Hack : CBS' Philly stake


Hack
writer and creator David Koepp said filming his new cop-turned-taxi
driver crimefighter series in Philadelphia was worth the additional expense of
a location shoot.

"We all liked how it felt in Philadelphia," Koepp told TV critics in Los
Angeles. "Too many shows are set in New York right now."

It also helps that it is the home of star David Morse, who returns to series
television in the lead role in the CBS series.

Morse's character -- an ex-cop who has been expelled from the force for
stealing money from a crime scene -- is forced to drive a cab to make a living and
ponder the point of his life.

The resulting character is dark and not always so likeable, but, Koepp said:
"I like characters where you aren't sure whether you like him or not, just as
long as he is interesting."

Morse, who starred in hospital drama St. Elsewhere, said he didn't
like being so closely identified with one character.

But Morse found his Hack role complex enough to remain interesting
should the series run for several years.

Morse also wanted work that would keep him at home and close to his family.

Hack will air Friday at 9 p.m. on CBS.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.