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''Golden Boy'' is a 2013 series airing in the US on CBS. It revolves around a young patrolman named Walter William Clark, Jr. (Theo James) who shoots a robber and saves his hostage in a highly publicized street incident. In the resulting publicity Walter is not only promoted to detective but gets his choice of assignment. Walter chooses homicide, becoming the least senior member of the squad by ten years. While he wants to be assigned to fellow hotshot Tony Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro) as a partner, his actual partner is the older and crustier Don Owen (Chi [=McBride=]). The series is in a way an extended flashback, as Walter reminisces seven years in the future from his position as New York's youngest ever police commissioner.

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''Golden Boy'' is a 2013 series airing in the US on CBS. It revolves around a young patrolman named Walter William Clark, Jr. (Theo James) who shoots a robber and saves his hostage in a highly publicized street incident. In the resulting publicity Walter is not only promoted to detective but gets his choice of assignment. Walter chooses homicide, becoming the least senior member of the squad by ten years. While he wants to be assigned to fellow hotshot Tony Christian Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro) as a partner, his actual partner is the older and crustier Don Owen (Chi [=McBride=]). The series is in a way an extended flashback, as Walter reminisces seven years in the future from his position as New York's youngest ever police commissioner.
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* BookEnds: The show begins and ends with Walter talking to a reporter in his office.

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* While Walter himself isn't corrupt, he's not above dirty tricks, like blackmailing a city councilman.

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* ** While Walter himself isn't corrupt, he's not above dirty tricks, like blackmailing a city councilman.



* EvenEvilHasStandards: Arroyo may not be the cleanest cop around, and he's a backstabbing glory hound, but Holbrooke's actions disgust him, and he offers his help to Walter and Owen when Holbrooke frames Walter.



* {{Foreshadowing}}: Comments in the flashforwards seem to indicate that the conflict between Arroyo and Owen will go FromBadToWorse.

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* {{Foreshadowing}}: Comments in the flashforwards seem to indicate that the conflict between Arroyo and Owen will go FromBadToWorse.FromBadToWorse, [[spoiler: and that Owen will end up dead sometime in the future]].
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* ChristianityIsCatholic: It is for Walter, Owen, Mackenzie and Arroyo.

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** A flashforward reveals that [[spoiler: the current police commissioner]] is dirty.

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** A flashforward reveals that [[spoiler: the current police commissioner]] commissioner, a contemporary of the dirty cops in "Role Models"]] is dirty.dirty himself.


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** The banner at a high school graduation cites the class of 2019, which places the present day scenes in 2012 and the flashforwards in 2019.


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* WellDoneSonGuy: Owen is this to Walter, who cares deeply about getting his approval. After becoming police commissioner, Walter regularly mentions what he learned from Owen.


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** [spoiler: Owen was having an affair with one of his confidential informants. The affair ended when she was killed in a hit, after Arroyo accidentally outed her.]]

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* While Walter himself isn't corrupt, he's not above dirty tricks, like blackmailing a city councilman.



* FramingTheGuiltyParty

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* FramingTheGuiltyPartyFramingTheGuiltyParty:

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* BolivianArmyEnding: Due to the series' cancellation after the first season finale ended on a cliffhanger of [[spoiler:the fugitive former deputy mayor shooting either Walter, or his ex-wife-slash-Walter's current girlfriend]].



* DirtyCop:

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* DirtyCop: DirtyCop:



* FlashForward: In the teaser of the pilot, no less. More generally the series is framed as [[HowWeGotHere Walter looking back on his career prior to becoming police commissioner]].

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* FlashForward: FlashForward[=/=]FramingDevice: In the teaser of the pilot, no less. More generally the series is framed as [[HowWeGotHere Walter looking back on his career prior to becoming police commissioner]].



** [[spoiler:In "Young Guns" Walter allows Arroyo to frame a gang leader and all around slimeball for the murder of one of his subordinates and attempted murder of his friend. It was really the friend's mother, and clear self-defense in the first case and an accident in the second.]]

