Raising the Bar

Very good show, watching on Hulu now. Missed the original run even though I always wanted to catch it. Just finished season 1 and started S2. Loved S1 but S2 is leaving me dissapointed, they are not finishing storylines (read cases), and we do not know the results. Characters are great though.

Let's face it; the fact that this show was cancelled shouldn't surprise anyone. TNT casted actors that still have some popularity and had then do a show. Why, because they came cheap. None of these actors and actresses are commanding even a medium amount of money. As with any star that's playing on TNT, Lifetime or other networks like it. That's went you as an actor should know your career is just about over and it time to move on to something else.



Charlotte Rae played Mrs. Edna Garrett on Facts of life said it the best after the show was cancelled.



Charlotte Rae: Now I go off to Lifetime to die!!moreless

I went out of my way to watch the pilot episode, becoming one of the millions drawn in by the advertising. Given the cast, the producer, and the basic premise, I expected solid, engaging entertainment.



Instead, I got the undisciplined, mouthy attorney versus the over-sexed, maniac judge. That judge has to go first, either much less of her or a sturdy rewrite. Anyone can have moments of extreme arrogance or profound stupidity, but all she did was swing between the two. Give her a gag, a courtroom law refresher, and HRT, somebody, and quick.



Then there's Jerry, our impassioned public defender. The job apparently requires really bad hair. Jerry also needs to revisit law school along with the judge (a one-photo ID? Not lately.), along with a few charm classes. But he has heart and a lot of potential. Just stop writing him stupid.



Charlie is the best character in the show, both as written and as acted. Don't change anything about him.



Anything Gloria Reuben does is good. I'm glad to see her in a series. Same goes for Jaime Richards.



Prosecuters who will stop at nothing to get the "W" irrespective of the truth no doubt exist but, at least this week, behave so at their own peril. This show has an office full of prosecutorial alligators: small brains, totally focused on the successful destruction of their prey. Right out of the chute, Jerry's honey does all she can to hide his exculpatory witness so she can get her win. She doesn't care that his client may well be innocent or that her behavior will undoubtedly terminate their relationship. She doesn't even seem to register either issue.



Assuming that this show doesn't mean to be a total farce, and that I just missed the times I was supposed to laugh, then it has gone way too far in its attempt to show the flaws in the legal system. By pushing the stereotypes so far out of whack, the show negates its message altogether.



Good news is that the next two episodes do seem to address some of the glaring problems of the pilot. They still aren't where they could be, but there's hope.moreless

What drivel. The first show was a waste, but I kept hoping it would get better, and it barely did. Then the last episode "Hang Time," broke the back. The impassioned speech after the Judge ruled, according to the law, that after the client said he did it, the fact that a witness died and his strategy would have changed didn't support vacating the plea, was a waste. I'm sure he feels better to have talked about the bedrock of our justice system, yadda yadda yadda. Didn't do his client a whit of good. And does he EVER defend a guilty person?moreless

I've given this show multiple chances hoping that it would get better, but it's the same tired story every episode. All the prosecutors and judges are corrupt. Additionally all the public defenders are inept and have no concepts of how to gather evidence. For having so many innocent clients, the public defenders seem completely unable to ever gather evidence proving the client's innocence. Instead the PD's rely on begging prosecutors and judges to believe that the client is innocent. And magically, most of the accused are innocent. When these innocent clients with intentionally sympathetic backgrounds are found guilty, the PD's (especially Jerry) rely on lengthy in-court speeches to prove the show's main point (real creative Stephen). Furthermore, the prosecutors are apparently completely devoid of any concept of prosecutorial discretion. Everyone one of these lawyers would be sanctioned by the state bar and the show is an embarrassment to the legal profession. This show pretty much qualifies as the worst legal drama in years. Stephen Bochco should be embarrassed.moreless