GOOD, EVIL LIVES INTERSECT ON `EZ STREETS' : EZ STREETS.

Byline: Jay Bobbin Tribune Media Services 

The lives of a police detective pretending to be dirty and an ex-convict struggling to stay clean are destined to cross in ``EZ Streets,'' a new CBS drama series from ``Due South'' creator-producer Paul Haggis that has a two-hour premiere Oct. 27, before settling into its regular hourlong slot Oct. 30.

Ken Olin (``thirtysomething'') plays the cop who feigns being corrupt to clear the name of his slain partner, supposedly linked to a kingpin of the local underworld (Joe Pantoliano, of such movies as ``The Fugitive'' and ``Risky Business''). The latter fellow has avoided a prison sentence thanks to a just-paroled childhood friend (Jason Gedrick of ``Murder One'') who took the fall for him and wants to rebuild his life. But the ex-con's services are wanted for more criminal activities.

Oscar winner Rod Steiger guests in the ``EZ Streets'' pilot as Olin's father. Other cast regulars include Debrah Farentino (``Earth 2'') as a lawyer who uses her considerable wiles to keep Pantoliano's character out of legal trouble, and John Finn as the police captain who knows Olin's alter ego isn't really as immoral as he seems.

Claiming ``EZ Streets'' has ``the best pilot I've ever read,'' Olin decided to step away from his career as a film and TV director (``The Broken Cord,'' ``White Fang II'') and return to acting, though he also is the director of the Oct. 30 episode. He said that Haggis (who was a writer for ``thirtysomething'') asked him, ``Since you're going to be there anyway, would you mind my telling you to tell (other crew members) where to put the camera?''

However, Olin asserts that role is secondary to the main reason he agreed to do ``EZ Streets:'' ``I wanted to act in this. Had there been a lot of other ulterior motives, this would have been the wrong thing for me to do.''

Since ``Due South'' was comparatively light in spirit, ``EZ Streets'' is quite a creative departure for Haggis, though he jokes that ``When the Mountie shows up in episode two, you'll see how it all fits together.'' He reflects that the new series arose from his desire to examine corruption, something he maintains was not that hard to find while he researched it in such cities as New York, Chicago and Detroit.

``There's a cynicism in this country that's become endemic,'' he explained, ``and this is about one cop who has to deal with that, find his way through and try to find a piece of truth. On the other side, you've got these two palookas (the Gedrick and Pantoliano characters) who are dealing with a very different and very violent world, yet one that has its own moral codes.''

Musing about the sensitive-male image he virtually trademarked on ``thirtysomething,'' Olin said, ``I spent a year on `Hill Street Blues,' and I know it's hard to believe, but the idea of shooting first and talking later is appealing to me, and doing a show set in a grittier environment, more urban in its orientation, with a character that I perceived to be courageous in the most complex sense of the word.

``I think that `thirtysomething' was very much of its time, (when) self-exploration was vital, at least to some people. That time has passed, so I think to do something that really explores the ethical landscape of our urban world is very pertinent.''

While it deals with the darkness in people and its effects on others, ``EZ Streets'' intends to be fair to all the characters it involves, according to Haggis. ``People really want to get back to a simpler type of life. I think that's still true, but ask anyone in the street, `Do you trust the government? Do you trust your political leaders?' You'll find two completely different answers, depending on who you're talking to, so I think we're addressing that.''

To underscore that, Haggis explains that ``EZ Streets'' unfolds in a fictional but familiar-feeling locale meant to represent ``No City and Every City, U.S.A.''

Olin believes that's indicative of the isolation that a person feels even in a city, and how small the individual sometimes feels in that context.

Farentino agrees. ``I was recently in New York and visited a neighborhood that could have been where these people came from,'' she said. ``There is kind of a bond that happens with these people from birth, and there's an ambiguity with all of these characters (in the show) that I think is very unusual in television or film.''

When: Premieres 9 p.m. Oct. 27; regular time slot 10 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Oct. 30

Network: CBS

Starring: Ken Olin, Joe Pantoliano, Jason Gedrick, Debrah Farentino

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) LIFE ON THE `EZ STREETS'

GOOD, BAD AND DEADLY

(2) Debrah Farentino, Ken Olin, left, Joe Pantoliano and Jason Gedrick discover life on the streets isn't easy.