog amongst proud Detroiters.
The world is front and center, shifted slightly forward to watch how this Detroit
story will unfold.
Reactions to the show are as diverse as Detroit.Facebookers are overall sup-
portive, but they want to see more of the city. Critics are mixed and viewing
parties throughout Detroit are favorable and hopeful.“So far, responses
have been quiet, calm and supportive. I think people were so anxious to
see how Detroit was portrayed; they forgot it was actually aTV show,” said
Karen Dumas, Detroit’s Chief Communications Officer for Mayor Bing’s
Office.
As for the talent, everyone agrees, Michael Imperioli stands out.
He doesn’t over play his cards with lead character, homicide detective
Louis Fitch. His portrayal is understated, holding his own, with the quirky,
intensely focused Fitch.
1-8-7’s production has a common ground with the majority
weighing in, they care about Detroit and are invested in Detroit. They are
intent on making a positive impact in the community they have come to
love and hope to be filming in for quite some time.
The creator Jason Richman is better known for his feature script SwingVote star-

3. much“cameras following the detectives around”and part of the concept
was that characters were addressing the cameras directly. We’re trying to
maintain a visual style that makes you feel like you’re in the moment and
brings you right into the piece. But we’re no longer doing the“breaking
the third-wall”the straight documentary aspect. Our characters no longer
address the camera.That was the big evolution in our show.
How does shooting in Detroit compare to L.A.?
Richman: L.A. has an infrastructure that’s been up and running for al-
most 100 years so there’s a lot of differences. The main thing that I’ve no-
ticed is people pay attention here when you’re shooting. Everybody seems
to know what we’re doing and I just think that’s fascinating.
We’ve met with City Hall and local officials. A lot has to do with
controversy with the show when we first started. Still everybody seems to
know about the show in Detroit. That’s really a wonderful feeling. If we
were in Los Angeles or NewYork, we would be one of 20 shows shooting
at any given time. It’s commonplace. So here it feels pretty special.
How did you decide to cast Michael Imperioli?
Richman: Fitch is a very enigmatic guy. He’s a talented detective but a
very socially awkward human being in all social situations — so there are
all these various layers to the role. Many actors came through and a lot of
them were wonderful and played varying degrees of the character very
well but I was having a hard time finding someone who could actually hit
all those layers.
I’d gotten a call that Michael Imperioli had read the script and
wanted to talk about the character. He was in NewYork and I was in L.A.
We had a great conversation about the character and about how he choos-
es characters and what his working process was. He grasped the stilted
intellectuality of the character. Fitch is a guy that lives in his own head, and
he really grasped that, he hit all the points.
I got off the phone with Michael convinced he was the guy. It was
very strange. I wasn’t expecting that when I got on the phone with him
because, although I was a huge fan of his work, I’d never seen him like this
so I didn’t have a picture in my head. From then on it was all about Michael
playing this part.
We didn’t see an audition; we just went right into production.
When the first dailies started coming in, I was there for the first shot — it
was very clear to me that we’d made the right decision. He took it off the
page and made it his own. He re-
ally owned this part and informs us
now as much as we’re informing this
character. That’s quite a wonderful
thing when that happens.
Michael Imperioli plays Homicide De-
tective Louis Fitch – a complex, multi-
layered character that is awkward and
yet likeable. Fitch marks a departure
from Imperioli’s already impressive re-
sume, notably; Soprano’s Christopher
Moltisanti, Life on Mar’s Detective Ray
Carling and Lovely Bones Len Fenerm
How did you come to play Detective Louis Fitch?
Michael Imperoli: My agent showed me the script. I read it and I just
thought it was a very unique character. I thought it was very specific and
eccentric and quirky and kind of out-of-the-box sort of TV detective. That
was the first thing that drew me to it.
How much creative leeway do the writers give you in defining
Fitch?
Imperoli: I think they wanted me to bring stuff, they’re writing a character
but they were open enough to allow the actors to come in, fill them in and
fill them up. When we started shooting the pilot, we’d come up with some
little quirky moment and try to find the character, pushing me to give them
more.That kind of encouragement and openness makes for a very creative
and relaxed set and atmosphere.