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** [[spoiler:In In "Young Guns" Walter [[spoiler:Walter allows Arroyo to frame a gang leader and all around slimeball for the murder of one of his subordinates and attempted murder of his friend. It was really the friend's mother, and clear self-defense in the first case and an accident in the second.]]


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* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler:Arroyo is having an affair with his partner. His wife eventually finds out, although she doesn't figure out it's [=McKenzie=].]]
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Trivia bump


* FridayNightDeathSlot: Averted. It was originally set to be put here after its first two episodes aired on Tuesdays at 10, but having better ratings than ''[[Series/{{Vegas2012}} Vegas]]'' (the timeslot's previous occupant), CBS decided at the last minute to switch the two shows' places on the schedule.
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''Golden Boy'' was cancelled after a single half-length season.

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* JustPartners: [[spoiler:Subverted at the end of "Young Guns" when it turns out Arroyo and Deb [=McKenzie=] are in a SecretRelationship.]]


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* StrictlyProfessionalRelationship: It looks to be the case as usual with partners. [[spoiler:Subverted at the end of "Young Guns" when it turns out Arroyo and Deb [=McKenzie=] are in a SecretRelationship.]]
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* ThatOneCase: Owen has been investigating a cold case for more than a decade. The victim died on the morning of September 11, 2001 and by the time the police recovered from the chaos of 9/11 the trail went cold. Owen hopes that he can solve the case before he retires and finally give the victim's widow some answers.

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* ThatOneCase: Owen has been investigating a cold case for more than a decade. The victim died on the morning of September 11, 2001 and by the time the police recovered from the chaos of 9/11 the trail went cold. Owen hopes that he can solve the case before he retires and finally give the victim's widow some answers. [[spoiler:Walter helps him crack it in the first season finale.]]

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It was a different leak


** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter who did not reveal her source.
*** Um, I'm pretty sure it was the assistant mayor who leaked the story, and Arroyo was furious about it.

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** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter who did not reveal her source.
*** Um, I'm pretty sure it
source. When a more serious leak occurs in a later episode, both men automatically assume that the other one was the assistant mayor who leaked the story, and Arroyo was furious about it.source.
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*** Um, I'm pretty sure it was the assistant mayor who leaked the story, and Arroyo was furious about it.

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Added a trope


* BuddyCopShow: Det. Owen is the older, [[ByTheBookCop by-the-book cop]] and Walter is more of a loose cannon.



* ByTheBookCop: Det. Owen
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** Arroyo is devastated when he finds out that his old mentor is a DirtCop who [[spoiler: murdered another police officer]].

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** Arroyo is devastated when he finds out that his old mentor is a DirtCop DirtyCop who [[spoiler: murdered another police officer]].
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* BrokenPedestal:
** Arroyo is devastated when he finds out that his old mentor is a DirtCop who [[spoiler: murdered another police officer]].
** A flashforward reveals that Walter ended up arresting one of his role models, [[spoiler: the current police commissioner]].


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* DirtyCop:
** In "Role Models" [[spoiler: both the victim and the killer were dirty cops]].
** A flashforward reveals that [[spoiler: the current police commissioner]] is dirty.


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* ThePowerOfLegacy: Walter is persuaded to whitewash the criminal activities of a deceased police officer. This way the widow would get the death benefits and the police commissioner is spared embarrassment.


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* WhatTheHellHero: Owen delivers one of these speeches to Walter OnceAnEpisode. He likes him but can't stand the choices Walter makes.

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* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: "Role Models" opens with Walter's sister Agnes blaming this on her being afraid to date nice guys because she's worried they'll disappear like [[ParentalAbandonment their parents]].



* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:As per the epilogue of "Role Models," Arroyo has a son who ends up joining the NYPD.]]

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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:As per the epilogue of "Role Models," "Young Guns," Arroyo has a son who ends up joining the NYPD.]]



