By now, it would have been difficult to miss the fact that Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) is returning to the small screen.
Universal TV recently held a virtual premier hosted by the dashing Chris Jaftha.
He chatted to the who’s who of SA’s showbiz world - Moshe Ndiki, Lerato Kganyago, Janez Vermeiren, Jeannie and Unathi Nkayi - to gauge their thoughts on Chiklis and the new six-part series, “Coyote”.
Known for playing characters that aren’t afraid to throw a punch or two, he doesn’t disappoint.
The now heavyset actor - he is 57, after all - embraces his role as Ben Clemens, a recently retired US Border Patrol agent.
At a recently held press junket, he unpacked his character.
He said: “He’s a man who has spent most of his life looking at life through a particular prism.
“I thought it particularly fascinating, the notion of a white man from America to all of a sudden literally and figuratively to have had all of his choices taken away from him and to have to walk a 100 miles in another person’s shoes.
“That struck me as something fascinating as a storyteller and as an actor to delve into.
“He’s filled with contradictions. I will say he’s very different from Vic Mackey - even though the tone of the show, the shooting style and the authenticity has that same sort of grit.
“What is thrilling is that Vic was a sociopath and an anti-hero; Ben isn’t a hero or an anti-hero, he’s just a man.
“But a flawed man to be sure but he’s a good man trying to rewrite his own epitaph.”
Divorced, he shares a close relationship with his ex-wife but is no fan of her spotlight-hogging husband. Of course, he plays nice for the sake of his daughter.
A bit in limbo with his new routine, circumstances lead him to Mexico, where he helps finish building the home of his late friend.
What starts out as a welcome distraction ends up turning into bullet-dodging chaos when Maria Elena Flores (Emy Mena) seeks out his help.
At first, he fobs her off on the local police.
But that doesn’t help as Maria, who is pregnant with the child of Dante (Kristyan Ferrer), a member of the cartel, shows up again.
And so Ben, who spent 32 years stopping preventing people from illegally crossing over to the States, ends up doing just that.
A decision that leads to unforeseen upheaval in his life.
“Coyote” airs Mondays on Universal TV (DStv channel 117) at 8pm.