{ "id": "epa3x6wqa0", "slug": "the-calling", "title": "The Calling", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series", "label": "Crime and thriller series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.police-and-detective-procedurals", "label": "Police and detective procedurals", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.police-and-detective-procedurals" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Crime and thriller series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series", "label": "Crime and thriller series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Calling (2022 Peacock crime drama), David E. Kelley adaptation of Dror Mishani's Avraham Avraham novels, starring Jeff Wilbusch as Orthodox Jewish NYPD detective Avraham Avraham; one 8-episode season, 18% Tomatometer, 85% audience score.", "snippet": "The Calling (2022 Peacock crime drama), David E. Kelley adaptation of Dror Mishani's Avraham Avraham novels, starring Jeff Wilbusch as Orthodox Jewish NYPD detective Avraham Avraham; one 8-episode season, 18% Tomatometer, 85% audience score.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.police-and-detective-procedurals", "markdown": "# The Calling\n\n**The Calling** is an American crime drama television series that premiered on Peacock on November 10, 2022. It follows NYPD detective Avraham \"Avi\" Avraham, an Orthodox Jew who relies on his belief in humanity to solve crimes, in a spiritual take on the police procedural.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling) The eight-episode first season was adapted by [David E. Kelley](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-e-kelley) from the Avraham Avraham novel series by the Israeli writer Dror Mishani.[2](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-calling-eps-and-cast-on-season-1/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/58568/the-calling)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Premiere | November 10, 2022, on Peacock[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling) |\n| Format | Crime drama, 1 season of 8 episodes, TV-MA[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/the-calling/) • [5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112) |\n| Source material | Dror Mishani's Avraham Avraham novels, beginning with *The Missing File* (2011)[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/58568/the-calling) |\n| Lead cast | Jeff Wilbusch as Avraham Avraham, with Juliana Canfield, Karen Robinson, and Michael Mosley[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling) |\n| Creative team | Developed by David E. Kelley; Barry Levinson served as producer and director[2](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-calling-eps-and-cast-on-season-1/) |\n| Reception | 18% Tomatometer from 11 critics; 85% Popcornmeter from 100+ audience ratings[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling/s01) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and characters\n\nThe series centers on Detective Avraham \"Avi\" Avraham, an NYPD detective whose intuitive understanding of mankind guides what the show describes as a spiritual mission to do justice. As seemingly routine investigations turn upside down, the complexity of his cases heightens, often to life-threatening stakes.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling) [The Boston Globe](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-boston-globe)'s Matthew Gilbert described the character as a New York City detective who is an Orthodox Jew, someone who quotes the Talmud and prays over bodies at crime scenes, and whose faith and compassion give him insight into human behavior.[7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/22/arts/following-clues-discover-why-calling-disappoints/)\n\nJeff Wilbusch plays Avraham, with Juliana Canfield as his new partner Janine, Karen Robinson as Captain Helen Davies, and Michael Mosley as Detective Earl Malzone.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling) • [8](https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/the-calling-review/)\n\n### Season 1\n\nThe first season consists of eight episodes built around two missing-person cases.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/the-calling/) • [7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/22/arts/following-clues-discover-why-calling-disappoints/) The episodes, with their Peacock runtimes, are:\n\n1. \"He's Gone\" (46 min): Avi searches for a missing boy.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n2. \"The Knowing\" (43 min): Avi questions Vincent's friends and family to learn more about the tormented and lonely boy.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n3. \"The Horror\" (47 min): Avi searches Vincent's building and the people within it; Dania's intentions are questioned.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n4. \"The Break\" (46 min): The secrets of Vincent's case rise to the surface; Zack's writing is further investigated.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n5. \"Shomer\" (43 min): Avi investigates a bomb threat at a local daycare; Paul's wife is reported missing.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n6. \"The Pursuers\" (40 min): Avi pursues possible suspects of the bomb threat; Elisabeth Serra's backstory is revealed.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n7. \"The Hand of the Diligent\" (40 min): The team grapples with Anna's fate; Avi questions whether Elisabeth is missing or dead.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n8. \"Blameless and Upright\" (40 min): Avi solves Elisabeth's disappearance; Paul plans to leave New York; Hanney has a moment of honesty.