If Swingtown is a step outside the box for CBS, the network's other Summer drama, Flashpoint, seems like a perfect fit. It's a cop show, set in a specialized unit that "rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens," and it should slip in nicely with the network's crime-of-the-week brand.

The show, which premieres July 11, came to CBS under rather unusual circumstances. Picked up during the writers' strike, Flashpoint is a Canadian production and will air simultaneously on CBS and CTV. The show is set entirely in Canada and is based on Toronto's actual Emergency Task Force, which is similar to a SWAT team in the US.

The show stars Enrico Colantoni (of Veronica Mars, among other things) and Amy Jo Johnston (of Wildfire and Felicity), and from the preview clips I've seen, it seems to have a good energy to it. The downside: I doubt its Fridays-at-10 timeslot will do it any favors in terms of getting an audience outside the most hardcore cop-show viewers. Want to check it out? For a preview and a clip from the first episode, just read more.

Photo and video courtesy of CBS