The latest show from Law & Order and One Chicago supremo Dick Wolf stands out among his body of work. Well, it's still about individuals who keep the peace, but just that here, it's a little different.("Example!" you say impatiently in Samuel L. Jackson's Hitman Jules voice.)

OK, for one thing, it only focuses on its police officer protagonists while they're on the job with only glimpses of their home life outside of phone calls and quick detours during the workday.

For another, it comes to us in under-half-hour instalments. As series co-creator Elliot Wolf, longtime head of digital at Wolf Entertainment put it in an interview with Variety, it harks back to the 30-minute police procedurals that dominated TV schedules in the 1950s and 1960s.

Also, it's the first Wolf production on a streaming service as opposed to network TV, so expect a higher quota of blood, swearing and flesh (though not at gratuitous levels) than usual.

'Be careful out there. I don't want any of you to wind up in the... ER.'

I have to admit that On Call, at around 15 or so minutes shorter than your typical SVU or Chicago PD episode, took some getting used to at first.

For each of the first few episodes I was going, all right, this is getting good, and then wham! – roll credits and "... on the next episode of On Call" teasers.

Once you get used to the series' beats, though, it becomes an immersive and gripping outing, thanks in part to the extensive use of bodycam POVs and some hand-wringing situations.

Set in Long Beach, California, On Call revolves around rookie cop Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente, The Good Doctor) and his training officer Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario, Pretty Little Liars).

Her history with the Long Beach Police Department and his family history factor into the overarching storyline, fuelling tension between the two but also helping them bond over stressfully-established common ground.

It helps that, although they're not exactly newcomers, Bellisario and Larracuente are "fresh-faced" enough that their relative unfamiliarity to the viewer adds to the gritty realism that the showrunners are aiming for.

More familiar faces can be seen in supporting roles, with one surprise cameo right at the beginning followed by veterans Lori Loughlin (Full House) as Bishop, the precinct lieutenant; and Eriq LaSalle (ER) as Sgt Lasman, who has a problem with Harmon. (LaSalle also directs several episodes.)

'Like the Sarge said, I want you all to come back in one piece. There's nothing I like to see more than a... Full House.'

The younger Wolf and his series co-creator Tim Walsh, a Chicago PD veteran producer, serve up a show that doesn't waste time, kicking off with an act of violence that sets Long Beach PD on the bumpy road of On Call's first season.

As its main characters kick in doors, vault fences, take down perps and put their lives on the line over and over again, it makes clear where its sympathies lie (on the men and women in blue) while largely sticking to the criminal and gangland stereotypes.

It sort of makes you wonder if the showrunners were pretty certain back when they started on this in 2021 how political sentiments would, ahem, evolve by 2024.

Anyway, they have delivered a solid enough debut season that benefits greatly from the connection between its two leads (not all of their characters' interactions are pleasant, it should be noted) and the tight, lean episodes with little padding.

All eight episodes of On Call are available to stream on Prime Video.