Howard had been the class geek for much of his life and snapped shortly before graduation. He had no problems while in prison, did his time quietly and now wants nothing more than to blend back in quietly to society. When cheerleaders and other BMOC’s begin dying again, the police look for Howard, certain he his crimes were not a one time spree.  Duffy knows in his gut that Howard is not responsible, but cannot prove it until he finds Howard. 

A chance to fight in Madison Square Garden and a surprise win take Duffy’s attention away from Howard for a moment, but an outburst at work puts Duffy on leave allowing him to refocus his efforts.  He begins quietly poking around, aided by bloodhound Al and finds a disturbing new synthetic drug and a more disturbing ritualistic killing that is rapidly shrinking the graduating class.

In spite of its dark theme, there are many laugh-aloud moments in TKO, usually when Duffy’s drinking buddies get into arguments that range from Canadian football to how often guys think about sex.  Keeping Duffy real is a young high school student, Billy, a geek to parallel Howard, who is channeling his energies into karate with little success.  Duffy reluctantly agrees to be Billy’s sensei and Billy shows up each morning, forcing Duffy to stay focused, ultimately saving his life as Duffy selflessly sets things in motion that will improve Billy’s quality of life and give him a fighting chance, the way Duffy’s boxing coach Smitty quietly does for Duffy.

The murders are very dark, the impact on the community is not explored, but their impact on Duffy, his client Howard, and the police force is enough to continue to move the investigation and plot forward and keep interest up. 

Not for the feint of heart, TKO starts with a one-two punch and doesn’t let up until everyone is down for the count.  No holds barred, insightful characterization makes this series a stand-out.                                      

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry