Don’t ask me why I missed Crossing Jordan in 2001. I was likely deep in the “Barney” trenches with my one-year-old or trying to educate him that Adam West’s Batman was the only caped crusader that mattered (yes, even at a year old the boy was getting pop culture edutainment.) Then 24 came along and stole my Tuesday nights.
But scrolling through Roku’s endless slate of TV shows, I found this gem. I clicked in expecting a quick in-and-out trial, but within two minutes, I was sucked in. Much like Veronica Mars, Jordan Cavanaugh has a rebel streak I can’t resist. It’s a procedural, yes — but it’s a procedural with bite.
Dr. Cavanaugh Doesn’t Take Shit
On Crossing Jordan S1E1: We meet Jordan (Jill Hennessy), who’s sitting in an anger management class. Why is she there? Because she kicked her boss in the “cajones” and got fired. She prefers to be called Dr. Cavanaugh, she wears jeans and a pink tank top to job interviews, and she has approximately zero interest in “dressing for success.”
She’s back in Boston, interviewing for her old job with Dr. Garret Macy (the brilliant Miguel Ferrer). He knows she’s a feisty nightmare, but he also knows she’s the best. He hires her at an offensive salary, and she jumps right in on a “Jane Doe” case that everyone else is ready to write off as a simple overdose.
Every Body Has a Story
Jordan’s philosophy is simple: Every body has a story. Detective Collins (Kyle Secor) is ready to write off the 17-year-old Jane Doe as an overdose, but Jordan isn’t buying it. She starts digging, eventually connecting the girl’s death to the apparent suicide of a high-profile politician — and making everyone really uncomfortable in the process.
She isn’t sitting around waiting for lab results. She’s brazen, walking up to that high-profile politician’s coffin at a wake to examine his arm for bite marks. When she gets caught, she bursts into fake tears to escape. She even gets Collins into bed and into handcuffs just to find the truth he’s hiding under a layer of concealer. I’m pretty sure Jessica Fletcher never tried that tactic.
The Game of Victim or Killer
Jordan’s instincts come from her father, Max (Ken Howard), a former cop who lost his job after becoming obsessed with his wife’s unsolved murder. Their relationship is the heart of the show.
They play a game called “Victim or Killer.” It’s a bit like what Harry O tried to do with Mildred, but Jordan goes deeper. She immerses herself in the roles until the crime becomes clear. It’s “out of the box” thinking that makes the show feel more like a gritty noir than a clinical medical drama.
The Butterfly Effect (A Personal Musing)
The show takes a surprisingly emotional turn with Garret Macy. He’s dealing with his mother’s recent death from Alzheimer’s and an existential crisis that involves a sock puppet (don’t ask). Just as he’s about to sign a resignation letter, one of the lab’s escaped butterflies lands on his pen.
Some call it crazy or a coincidence. I don’t. When my mother died at home, a butterfly hovered around my head the entire walk from the door to the car to head to the hospital. A few days later, a mourning dove literally knocked on my patio door with its beak, then sat on the patio table and watched me. I’ve had these experiences after losing my husband, too.
In the show, maybe that butterfly is his mom telling Garret everything will be okay. And maybe Jordan’s butterfly, combined with Garret’s sentimental Emily Dickinson quote, is her mom telling her it’s okay finally grieve. It’s a payoff that hits harder than you expect from a crime show.
This Show’s Got Technicolor Urgency
Crossing Jordan has exactly what I look for: Technicolor Urgency. It moves. And the music is Fire. It reminds me a little of Supernatural in that regard — and if you don’t believe music matters, watch the DVD version of Supernatural Season 1 versus the music-stripped streaming version. Huge difference.
Jordan Cavanaugh is a badass problem solver who isn’t afraid to take chances, piss people off or go where she’s not supposed to go. And now I want to watch her badass self get to the bottom of her mother’s murder.
🔥 Our Verdict: WATCHABLE. A feisty lead, a boss with a sock puppet, and a butterfly that hit me harder than I expected. Dr. Cavanaugh can stay exactly as pissed off as she is.
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