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n\n## Production\n\nThe series was developed by David E. Kelley, who called Mishani's books a \"riveting and emotionally complicated series of novels,\" and [Barry Levinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-levinson) wore both producer and director hats on the show.[2](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-calling-eps-and-cast-on-season-1/) Executive producers listed by Rotten Tomatoes include Kelley, Matthew Tinker, Jonathan Shapiro, Peter Traugott, Alon Shrutzman, Avi Nir, Karni Ziv, Barry Levinson, and Dror Mishani.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling) In interviews before the premiere, executive producers Jason Horwitch and Jonathan Shapiro said the show was made with the post-[George Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-floyd) criticism of procedurals for failing to address police brutality in mind.[9](https://www.tvinsider.com/1069396/the-calling-peacock-cop-shows-police-reform-josh-horwitch-jonathan-shapiro/)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was negative while audience response was favorable. On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds an 18% Tomatometer from 11 reviews against an 85% Popcornmeter from more than 100 ratings.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling/s01) The critics consensus calls it a \"rote spiritual procedural\" that hollows out an intriguing idea with simpleminded execution.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling/s01)\n\n**Common criticisms.** Reviewers found the central idea promising but the execution thin. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote that the show turns Avi's religion into an odd kind of superpower granting almost supernatural empathy, that it never digs into his method or the ethical issues his unconventional methods raise, and that the two missing-person cases cycle through red herrings on autopilot; he singled out [Noel Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/noel-fisher) as a standout in the first case.[7](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/22/arts/following-clues-discover-why-calling-disappoints/) Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the series only grows shallower and duller as its eight episodes progress.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling/s01) The Slant Magazine review found it hard to see what makes Avraham special despite the show centering his interrogations, and noted that the first case is resolved and then basically never mentioned again.[8](https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/the-calling-review/) Common Sense Media compared the formula to decades of detective shows about psychics, here applied to religion.[10](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-calling)\n\n**Audience response.** Viewer reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were markedly warmer than the critics' scores, praising the characters, the acting from largely unfamiliar faces, and the use of Avi's humanity rather than forensics to reach the truth.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling/s01) TV Insider included the show in a 2022 roundup of the ten worst new series according to critics.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/the-calling/)\n\n## Availability\n\nOne season of The Calling is available to stream on Peacock, where it is presented in 4K UHD, or to buy on Fandango.[5](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Calling, Rotten Tomatoes series page](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling)\n2. [The Calling Producers and Cast on the Show's Law & Order Influences, Jewish Representation, and Their Drive To Be Different, Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-calling-eps-and-cast-on-season-1/)\n3. [The Calling, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/58568/the-calling)\n4. [The Calling, Peacock Series, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/the-calling/)\n5. [Watch The Calling Season 1 Streaming Online, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/the-calling/6335383680358348112)\n6. [The Calling: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_calling/s01)\n7. [Following clues to discover why 'The Calling' disappoints, The Boston Globe (Matthew Gilbert, November 22, 2022)](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/22/arts/following-clues-discover-why-calling-disappoints/)\n8. ['The Calling' Review: An Intriguing Investigation That Comes Up Empty-Handed, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/the-calling-review/)\n9. [Peacock's 'The Calling' Team Talks Making a Different Kind of Cop Show, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1069396/the-calling-peacock-cop-shows-police-reform-josh-horwitch-jonathan-shapiro/)\n10. [The Calling, Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-calling)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Police and detective procedurals*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Calling\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Calling](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Calling\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-calling. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Calling, David E. Kelley adaptation of Dror Mishani's Avraham Avraham novels, starring Jeff Wilbusch as Orthodox Jewish NYPD detective Avraham Avraham; one 8-episode season, 18% Tomatometer, 85% audience score." }