JUSTICE (FOX)
(Wednesdays at 9:00/8:00c this fall)
The network's description: "From Jerry Bruckheimer, executive producer of
"CSI" and "Without a Trace," comes JUSTICE, an unflinching,
behind-the-scenes look at the way high-profile cases are tried in the
media
age. JUSTICE features a dream team of four lawyers from disparate
backgrounds who join forces to tackle the most controversial and
newsworthy
cases. With their unique skill sets and the power of forensic law, this
formidable team becomes indispensable to the law firm of Turk, Nicholson,
Tuller & Gaines. RON TURK (Victor Garber, "Alias," "Titanic") is the face
seen on every media talk show in the country - and he wants it that way.
He's great at landing a client, spinning a case and getting his way, but
juries hate him. Standing behind Ron - as far away from the cameras as
possible - is TOM NICHOLSON (Kerr Smith, "Charmed"), the heart of the
firm.
Tom is a brilliant litigator whose Everyman, earnest manner makes him
Ron's
alter ego. LUTHER GAINES (Eamonn Walker, "Oz"), famous in the
African-American community, is well-connected, politically motivated and
in
possession of an uncanny ability to take a step back and assess the merits
of a case from both the prosecution's and the defense's perspectives.
ALDEN
TULLER (Rebecca Mader, "The Devil Wears Prada") is a young, ambitious and
brilliant clinician who approaches each case analytically, uncovering ways
to destroy expert witnesses on cross-examination."
What did they leave out: It's exactly what you'd expect - a solid,
well-paced legal procedural.
The plot in a nutshell: The murder of a Malibu housewife (she's found face
down in her pool, apparently beaten to death) has drawn national
attention,
most notably the Nancy Grace-esque series "American Crime" (hosted by
"Love
Monkey's" Katherine La Nasa). Said program, which serves as a framing
device
for the plot, tells us the prime suspect is her husband, real estate
developer Kevin O'Neil (Sam Trammell). And more importantly, he's retained
the services of Turk, Nicholson, Tuller & Gaines (or TNT&G), a
high-prolife
law firm best known for its larger-than-life founder Ron Turk (Victor
Garber, in full smirk mode). From here we meet the rest of Turk's team:
there's Tom Nicholson (Kerr Smith), his big-hearted first chair; Alden
Tuller (Rebecca Mader), his witness expert; and Luther Gaines (Eamonn
Walker), his "connected" guy. We also learn their defense strategy - they
say Kevin's wife simply slipped and fell, which technically accounts for
her
various injuries. The prosecution however says Kevin murdered his wife in
a
jealous rage (she had only recently confessed to having an affair), using
one of his conveniently missing golf clubs. You can more or less fill in
the
procedural gaps from here as the case see-saws between the prosecution and
the defense with the former being painted as the bad guys (with their
manufactured evidence and sloppy policework) and the latter as the good
guys
(with their high-tech crime scene toys, mock juries and diligent
research).
And because this is a procedural, we're given little to latch onto about
the
characters other than their personality types (Turk being the showman and
Nicholson being the bleeding heart stand out the most). Finally, once the
verdict is delivered we flash back to the actual crime (a la FOX's own
short-lived "The Jury") to see if Kevin really did it.
What works: As I mentioned previously, this is essentially another cog in
the Bruckheimer procedural machine. If you dig that type of show, you'll
definitely be right at home here. I'm certainly a "take or leave it" kind
of
guy when it comes to these kinds of shows - it doesn't feel like a waste
to
watch it, but there's also no real incentive to seek it out.
What doesn't: When a show essentially elicits a "shrug" type of reaction
from me it's hard to pick apart. It's really just a vanilla show - you
know
what you're going to get, you don't really feel bad about watching it but
you can't help but hope for something with a little more flavor. And with
the pedigree of actors like Garber and Walker you'd think it would be a
more
colorful, engaging show. Sadly that's not the case.
The challenges ahead: Can "Justice" survive the always rocky pre-"Idol"
FOX
fall?
COMING TOMORROW: NBC's "Heroes"
--
Spreading the gospel of Kennedy one post at a time.
MRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....KENNEDY........KENNEDY!
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