TNT has selected an ensemble drama for their first-ever original series. The title refers to the aggressive, power-hungry young "bulls" who work their magic on Wall Street. The first episode is engaging enough, the characters enticing enough, and the franchise strong enough that this Bull should prove a wise investment over the long haul.

The ensemble series has been extremely successful throughout the '90's (NYPD Blue, The Sopranos, Beggars and Choosers, E/R, The Practice, etc.) and thus proves a safe launchpad for a new series. Comedies are always difficult to predict and those that hang their hat on the talents of one star could find their hit series lost when that talent decides it's time to explore new artistic avenues. However, series such as NYPD Blue have managed to succeed major changes in cast over the years without losing a single audience share.

Bull is the story of a team of investment bankers and traders who rock Wall Street when they break away from an established financial firm to start their own company. With this as their initial motivation, our merry band of Wall Street pioneers are off and running, fighting seemingly impossible odds in their efforts to establish themselves much as their former boss did so many, many years ago.

Their leader is the brilliant but eccentric grandson of the founder of their former company, who must betray his family heritage in order to stake a claim to his own life. His partners, each with a separate agenda, risk losing everything to join him in this new venture.

George Newbern (Father Of The Bride I and II, The Evening Star) plays Robert "Ditto" Roberts, III, a chip off the old block of his pioneering granderfather, who bears the less than pleasant nickname "The Kaiser." Newbern's soft blue eyes and boyish features hid an aggressive, killer instinct which he plays to the hilt as heir to avarice and greed. It is this particular family trait that appeals most to his partners, since they see his abilities as their maverick start-up company's biggest assets.

The Kaiser, played to nasty perfection by Donald Moffat (The Evening Star, Clear And Present Danger, Regarding Henry), is corporate evil at its most rotten, and he finds ways to corrupt every situation and opportunity he comes across.

Alicia Coppola is Marissa Rufo, another trader in the firm who refuses to give up her perceived security with a major firm for Ditto's rebel venture. Her character is given the kind of weight that hints at a greater place in the series' future, should it go on beyond the initial 13 episodes.

The other members of the cast are all adequate. Outstanding as a guest or recurring character is Stanley Tucci (Joe Gould's Secret, Big Night, Deconstructing Harry) as Hunter Lasky, a shark at the art of the big negotiation. Ditto wants this predator on his team; the question is how far to trust the animal.

The show hits the ground running at a pace that's supposed to match the high intensity of the trading floor. So pay close attention during the opening act or you'll miss a lot of dialogue. The show resumes something akin to normal by the second act, and by act three the pace settled into a groove not unlike other contemporary ensemble series.

Being the premiere episode, I'm not sure if I like Bull, yet. Only time will tell. It's got all the right elements, and the characters are interesting and developed well. And the story seems to have "legs," as they say in the biz. But there's something a little sterile about the whole thing, as though it's still got that "new" smell and you just know a few washings will give it that comfy, lived in feeling you prefer. This is completely understandable, especially for a new series AND the very first series ever for a major channel.

I will say that I want to see the next episode. I want to know if Ditto is all they say he is. If Marissa leaves The Kaiser. If Hunter Lasky sinks the new business, or helps our erstwhile heroes salvage their dream.

For a new series, and a first attempt, I'll give Bull an above average score. Check it out.

Del Harvey, founder of FM, is a veteran of The Directors Guild Of America, The Walt Disney Co., and Lucasfilm.

Got a problem? Email Del at filmmonthly@hotmail.com