** [[spoiler:In "Role Models" Walter allows Arroyo to frame a gang leader and all around slimeball for the murder of one of his subordinates and attempted murder of his friend. It was really the friend's mother, and clear self-defense in the first case and an accident in the second.]]

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** [[spoiler:In "Role Models" "Young Guns" Walter allows Arroyo to frame a gang leader and all around slimeball for the murder of one of his subordinates and attempted murder of his friend. It was really the friend's mother, and clear self-defense in the first case and an accident in the second.]]



* JustPartners: [[spoiler:Subverted at the end of "Role Models" when it turns out Arroyo and Deb [=McKenzie=] are in a SecretRelationship.]]

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* JustPartners: [[spoiler:Subverted at the end of "Role Models" "Young Guns" when it turns out Arroyo and Deb [=McKenzie=] are in a SecretRelationship.]]



* OneHitPolykill: [[spoiler:The BodyOfTheWeek in "Role Models" had the bullet pass through him and hit the shooter's son. The latter survived.]]

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* OneHitPolykill: [[spoiler:The BodyOfTheWeek in "Role Models" "Young Guns" had the bullet pass through him and hit the shooter's son. The latter survived.]]



* ToBeLawfulOrGood: This is a central theme of the series and specifically "Role Models". Owen lampshades the fact that sometimes law and justice are not the same thing and a police officer has to make a tough choice. Walter has to choose whether he [[spoiler: arrests a single mother for the shooting death of a gang member and the accidental shooting of her own son]] or [[spoiler: allows the crime to be pinned on a vicious gang leader who has been terrorizing the neighborhood.]]

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* ToBeLawfulOrGood: This is a central theme of the series and specifically "Role Models"."Young Guns". Owen lampshades the fact that sometimes law and justice are not the same thing and a police officer has to make a tough choice. Walter has to choose whether he [[spoiler: arrests a single mother for the shooting death of a gang member and the accidental shooting of her own son]] or [[spoiler: allows the crime to be pinned on a vicious gang leader who has been terrorizing the neighborhood.]]
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* DueToTheDead: After becoming police commissioner, Walter still takes time to go to the funeral of one of his confidential informants. He also regularly visits the grave of [[spoiler: Natasha]], another informant who died. It is a habit he picked up from Owen.


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* LesserOfTwoEvils: Invoked by Owen who tells Walter that a cop who chooses the lesser of two evils is setting himself up for a lifetime of sleepless nights. In the future Walter reiterates the statement to a room full of cops, many of them rookies.


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* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished:
** Walter tries to help Natasha, a homeless street thief, by giving her some of the money recovered from a pimp's stash. It comes back to bite him big time [[spoiler: since it was a setup orchestrated by Arroyo to get blackmail material on Walter. It is also implied that this will get Natasha killed in the near future.]]
** A mother allows her son's friend, a young gangbanger, to hang around in hopes that seeing a functioning family might turn him away from a life of crime. The friend gets shot and killed and her son wounded. One of the detectives even invokes the trope by name.


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* ToBeLawfulOrGood: This is a central theme of the series and specifically "Role Models". Owen lampshades the fact that sometimes law and justice are not the same thing and a police officer has to make a tough choice. Walter has to choose whether he [[spoiler: arrests a single mother for the shooting death of a gang member and the accidental shooting of her own son]] or [[spoiler: allows the crime to be pinned on a vicious gang leader who has been terrorizing the neighborhood.]]

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Trivia bump, additional tropes from \"Role Models\"


* FakeAmerican: Walter is played by Theo James, a native of Oxford, England
* FlashForward: In the teaser of the pilot, no less
* ForegoneConclusion: Walter will survive and will rise through the ranks till he becomes the police commissioner
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Comments in the flashforwards seem to indicate that the conflict between Arroyo and Owen will go FromBadToWorse

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* FakeAmerican: Walter is played by Theo James, a native EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:As per the epilogue of Oxford, England
"Role Models," Arroyo has a son who ends up joining the NYPD.]]
* FlashForward: In the teaser of the pilot, no less
less. More generally the series is framed as [[HowWeGotHere Walter looking back on his career prior to becoming police commissioner]].
* ForegoneConclusion: Walter will survive and will rise through the ranks till he becomes the police commissioner
commissioner.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Comments in the flashforwards seem to indicate that the conflict between Arroyo and Owen will go FromBadToWorseFromBadToWorse.



** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter who did not reveal her source.

to:

** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter who did not reveal her source. source.
** [[spoiler:In "Role Models" Walter allows Arroyo to frame a gang leader and all around slimeball for the murder of one of his subordinates and attempted murder of his friend. It was really the friend's mother, and clear self-defense in the first case and an accident in the second.]]


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* JustPartners: [[spoiler:Subverted at the end of "Role Models" when it turns out Arroyo and Deb [=McKenzie=] are in a SecretRelationship.]]


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* OneHitPolykill: [[spoiler:The BodyOfTheWeek in "Role Models" had the bullet pass through him and hit the shooter's son. The latter survived.]]
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* KnightTemplar: Arroyo is perfectly willing to use the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique to get information out of a girl, and apparently somewhat prone to going off half-cocked.
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Character Alignments are only allowed on work pages when canonical.


* LawfulEvil: Arroyo, the BigBad of the series, seems to be set up as this.
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* LawfulEvil: Arroyo, the BigBad of the series, seems to be set up as this.
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Reference to the wrong Vegas.


* FridayNightDeathSlot: Averted. It was originally set to be put here after its first two episodes aired on Tuesdays at 10, but having better ratings than ''Series/{{Vegas}}'' (the timeslot's previous occupant), CBS decided at the last minute to switch the two shows' places on the schedule.

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* FridayNightDeathSlot: Averted. It was originally set to be put here after its first two episodes aired on Tuesdays at 10, but having better ratings than ''Series/{{Vegas}}'' ''[[Series/{{Vegas2012}} Vegas]]'' (the timeslot's previous occupant), CBS decided at the last minute to switch the two shows' places on the schedule.
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* FridayNightDeathSlot: Averted. It was originally set to be put here after its first two episodes aired on Tuesdays at 10, but having better ratings than ''Series/{{Vegas}}'' (the timeslot's previous occupant), CBS decided at the last minute to switch the two shows' places on the schedule.

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[[quoteright:310:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Golden_Boy_CBS_1940.jpg]]



!!This show provides examples of

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!!This show provides examples of!!Tropes:



* ThatOneCase: Owen has been investigating a cold case for more than a decade. The victim died on the morning of September 11, 2001 and by the time the police recovered from the chaos of 9/11 the trail went cold. Owen hopes that he can solve the case before he retires and finally give the victim's widow some answers.

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* ThatOneCase: Owen has been investigating a cold case for more than a decade. The victim died on the morning of September 11, 2001 and by the time the police recovered from the chaos of 9/11 the trail went cold. Owen hopes that he can solve the case before he retires and finally give the victim's widow some answers.answers.
----

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* BulletProofVest: During the shootout in the series pilot Walter is shot in the chest but his vest saves his life. He is knocked down but gets up and saves the hostage. Afterwards he is sent to the hospital and treated for any injuries the bullet impact caused. His partner is not as lucky and a bullet hits him in an unprotected shoulder.



* ForegoneConclusion: Walter will survive and will rise through the ranks till he becomes the police commissioner



** In the pilot Walter intends to do so to the murder suspect. Owen gives him a WhatTheHellHero speech and tells him to solve the case properly.
** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter and did not provide as much information as Arroyo did.

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** In the pilot Walter intends to do so to thinks about framing the murder suspect. suspect for drug possession so the police have probable cause to search his car and home. Owen is GenreSavvy enough to see where things are going, gives him Walter a WhatTheHellHero speech and tells him to solve the case properly.
** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter and who did not provide as much information as Arroyo did. reveal her source.
* JustAFleshWound: Averted in the pilot during the shootout with the robbers. Walter's partner is shot in the shoulder and almost dies from the wound. The second robber is also shot in the shoulder and dies on the scene.



