Peter Krause & Hope Davis Bring Family Drama Into the ‘Line of Fire’

In the case of the instantly addictive new NBC series Line of Fire starring Peter Krause and Hope Davis, the family that works together also come with a government security clearance.

“People talk about the procedural elements of it, but I think of it more as a family show with procedural elements,” says beloved 9-1-1 vet Krause, whose Secret Service agent Mike Hollingsworth has raised a houseful of law-enforcement officials with his estranged wife Jane (Davis), a U.S. Marshal. “They definitely have some unresolved issues, not just one,” continues Krause. “But we’re going to see them come together and then get pulled apart.”

“I was very interested in doing a family show because I hadn’t done [one before],” explains showrunner Joshua Safran, adding that his previous dramas Quantico, Smash, and the Gossip Girl reboot were more about found families than biologically bonded ones. Additionally, he’d become a parent later in life, “so I was [wondering] ‘What does a family show look like now?’ And also, I’ve always been interested in families who work in the same business.”

With its mix of procedural, soap, and ongoing mystery, Line blurs the lines between genres rather impressively. Some storylines are resolved in an episode, some stretch out over several, and then there is a family-history mythology element that deepens slowly over the course of the season. At its heart, however, is how everyone juggles their jobs with their off-the-clock dramas, such as Mike and Jane’s ongoing estrangement.

“I’d say it’s like every episode is probably 40% case of the week, 50% family drama, and 10% mythological,” assesses Safran. “And sometimes those balances shift a little bit. And also one of the great things about the concept of the show, if I can say so myself, is that they’re dealing with their family issues while being on the cases.” This, it becomes clear in the pilot, allows for the kind of humorous banter only kin can engage in during darker moments.

And despite Mike and Jane’s separation (which will be even more complicated by the arrival of Campbell Scott as Jane’s new beau), the couple is united in being actively enmeshed in the lives of their kids: FBI agent daughter Clare (Kat Cunning) and sons Micah (Tommy O’Brien), a Secret Service agent like dad, and Russell (Taylor Bloom), a newly minted DOJ hire.

“[It] is part of the dynamic of the business that they’re all involved in,” three-time Emmy nominee Davis notes of the Hollingsworth clan’s tricky connections. “Everyone has a different opinion on how their lives should be and who should be in charge and who’s made mistakes along the way. It’s a group of people that love each other, but they have secrets from one another.”

And that’s not just reserved for their confidential work lives, hints Krause. “Mike Collinsworth is a nice guy, he also is willing to bend the rules a little bit, so you’re not always sure where he’s coming from. You see him be a little bit manipulative with his kids. He’s an interesting character.”

“But again, I think the kids love him,” he continues with a laugh. “Certain parts of him, but there are other parts that they could do without. And I’ve been spending most of my time these first episodes with Tommy O’Brien, who plays Micah, my most troublesome kid, if you will. We have father-son issues. And we also work together. So, he talks a lot about how ‘I wish you’d treat me like you treat Clare,’ that sort of thing. It’s not all even. It’s not all the same.”

For her part, Davis sees Jane as just as cagey, if not a bit more concerned. Especially when it comes to Mom’s golden child.

“I do have a favorite and it comes out in an episode who that favorite is,” she previews. “I can’t say to you right now because I’d get in a lot of trouble. But I think it’s like any mother — I’m a mother, you love each child equally and differently. And I think she’s hard on [Clare] sometimes and her boys are her babies, but they don’t always want to cuddle up in the way that a mom would like. These are three kids who are all extremely dedicated public servants and they’re incredible at their jobs and they’re in a dangerous line of work. And it’s hard to be a mother to a brood like that.”

That becomes particularly true in the opener, as the kids must call out their own parents — Mike asks a favor of Russ that could severely compromise his career before he’s barely begun it, and Jane attempts to derail Clare’s investigation into a Marshal’s murder — for overstepping their boundaries. But none of those clashes compare to the shocker that hits way closer to home than some of the Hollingsworths realize.

Just don’t expect too many answers about that one too quickly. This Fire is gonna be a slow burn when it comes to a Big Bad reveal. Says Safran, “We just feel like there’s a lot of road [with that twist], so we’re just trying to take the road carefully… We are not speeding.”

With a family full of badges around, that seems like the smartest move.

Line of Fire, Series Premiere, Monday, September 21, 10/9c, NBC