In the pilot episode we meet the appropriately casted characters that inhabit the SFPD Central Station. Candace DeLorenzo, called CD by colleagues and friends, is a vetran of the department. She's a tough, no-nonsense go-getter, played amazingly by Tracey Needham (JAG, Life Goes On). CD also has a sensitive side that comes out in the second episode as she reveals to her new partner the file that she has kept for many years in her top drawer of a person who had died but never been identified.

Her new partner, Angela Reid, is my least favorite of the characters. Angela is played by Lela Rochon Fuqua (Any Given Sunday). The character is well written, but Rochon's performance is very flat and the delivery of her lines is almost as if she were reading them off a cue card.

Regardless of that, the clash between CD and Angela will probably be an ongoing situation as Angela struggles to gain CD's approval. It is evident that sooner or later CD is going to accept her; but CD is still dealing with the death of her last partner so it might take a while.

Jinny Exstead is independent and sometimes so over-enthusiastic that she misses the mark and in one case an arrest. Nancy McKeon plays Jinny in a way that balances her strength and weakness in such a way that there is always conflict between the two. McKeon was last seen in the short lived CBS sit-com Style and Substance with Jean Smart. McKeon is usually seen as a comedian but in this case she is a big plus to this series and successfully takes on the tough role of Jinny.

Lisa Vidal (Third Watch) rounds out the four main detectives as Magda Remirez. Magda takes her work very seriously and is often torn between her family and the Department. In the second episode she reaches her breaking point after her sister is arrested for possession of cocaine and let off easy due to Magda's position. Then at a family gathering she is asked to help get a family member out of a parking ticket. Magda gets up on top of a picnic table, demands her family's attention and announces, "...I'm on strike, I'm no longer going to be your personal cop-for-hire."

The four detectives are lead by Captain Kate McCafferty who successfully encompasses the best qualities of the other four combined. She is well liked by all and means business, she's very straight forward, honest and pushes everyone to be their best. Kate is portrayed brilliantly by Bonnie Bedelia (Die Hard I and II, Heart Like a Wheel, Presumed Innocent and lots of Tv movies).

The characters handle themselves well in action and there's lots of it. In the coming weeks they will deal with situations like busting a meth lab, bringing down a strip club owner who forces employees to perform favors for VIP clients, an undercover slave labor ring exploiting immigrant workers, and Kate leads an investigation of an unarmed man who was shot and killed by two fellow officers.

One thing that separates The Division from shows like NYPD Blue and Law and Order is that we also get a glimpse of what goes on in the personal lives of these female officers. And the singular quality of the characters alone will make for years of interesting situations. The way they compliment each other while at the same time covering the personality spectrum can only be as successful as it is due to quality acting skills paired with outstanding direction and writing.

The Division is comfortably placed between Lifetime's two other very successful original dramas Strong Medicine and Any Day Now. I'd have to say that Bedelia and McKeon stand out, but not too much as to break out of the strong ensemble cast of five that holds this series together. With enough story lines to hold interest - and if the writing stays as top-notch as it is or improves in future episodes - I can predict that The Division will have a long, healthy run.

Robert Bach is a writer and musician and former entertainment editor for an East Coast publication.

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