Crossing Jordan: Season 1

It took some time for this show to find its footing and decide exactly what it wanted to be. Many expecting it to be very dark like "Profiler" or intricately technical like "C.S.I." gave up on it too soon. The pilot episode offered a lot of background and insight into Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessey). She was smart and pretty, and terribly messed up, haunted by demons from her childhood. She was also relentless in her pursuit of justice.

Once she left L.A. for Boston, joining the M.E.'s office, she gradually found a home. By the middle of season one, the show knew what it was and many were glad they'd hung around. It became this wonderfully cool show about a small group of people in the medical examiner's office, Jill Hennessy at its center, who had formed a kind of familial bond as they dealt with crimes and their personal problems. In Jordan's case, who was searching for her mother's killer, the two often intertwined.

There was a lot of quirky humor and fun mixed in with the darker elements, making for a great show. There was also a fine ensemble cast. Miguel Ferrer as Jordan's boss, Katherine Hahn as the always "glass half full" Lily, and Jerry O'Connell as Woody, the cop often at odds with Jordan, but sort of loving every minute of it, all brought something to the show's dynamic. Ken Howard was also good as Jordan's estranged father. But it was really Steve Valentine's Nigel and Ravi Kapoor's "Bug" and their interactions with Jordan which made the show special.

They bickered, got in trouble, covered for each other, and generally had a life and a family thanks to each other. Crossing Jordan really hit its stride with the two-part "Digger" story arc. It cemented the show to its core audience, who stayed from then on. Followed by the very good "Blue Christmas" episode, it had finally discovered the perfect mix of crime and quirky humor and personal woes. It was both the dark and the light.

One of the great things about the show was the music. An eclectic mix of songs was often used for atmosphere, which could run from noir to hilarity in less time than it took to make a fun reference to Elvis. From the middle of season one to the end of season two, this was great television. You could never put it in in a nice little box, pegging it as this kind of show or that. It was simply Crossing Jordan.

Here are the episodes for season one: Pilot, The Dawn of a New Day, The Ties That Bind, Born to Run, You Can't Go Home Again, Believers, Digger, Part I, Digger, Part II, Blue Christmas, Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Blood Relatives, Miracles & Wonders, Four Fathers, Acts of Mercy, Lost and Found, Crime & Punishment, With Honor, For Harry, with Love and Squalor, The Gift of Life, Someone to Count On, Secrets & Lies, Secrets & Lies, Part II

With everything on television seeming the same, Crossing Jordan was different. Many episodes and story lines were interconnected. You never got the full story from just occasionally tuning in for a peak. It required some attention and time. It was what made the show work, and its downfall in later seasons when it tried to fit in more. Seasons one and two were terrific, however, and something a bit different for TV fans to own.

Crossing Jordan is one of the few series that was ended while it still had stories to tell. The early seasons developed complex characters with complex relationships and the stories kept you engrossed. Sadly, the show seemed to have fallen off its Network's radar in the last two seasons and ended with a disappointing episode. The cast was amazing and their characters deserved a better closing.

Wow...this was a long time coming!

This was one show that NBC truly made a mistake with in its abysmal decision not to return Crossing Jordan for a seventh season. Unlike shows that stay on well past their prime, Crossing Jordan was still in full swing and had a myriad of stories left to tell such as who killed Emily (Jordan's Mom), where did Max disappear to and why (Jordan's Dad), what was Dr. Macy's "demon," would Jordan and Woody finally get together and so much more.

Crossing Jordan was an awesome television show on the NBC network. It lasted for six sesons and 116 episodes.
Season one was a ground breaker in that it showed a female lead (Jill Hennessy) who was strong, smart, independent, beautiful, vulnerable yet willing to take risks to find the truth. Jill played the character of Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh with such aplomb, realism and strength that I was hooked after viewing the premiere episode. In fact, I never missed an episode in six years!

A part of what made Crossing Jordan such a great show was the fantastic acting of its unconventional cast and the coolest music ever by Wendy and Lisa. You could not view an episode of Crossing Jordan without stopping by Best Buy the following day to pick up a CD or two of the songs heard on the show.

The writing was second to none. There were no gimmicks. You were able to watch the characaters grow and evolve. Their weaknesses and vulnerabilities were shown and this only caused the viewer to draw even closer to each of the characters. No character grabbed a hold of you like Jordan! Jill nailed the role each and every week!

Crossing Jordan truly ended way before it should have but thank goodness the network at least had the foresight to release the show on DVD.

Do yourself a favor and purchase season one. You will not be disappointed. In fact, it will leave you begging NBC to hurry and release the remaining seasons ASAP.

I have ordered my set.

Happy CJ viewing!

Yvonne