What excites you about the show?
Imperoli: It’s the characters and the fact that the writers are willing to let
the characters have lives outside of the procedural element of the show.
Which is there, and there are murders every week that we have to solve,
but there is a life that these characters have.
Beyond every episode we’re getting to understand and see dif-
ferent facets, sides to them more and more, and that excites me. The more
intricate these characters can become, and the more fleshed out, the bet-
ter.
I think the writers are very smart and really want to walk that
line. They want to have a satisfying police show, which will continue to
watch these guys solve crimes, but also I think they want the viewers to be
drawn in by the characters lives themselves as well.
That’s a testament to the talent of the writers. They have a lot of
faith in the characters. One example is the original concept of the show
was a documentary crew following around cops. We actually interacted
with them.They changed the pilot.They went away from that idea because
I think they found that this is an interesting idea and I think it got the pilot
a lot of attention at first because it was such a new idea.
What is it like to film in Detroit?
Imperoli: It’s different because people here are not so used to production.
In NewYork it’s like“I need you to go in and block this.”And it’s just kind

4. of an annoyance when you intrude a lot. Here there’s a kind of openness
and curiosity that’s been really fun. I think it’s exciting to people because
it’s not something that’s been at all prominent to them.
This city feeds into the drama of the show. This landscape of the
city shows what’s happened here. There’s been a lot of difficulties and
challenges that people have faced.You see it when you go downtown and
look around and look at the buildings and look at what was, and what is,
and hopefully what’s going to be, which is something new.
It’s interesting. I’m very curious about Detroit. There’s so much
concern about the image of the city and when I’m doing interviews I am
very careful, but look — if you go downtown there’s a lot of problems
here. Let’s not pretend that it’s Shangri-La. There are a lot of issues that
need work here. But I have found some very inspiring neighborhoods and
people. I feel like it’s at a certain cusp in its life, from what I can gather. It
really can go either way from here.
Lisa Wiegand, the eyes of the show as it’s cinematographer, helped create the look
and feel of the shows unique visual style.
A fifth generation Detroiter, returns home
after 20 years of filming in Los Angeles,
bringing extensive filmmaking and docu-
mentary experience to both the show and
her community.
How does it feel to be back in De-
troit?
Lisa Wiegand: It’s great. It’s very
strange. I am getting used to it now
that I’ve been working here for three
months, going to work every day, see-
ing all these places I remember from twenty years ago that evolved and
look different, but are the same places. I’m back doing what I was born to
do and I have so much history and love for this town. My whole family, five
generations have grown up here. It’s a pretty big deal for me to be able to
come back and do this job. I feel really good about it. And it’s close to my
parents so that’s important.
What have you brought to Detroit 1-8-7’s visual aesthetic?
Wiegand: It’s a documentary style show. I’ve had a lot of experience with
documentary shooting and I, myself, operate a documentary camera. If I’m
not doing a scripted project, I’ve got a camera on my shoulder shooting
documentary footage. I have a lot of experience with that sort of equip-
ment and those sorts of crews and working really fast and lean. I think the
fact that I lived and grew up in Detroit, knowing different locations and
how the city works and I have a lot of experience with creating the kind
of aesthetic that the show wants and needs to have, it was just the perfect
fit for me.
How is Detroit used to depict the storyline?
Wiegand: I think this city has the texture, the buildings and the vistas.
To me it’s a very visual city. And I think being able to set this gritty kind of
cop show here in this town that has so much to offer just, I can’t think of a
better place to shoot this show.
Is film production in Detroit growing and becoming savvier in
filmmaking?
Wiegand: The guys that we have on our camera and electric crews are
great. And some of the local guys hired in electric and grip started without
a ton of experience, but they’re enthusiastic and hard-working.They’re do-
ing a great job. We’re not going to give them up as long as we keep shoot-
ing. One L.A. guy who came on as a grip, Josh Rayner, was born and raised
in the Detroit area. He was excited to come home for work.
– Jennifer A. Champagne
abc.com