CASTING NEWS: Harry’s Law

In somewhat surprising news, both Brittany Snow and Aml Ameen are no longer with the show.  However, they have apparently been offered the opportunity to be guest stars which is a bit strange.  So Kathy Bates and Nate Corrdry are the only regulars to return next season.  Although I hope this means the promotion of one Tommy Jefferson (Christopher McDonald) to a series regular.  He was the best part of Harry’s Law last season.  I also have to wonder if Damien Winslow (Johnny Ray Gill) and possibly Rachael Miller (Jordana Spiro)  will be promoted series regulars as well.  I guess we’ll see.   But I would think they will probably introduce some new characters, especially if Tommy, Damien, and Rachael aren’t regulars.

 

RENEWED SHOWS: NBC

Some early good news coming out of NBC this week!!  It’s official!!!   Parenthood and Harry’s Law are both coming back for the 2011-2012 TV season.  Yippie!!!!!!   Still no official word on Chuck but the rumor of a 13 episode renewal is still out there.  So I am not making it official on my 2011/2012 Renew Cancel Tracker until it is.

Parenthood has really become a solid show.  Where it was very much on the bubble last year and in the early parts of this year, it came on strong towards the middle/ end of the season and looks to be a real hit for NBC….it’s about time!

Harry’s Law, you all know, I hated at first.  But it grew on me and David E Kelley finally toned down his political lecturing and now I really enjoy it.  So I am happy for the cast and crew!

As upfront approaches, I suspect we will be hearing more and more information coming out.   The timing of this really sucks though….network upfronts which is the same week as finale week which is the same week as my vacation.   The networks did not plan this well because there will be much to discuss!!

 

General TV News…Chuck, Harry’s Law, Parenthood, Criminal Minds

So a couple of news items have been released and for me personally, I am very excited about all of them!!

Chuck really is the little show that could.  Several sites are reporting the rumor that Chuck appears primed for a 13 episode pickup for 2011-2012.  It’s a bit surprising ( a great surprise) because he ratings have been horrible.  Any other network and Chuck would have been gone after season 1.  So thank God NBC sucks so bad that Chuck can make it for a 5th season!!!!

I have comes to terms with the idea that Chuck would run its final season this year.  I’m embarrassed to say that once can’t miss TV for me has now piled up on my DVR.  I have NINE episodes to watch!!   I love Chuck.  I love the cast and the characters.  But I was starting to feel as though the show had run its course.  Other years, I wasn’t ready to let go of Chuck but this year I was.   But I am beyond thrilled that it’s going to be back again!!!  Congrats to the cast and crew!!

Also on the rumor front is that Harry’s Law and Parenthood will be renewed for the 2011-2012 season.   I’m not sure how many episodes for Harry’s Law (my guess would be 13) but Parenthood looks more likely for a full 22 episode order.   Yeah!!!  Neither show is really a surprise to be renewed but I will be happy when they are both official!!!

Finally on the CBS front, Shemar Moore resigned for next season on Criminal Minds.   Yahoo!!!!!   Now we just need Thomas Gibson resigned because I cannot have Criminal Minds without Hotch!!!  The dream team is almost back together (please let Paget’s comedy fail!)   I know that’s mean but I want my Emily back!!!!

 

RECAP & REVIEW: Harry’s Law “In the Ghetto” S1 E8

There hasn’t been a lot of love for Harry’s Law in the media.  On blogs, in columns, and on podcasts, I’ve heard people really rip this show.  In fairness, I did at first but for different reasons.  I never thought Harry’s Law was a horrible show not worthy of Kathy Bates.  I was bugged by DEK forcing his political agenda on us in lieu of telling a good story and character development.  But I am happy to report that it is severely toned done and now Harry’s Law is about Harry’s Law (as it should be) and not DEK’s agenda.  But other people talk about how terrible this show is from a creative standpoint.  I couldn’t disagree more.  Now what do I know, I’m just an annoying blogger, talking about TV for fun not a profession.  So I am by no means an expert.  I just know what I like and what I don’t like and I am starting to LOVE Harry’s Law.  You know what I like best about Harry’s Law?  It doesn’t forget about interesting storylines and characters it creates in previous episodes and continues to tell those stories to us.  I hate when shows introduce potential stories and then drop them.  Harry’s Law is revisiting a one big storyline this week…the gang wars.

During “Bangers in the House” we met the two gangs that Harry had to mediate to settle a dispute.  She also meets Jamal who was looking to leave one of those gangs but feared for his life.  As Harry and Malcolm help the gangs work through their issue, she also tells them that if any of them murders anyone who wants to leave any of their gangs, she will go after them with every fiber of her being.  As a result, Jamal is granted permission to leave but he is beaten within an inch of his life.  Harry is devastated by this and Jamal tries to explain to her that she saved his life and now he is out of the gang and able to start a productive life for himself.

