Let me start off with the bottom line: I enjoyed the first couple of episodes and intend to stick around for more, on the hope that the good will be retained and the bad ironed out.
Having said that, it doesn't feel to me like any originality or creativity played a part in the creation of this series. One can almost hear the executives deciding on it: "People like 'House'. We want something like 'House'. But we can't do it as a medical show and we certainly can't do it as a cop show. Any other ideas?" "How about as a lawyer show? We'll have a brilliant civil-law closer take Hugh Laurie's role, and we'll find someone like Masters to play second fiddle." "We can't just copy the character of Masters. It needs to be made larger, taken to extremes. How about a Will Hunting type?" "Yeah, great, and let's throw in a dash of Mentalist into the mix and we have ourselves a show!" etc.
It's formula. It's formula beginning to end. The thing is, like store-bought cake, even though formula will never be sublime, it can, when ingredients are applied discriminatingly, be quite palatable and even enjoyable.
HOWEVER: Though the lead actors are all doing a fine job, in the pilot the smaller parts (particularly the client and witness) are horribly acted. The character of Louis is a caricature and just doesn't work for me. It makes the whole story lose believability. The script overflows with House-like snappy comebacks that are fun to watch, but these do not cover up the basic facts that: a. The dramatic situations are contrived and the legalese is completely unrealistic. b. The script is awfully repetitive. I find it appalling that even after just two episodes the writers are so low on ideas. c. The "Eureka!" moment came about half an hour after I figured it out on my own. d. Some of the dialogue is just so fake and cliché I found it grating and painful.
So, really, now it's just a question of whether the series will be able to outgrow its growing pains and mature into something better than formula. The good actors are there (including Gabriel Macht in the lead, sporting a hauntingly young-Sean-Connery-like appearance). The good premise is there. The fun-to-watch back-and-forth is there. The twists are there. The classy-looking locations are there. The engaging music is there.
Now, all that's missing is a few good writers. Absolutely necessary qualifications: 1. Caring about the subject matter. 2. Ability to write natural-sounding dialogue, when snappiness isn't the objective. 3. Original ideas. 4. Basic knowledge of how civil law works.
I wish this show all the best. I really want it to succeed. There is so little to watch on TV these days that is worth opening the telly for. Here, if nothing else, there is potential.
Having said that, it doesn't feel to me like any originality or creativity played a part in the creation of this series. One can almost hear the executives deciding on it: "People like 'House'. We want something like 'House'. But we can't do it as a medical show and we certainly can't do it as a cop show. Any other ideas?" "How about as a lawyer show? We'll have a brilliant civil-law closer take Hugh Laurie's role, and we'll find someone like Masters to play second fiddle." "We can't just copy the character of Masters. It needs to be made larger, taken to extremes. How about a Will Hunting type?" "Yeah, great, and let's throw in a dash of Mentalist into the mix and we have ourselves a show!" etc.
It's formula. It's formula beginning to end. The thing is, like store-bought cake, even though formula will never be sublime, it can, when ingredients are applied discriminatingly, be quite palatable and even enjoyable.
HOWEVER: Though the lead actors are all doing a fine job, in the pilot the smaller parts (particularly the client and witness) are horribly acted. The character of Louis is a caricature and just doesn't work for me. It makes the whole story lose believability. The script overflows with House-like snappy comebacks that are fun to watch, but these do not cover up the basic facts that: a. The dramatic situations are contrived and the legalese is completely unrealistic. b. The script is awfully repetitive. I find it appalling that even after just two episodes the writers are so low on ideas. c. The "Eureka!" moment came about half an hour after I figured it out on my own. d. Some of the dialogue is just so fake and cliché I found it grating and painful.
So, really, now it's just a question of whether the series will be able to outgrow its growing pains and mature into something better than formula. The good actors are there (including Gabriel Macht in the lead, sporting a hauntingly young-Sean-Connery-like appearance). The good premise is there. The fun-to-watch back-and-forth is there. The twists are there. The classy-looking locations are there. The engaging music is there.
Now, all that's missing is a few good writers. Absolutely necessary qualifications: 1. Caring about the subject matter. 2. Ability to write natural-sounding dialogue, when snappiness isn't the objective. 3. Original ideas. 4. Basic knowledge of how civil law works.
I wish this show all the best. I really want it to succeed. There is so little to watch on TV these days that is worth opening the telly for. Here, if nothing else, there is potential.