* ShoutOut: At one point in the pilot, Owen says, "[[Series/PushingDaisies Oh, hell no.]]"

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* ShoutOut: At one point in the pilot, Owen says, "[[Series/PushingDaisies Oh, hell no.]]"]]"
* ThatOneCase: Owen has been investigating a cold case for more than a decade. The victim died on the morning of September 11, 2001 and by the time the police recovered from the chaos of 9/11 the trail went cold. Owen hopes that he can solve the case before he retires and finally give the victim's widow some answers.
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: Comments in the flashforwards seem to indicate that the conflict between Arroyo and Owen will go FromBadToWorse
* FramingTheGuiltyParty
** In the pilot Walter intends to do so to the murder suspect. Owen gives him a WhatTheHellHero speech and tells him to solve the case properly.
** Arroyo frames Walter for a leak to the press as a way of getting the new guy into trouble and teaching him what the pecking order in the squad is. Walter did leak the story to the press but it was to a different reporter and did not provide as much information as Arroyo did.


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* {{Pride}}: Owen tells Walter that he will make a good detective if only he can get his pride under control.

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''Golden Boy'' is a 2013 series airing in the US on CBS. It revolves around a young patrolman named Walter William Clark, Jr. (Theo James) who shoots a robber and saves his hostage in a highly publicized street incident. In the resulting publicity Walter is not only promoted to detective but gets his choice of assignment. Walter chooses homicide, becoming the least senior member of the squad by ten years. While he wants to be assigned to fellow hotshot Tony Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro) as a partner, his actual partner is the older and crustier Don Owen (Chi McBride). The series is in a way an extended flashback, as Walter reminisces seven years in the future from his position as New York's youngest ever police commissioner.

to:

''Golden Boy'' is a 2013 series airing in the US on CBS. It revolves around a young patrolman named Walter William Clark, Jr. (Theo James) who shoots a robber and saves his hostage in a highly publicized street incident. In the resulting publicity Walter is not only promoted to detective but gets his choice of assignment. Walter chooses homicide, becoming the least senior member of the squad by ten years. While he wants to be assigned to fellow hotshot Tony Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro) as a partner, his actual partner is the older and crustier Don Owen (Chi McBride).[=McBride=]). The series is in a way an extended flashback, as Walter reminisces seven years in the future from his position as New York's youngest ever police commissioner.



* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: The silver spoon racist who's the main murder suspect in the pilot

to:

* NextSundayAD: The FlashForward scenes, which show the Freedom Tower (aka the new One World Trade Center) completed. Assuming that the main body of the series takes place in the present day, that would put these scenes in 2020.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Theo James' impression of a New York accent sounds much closer to Boston because of his natural English accent constantly making itself known.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: The silver spoon racist who's the main murder suspect in the pilotpilot.
* ShoutOut: At one point in the pilot, Owen says, "[[Series/PushingDaisies Oh, hell no.]]"
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* FakeAmerican: Walter is played by Theo James, a native of Oxford, England
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Added DiffLines:

''Golden Boy'' is a 2013 series airing in the US on CBS. It revolves around a young patrolman named Walter William Clark, Jr. (Theo James) who shoots a robber and saves his hostage in a highly publicized street incident. In the resulting publicity Walter is not only promoted to detective but gets his choice of assignment. Walter chooses homicide, becoming the least senior member of the squad by ten years. While he wants to be assigned to fellow hotshot Tony Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro) as a partner, his actual partner is the older and crustier Don Owen (Chi McBride). The series is in a way an extended flashback, as Walter reminisces seven years in the future from his position as New York's youngest ever police commissioner.

!!This show provides examples of
* ByTheBookCop: Det. Owen
* FlashForward: In the teaser of the pilot, no less
* NewYorkCityCops
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: The silver spoon racist who's the main murder suspect in the pilot

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