We open “In the Ghetto” with Jamal out of the hospital and walking with Adam talking about a case Jamal is helping them with.  Next thing you know a car pulls up and opens fire on Jamal and shoots him about 4-5 times.  It’s a horrible scene.  I felt sick for Adam who could do nothing but watch and scream and beg for help.  All of a sudden, two kids who look like they should be on the Disney Channel, basically save Jamal’s life by removing the bullets, cleaning out and stitching up wounds, and injecting him with adrenaline to keep him breathing.  By the way, I will be referring to him from now on as the Disney kid.  The ambulance finally gets there and Jamal is headed right back to the hospital.  As the Disney kids run away, police chase them down and arrest them.

So you have Jamal in the hospital fighting for his life, the kids who helped to get him this far in jail, and the bastards who shot at him sharing a Shamrock Shake at McDonalds probably.  You see what’s wrong with this picture?   Turns out Jamal will need a liver transplant in order to survive because it was damaged so badly in the shooting.  No one is a match and the administration board at the hospital doesn’t want to put him on the donor list because of his previous life style.  Jamal will have to find another way to get a liver and it comes from the most unlikely of donors…his former gang members.  Little D and his crew enter Harry’s firm and announce that they all want to help him.  Harry is stunned by this but Little D tells her that they genuinely like Jamal and want to help.  They all go in to get tested and Little D comes out as the perfect match.  When Harry brings this to the admins, they don’t want to move forward because they question the legitimacy of the donation.  Harry, as I, can’t believe what we are hearing and she throws up her hands at this point.  But you know who comes to her rescue?   Jim Walsh!!!  I knew as soon as I saw Brenda and Brandon’s father in that room that he would help Jamal!!!    As Chief of Staff, he tells Harry to get the court order and he will make sure the procedure happens.  She goes to see Judge Coulis (the magnificent Amy Aquino), you know the judge that tried to have her disbarred?  Judge Coulis grants her the court order and the procedure will take place.  Both Jamal and Little D go into surgery and the procedure is a success!!!!!   Yeah!!!!   But it’s not all good news….not for Little D anyway.

While Jamal is fighting for his life, the Disney kids are being prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license, running an unlicensed clinic, and giving medical help to killers and other criminals.  It doesn’t look good for this good samaritan.  But there is a deal to be made.   Turns out they found bullets in his possession that match other bullets removed from a cop who was killed.  The Disney kid tried to help the police officer but could do nothing to save him.  If Disney turns over the cop killer to ADA Kim Mendelsohn (the divine Camryn Manheim), they drop all charges against him.  I love seeing Ellenor Frutt as a DA!!   It’s slightly strange yet awesome at the same time!!  Disney really wants no part of this but he realizes that if he doesn’t get out of jail, many people who need his help will be in trouble.  So he tells Kim who the killer is by pointing him out from a book of mug shots.   Guess who he pointed to?   That’s right.   Our very own good samaritan, Little D.   Oh boy.

Adam calls Harry with the news and tell her that the DA’s office and the police are going to head over to arrest Little D and she begs him to find a way to stall because if they show up, the admins will stop the procedure and Jamal will die.  Adam and Tommy Jefferson go to appeal to Kim.  At first she isn’t balking at all because the guy was a cop killer and why should he get a break.  Tommy reminds her that when they were once together (you read that right…Tommy Jefferson and Ellenor Frutt were once a hot item!!) he really loved her and that one of the things he loved most about her was her compassion.  She was tough when she needed to be and kind when she needed to be and he is asking for her kindness and compassion now.  Little D isn’t the one she is giving the break to, it’s the innocent kid, Jamal.  She agrees to delay his arrest until after the procedure so Jamal will have a chance.  I always love Ellenor!!!

At the end of the procedure, Harry goes to see Little D to give him the heads up to what is about to happen and just as she is talking to him, the police show up to arrest him.  She agrees to help him and both Adam and Tommy warn her that defending a cop killer could be career suicide.  Harry tells them that for the time being, she isn’t sure what she is going to do, but at this point, she certainly isn’t going to leave him out to dry after what he just did for Jamal.   I can’t wait to see where this goes!!!

Oh and by the way, Jenna and Malcolm kissed.

I want to touch on a few points.   When Harry went to see Judge Coulis, she appealed to her as one compassionate person to another instead of lawyer to judge.  This is now the second week in a row when the law isn’t on her side but she uses the “do what your gut is telling you is the right thing to do” defense.  Ugh.  I know it’s only TV but there has to be something more than “can you sleep at night with your ruling” defense.  It’s lame and it cheapens what is turning into a terrific show.

