A crime drama featuring a detective with a special asset that helps them solve the case is something that has been on TV for almost as long as we've had TVs, but the stars and creatives behind The Calling find their lead character, Detective Avraham Avraham, to be unique for one very basic reason — his humanity.
"We've been through such a grueling couple decades, from the war to the political battles, and I feel that the detectives that we've had in dramas have reflected that," said Jason Horwitch, an executive producer on the show.
"They've been violent and they've been corrupt, they've been abusive. And I think Avraham is a kind of answer to that, you know, that none of that worked. And the way he goes about things, trying to listen to people, show people respect and see them and give them a chase to answer for what they've done and own it, this is a new way of operating and I feel really necessary."
David E. Kelley (The Lincoln Lawyer, Big Shot) created The Calling, adapting it from author Dror A. Mishani's series of books featuring the character of Avraham. This inaugural season, premiering on Peacock November 10, is based on the first in the series, The Missing File. Originally set in Tel Aviv, the location has been switched to New York City, but the core of Avraham remains the same: a Jewish detective whose faith in people and his overall spirituality is his greatest asset.
Avraham is being played by Jeff Wilbusch (Unorthodox, Oslo), an Israeli-German actor, who told us what it meant to him to play Avraham:
"Detective Avraham is Jewish, is religious, spiritual. … I've never seen something like that on TV before. And to be the one who plays such a special character that has not been shown on TV before is a great honor and I gave everything I have. I poured all my heart into this character."
Wilbusch's dedication showed to his co-stars, including Karen Robinson (Schitt's Creek) as Kathleen Davies, Avraham's captain, Michael Mosley (The Sinner) as fellow detective Earl Malzone and Juliana Canfield (Succession) as Avraham’s novice partner, Janine Harris.
"[Jeff] was the perfect person to lead our foursome because he is dedicated to the craft but also really interested in what you’re doing and what you think," said Robinson. "Everything that you're exploring, he's interested in. It was wonderful working with him."
"We all got along pretty well pretty quickly," Mosley recalled. "They’d call cut and then we'd start telling jokes and cutting it up a little bit, because you can't live in that all the time, you know. I also think it was a lot to do with Jeff, being our number one, and the kind of standard he was setting for what the set was going to be like."
Canfield described that it’s not just Avraham that is given a different feel than previous shows. Early in the first few episodes, her character admits that Law & Order was something that made her want to be a detective.
"I think it's so unusual and quirky and says so much about her," Canfield said. “There are little David E. Kelly surprises all over the script that make it like in the tradition and spirit of things that have come before it, but it is it's own beast in a great way."
Adds Mosley: "it's not just about like 'who, what, where, when and why' and 'where were you on the night of the 16th.' … It’s not just a puzzle of clues, it's a puzzle of people and getting to understand it's a character-driven thing. You get all that satisfaction of watching a mystery unfold and trying to guess who did what, but you also get these incredible actors doing characters stuff.”
But of course, Avraham's faith in humanity is going to be tested as the mystery at the center of The Calling unfolds.
"I think in the series and also in real life, nobody calls a detective for a good thing," said Wilbusch. "Avraham really tries to see the good in people, to be emotionally invested and to care for people and to respect each and every one. I think throughout the series this obviously would be challenged, because if you care so much and if you're so emotionally involved, you’re also going to suffer because you’re so open and so invested and so immersed in the case."
"Leave your preconceived notions at the door," said Robinson. "This thing is so well written and so compelling and so surprising that it takes you on a ride. But it takes you on that ride through people's humanity at their most bare, you know, when it's really all out there, it's most expressive."
The Calling is available to stream exclusively on Peacock starting November 10. A Peacock Premium subscription is required to watch.
