The Guardian

wished there was more then three seasons where lulu and nick got married and raised their baby while pracising law. showing more of nivks dad and and thir family as well as practicing law or gaing addituional add ons to the group like where they delt with special needs etc. I believe this Tv series could of gone further in many ways after he got off probaation. I know i began watching it on netflikx and was hooked. Too bad they stoped after only three seasons. i didnt like how nick and his dad both were gone out of their own buissness and the other greedy partners and lawyers were greedy. also where nicks dad couldnt realize that nick just may have been a klittle upset cuz his dad took good care of shannon but not to nick. I could go on and on and on.moreless

I found this series on Netflix and I was could not stop watching it til the end of the three I went on internet to find more! cannot believe it was was so much intensity in the characters and each character's weaknesses were exposed regardless of their social positions or financial portrayed the humanity of the world and the struggles within its justice just wish it would come back!!!

A curiously compelling drama, populated by three of the most annoyingly self-righteous characters I have ever seen on a screen. The central character, Nick Fallin, is a young, wealthy, hot-shot lawyer with a drink and drugs problem. Part of his problem is his emotional distance from those around him. His father Burton is a self-absorbed, self-righteous man who really cannot understand that maybe his son might just have this problem because his father has limited understanding and empathy himself. Burton chooses to adopt a teenage girl, even when he is taken on a complete ride by the girl, he learns nothing from the experience. Nick is sentenced to complete community service which involves him doing pro buono work for a child services legal service. Nick can barely be responsible for himself, but through his job he learns a measure of selfless responsibility. However, his boss, Alvin (another self-righteous know-it-all) is yet another difficulty for Nick to overcome. There truly are times when Alvin's general blindness to reality, and tiresome meddling really reach epic proportions.

Inexplicably, Nick falls in love with Lulu. She is engaged to another man. She clearly desires Nick, but elopes with the other man anyway. Whom she then leaves for Nick. Yet somehow, she maintains an annoying moral high ground, as Nick struggles with his difficulties to open up because he has genuinely fallen in love with her, she treats him either to a display of hostility or with a breathtaking lack of understanding.

Nick is a flawed character, but he has heart and a conscience. At times it seems as though everyone around him, with the possible exception of the social services case worker Lauri Salt, has neither heart, understanding, or conscience.

I could never understand why he is attracted to Lulu who at best blows hot and cold. His father is cold and manipulative, and his boss at the social services legal team is manipulative and not precisely supportive or helpful. If I were Nick, I think I would have chosen a complete break from the people who do a lot to keep Nick exactly where he starts out at, and not help him in any way.

It is a well put together series. Nick is played with true emotional understanding by Simon Baker (pre the very much better The Mentalist). It is worth catching, but you will find yourself wanting to line Burton, Alvin and Lulu up to slap them. Therein lies the frustration.moreless

For me, The Guardian is very good. It lets characters develop and grow. Nick Fallin is an extremely flawed character who has some very dark sides to his personality but also some very caring ones. All actors in this show are very good; it is a great ensemble piece. Dabney Coleman is excellent as Fallin Senior who eventually finds common ground with his son. Rafael Sbarge, an actor I had not known before, is very good as the initially good but ultimately slimy colleague of Nick who stabs him in the back to climb the career ladder. What a shame it was cancelled before we could find out if Nick found happiness in his personal life. Simon Baker has come a long way from Home and Away and does a terrific job with this character.moreless

The Guardian really captured all the problems within the system and how it fails to protect people living within poor areas. All the characters were amazing and brought different takes on how people can be. James who fought is way out of inner city areas, and learnt how to play the system. Alvin who genially cared about making a difference and Lulu the middle class do-gooder who worked at the centre for her own self importance. When you saw the difference between the centre and the corporate world (Burton law firm) it was a real eye opener of how the world of rich and poor real lived, and how the opportunities for the poor were limited. It was an amazing show but got a bit disappointing when James was killed off in the second series.



A show which is definitely worth watchmoreless