NBC has added a new procedural to its fall schedule with Line of Fire, which premiered on Monday, Sept. 21, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The drama follows the Hollingsworth family, a household in which nearly every member has built a career inside a different branch of federal law enforcement. The network is treating the series as a broadcast anchor for the season, and episodes are set to reach Peacock the day after they air, in addition to a free over the air broadcast on NBC.
Peter Krause leads the ensemble as Mike Hollingsworth, a Secret Service agent, opposite Hope Davis as his wife, Jane, who serves as a U.S. Marshal. Their adult children have followed them into government service. Kat Cunning plays Clare Hollingsworth, who works for the FBI, while Tommy O’Brien appears as Micah Hollingsworth Jr., another member of the Secret Service. Taylor Bloom completes the immediate family as Russ Hollingsworth, an employee of the Department of Justice.
The wider cast includes Charlie Barnett in the role of a character named Jack and Sam Waterston as Thomas Barnes, a former president who becomes tied to the family’s work. By placing relatives inside several agencies at once, the show is able to move among different investigative settings while keeping its focus on one family. The network is betting that structure will set the series apart from the other law enforcement titles arriving this fall.
The story is set in motion when the Hollingsworths look into the death of a U.S. Marshal. What starts as a personal inquiry gradually widens into what the network describes as a far larger conspiracy, and the investigation eventually places members of the family in danger. The premise gives each character a professional reason to be drawn in and a personal stake in how the case is resolved, allowing the drama to balance procedure with family tension.
Line of Fire comes from creator Joshua Safran, whose earlier credits include Gossip Girl and Quantico. His experience with serialized network drama shapes the show’s mix of self contained investigation and a longer running mystery. New episodes air first on NBC before moving to Peacock the following day, giving the series both a traditional broadcast window and a streaming home for viewers who prefer to catch up later.
