Andre Braugher Won An Emmy For A Short-Lived, Critically Acclaimed Heist Series

You probably best remember the late Andre Braugher as the deadpan Captain Raymond Holt from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," or perhaps as the arrogant genius that was Detective Frank Pembleton from "Homicide: Life on the Street." The latter show earned Braugher his first Emmy win, but few recall the show that led to Braugher scooping his second career Emmy, the short-lived crime thriller "Thief."

This 2006 FX miniseries centered on Nick Atwater (Braugher), a mastermind criminal who struggles to repair his family life while pulling off big robberies on the side. After a San Francisco heist goes sideways, Nick finds himself targeted by Chinese mobsters and a dirty cop (Michael Rooker), all while dealing with the death of his estranged wife and raising his teenage stepdaughter (Mae Whitman).

Even though it was widely praised ("Thief" is Certified Fresh with a score of 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), the series never went beyond its initial six-episode run, with FX quietly canning it due to low viewership. It just never caught on, and that's a real shame, because "Thief" had a lot going for it — a quick glance at the reviews it received during its short run shows that critics were loving it.

Among the outlets that vouched for the series was Variety, which applauded the gritty drama and highlighted Braugher's commanding screen presence. The Los Angeles Times also praised the casting, noting that the lead role suited Braugher's "particular intensity." It's no wonder the Chicago native took home the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie.

When Andre Braugher sat down for an interview with Variety not long after FX pulled the plug on "Thief," he expressed his disappointment regarding the show's inability to connect with enough viewers. "I was baffled like everybody else," the actor admitted to the outlet, adding, "There's a certain measure of frustration that the show didn't find an audience." However, the setback didn't alter his commitment to rich television storytelling. "I'm going to be on TV as long as they're fighting the good fight," he said. "I'm attracted to complex characters, and I'll do it again and again. There's a lesson to be learned in a show's failure, but the lesson is not to draw back."

Braugher went on to join the cast of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and he also appeared in the likes of "The Andromeda Strain," "Men of a Certain Age," "Last Resort," and "The Good Wife" spin-off "The Good Fight" before his death in 2023. He brought his A-game to all of those shows, but few of his performances match up to what he delivered in "Thief." The fact that he won an Emmy for the show after it had been axed speaks volumes, and you only need to look at the people Braugher beat on the night to confirm just how great he was as Nick Atwater: The other nominees were Charles Dance for "Bleak House," Ben Kingsley for "Mrs. Harris," Donald Sutherland for "Human Trafficking," and Jon Voight for "Pope John Paul II."