New drama 'Line of Fire' puts Peter Krause in the center of DC action

Add in a case that erupts into a conspiracy, and there’s plenty to mull.

The idea emerged from a conversation Jenna Bush Hager had with producer Josh Safran at a family birthday party. She talked about her time in the White House and told Safran how complicated it must be for agents to juggle their commitments to the country and their families.

Peter Krause plays a Secret Service agent; Hope Davis is a U.S. Marshal and their children are in the Secret Service, the FBI and the Department of Justice.

For Krause, the script was a real lure. It had elements of “Parenthood” and “911,” his previous series.

“The show works in so many different ways,” he says. “It’s suspenseful. There’s some action/thriller elements. There’s crime-solving by crime solvers and there are a lot of family dynamics to explore. And there’s some surprising comedy in the show as well.”

Safran says “Line of Fire” has a bit of “The Diplomat” and “The West Wing” in its DNA.

“These people do this job regardless of what state the country is in at any given time or who is in charge. It’s the love of the job,” he says.

While recent events may have linked the departments, “Line of Fire” won’t address current political situations.

“You can’t tie it to real time,” Safran says. “But it talks about issues that we have faced forever that are ongoing. The political landscape is not primary in the show. It’s about people who do everything to protect their family, the world and what toll that takes on them. It’s a human story, not a political story.”

Krause adds: “They’re a family that goes through what any family goes through in terms of interpersonal conflicts. You see what’s going to happen between (his character and Davis’). They’re kind of on the outs but they’re really in love with each other. And it’s the same with all the kids. We have a kid who may be having an affair with the president’s daughter. There are all these other things that go on besides the procedural elements.”

Hager, who serves as an executive producer, says she was reminded of an early Krause series, “Six Feet Under,” when they were formulating “Line of Fire.”

“It was a about a family and how their business affects their dynamics,” she says.

Davis says the cast has already had a chance to bond. Tommy O’Brien, Kat Cunning and Taylor Bloom, who play their children, have become fast friends.

“Hope was in her dressing room, trying to learn her lines, and she came out in the hallway and I just heard, ‘Could you all just keep it down? I’m trying to learn my lines,’” Krause reports. “She was shushing our children.”

“And they shushed,” Davis says.

To make sure stories had authenticity, Hager encouraged fellow producers to bring on a former Secret Service agent to work as a consultant.

“We’ll have the drama and the fun,” she says, “but we’ll also have some real truth to it. That was important to all of us.”