While I understand the need for compassion and doing things outside the lines of law to do what’s “right” it opens the door for a terrible precedent.  The prosecutor from last week’s case is 100% correct.  It’s not about penalizing these people per say (talking about the Tanzanian albinos from last week) but it’s about the precedent the ruling will set for other people who aren’t good, to take advantage of down the road.  You start opening up the question of what is truly “the right thing to do.”   It’s the human element vs. the legal defense of your argument.  Again, this is why I could NEVER be a lawyer.  I couldn’t separate the two.   Take last week.   Legally, the right thing to do was to send them back to Tanzania.  Morally, knowing what was going to happen to those people, how could you ever send them back?   Take this week.  Legally, the hospital has the right to deny an organ to someone they feel will abuse the privilege and give that organ to a more “deserving” candidate.  They also have the right to question the legitimacy of where the donated organs come from.  But morally, it shouldn’t be a question.  If the kid needs a liver and someone is a match and it can save his life, you give it to him and save his life!!!  It’s pretty simple to me.   That’s why it was interesting  to see the Chief of Staff differ from the opinion of the admins.  And neither were wrong.  The Chief of Staff only wants to save a patient’s life and it’s his job to make that happen.  But the admins’ job is to also protect the reputation of the hospital and make sure that policies and procedures are being followed so the best care can be given.  The admins usually come across as malicious, soulless people but they aren’t.   Well some of them are but not all.   They have a very difficult job to do and most of the time, it isn’t pretty the news they have to give.  But it’s supposed to suit a greater purpose than just the individual case they are discussing.  But for those families they have to deliver bad news to, they don’t want to hear about the greater good.  They just want their child, spouse, sibling, etc treated and saved.  It’s a fascinating argument.

So what did you think this week?  I think it’s another stellar episode and this show is getting better and better each week.  I love the intriguing cases they keep coming up with because it invokes great discussions in my household!

For those of you who may be wonder what song Tommy was singing in the waiting room and what song was playing at the end of the episode, click below.

In the Ghetto, by the King, Elvis Presley

 

QUICK REVIEW: Harry’s Law “Bangers in the House” S1 E6

I really didn’t think I would ever say this, but I am loving Harry’s Law.  I am so glad I decided to give this show a chance.  I was ready to give up after 2 shows but my rule is go at least 3 shows before making a decision. Good thing I did.  This show is good.  It is flowing so much better and the characters are really coming together.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…please please please make Tommy Jefferson a regular cast member because he is awesome!!

Both cases were interesting.  One was Tommy going against Rachel and the Pippy Squeaky Rude Bug, Adam in an ageism case.  A man is suing his old company for firing him because he was old.  Turns out his employer, Biff from Back to the Future, says he only fired him because he needed to downsize and other employees were in worse financial situations than the fired employee (his home was paid off, he had a pension, etc) therefore he chose to fire the employee who could better handle the lay off.   Both sides make very good points and the jury verdict was perfect.   Basically they rule in favor of the plaintiff but the damages awarded are only $75.  Therefore, the jury admits that what happened was wrong but they understand why the employer did what he did.

The other case was a mediation.  Where’s Kate Reid?  I guess she’s busy so Harry is called to mediate with Malcolm’s help.  Two rival gangs are getting into it over something pretty stupid.  I’m with Harry on this, I don’t get gang life and why people have to die over the silliest of things.  In this case, one gang member used to date this girl and now she is dating a guy in the rival gang, so the shunned gang member set his car on fire.  And apparently Cincinnati civil war will break out unless Harry can mediate a truce.  In addition, there is a young man, Lewis, who wants out of the gang and wants Harry’s help fearing for his life.

In the end, the gangs don’t want Harry mediating but want Malcolm instead. He takes the lead and determines that the burned car was worth $8,000 (not the $12,000 he was claiming) and that the kid who burned it should pay him $8,000.  He also tells the thug that burned the car that it wasn’t about the girl, whom he really didn’t care about, but it was more about his pride and to get over it.   The leaders of both gangs agree with Malcolm’s decision and leave peacefully.  But before they leave Harry has something she wants to say.  She tells them that in about 5-10 years, everyone in that room will either be dead or in jail….it’s inevidable.  But if there are members of these gangs who want to avoid that and get out, she will be more than happy to help them start a new life.  And if she hears of anyone dying as a result of wanting to leave a gang, she will come after them with every lawyer and law enforcement agent she can to hunt them down and prosecute them.  The message is sent.

While back at her office, Malcolm gets a call and I get really nervous.  Harry shows up in a hospital and goes to a bed where Lewis is laying.  He is severely beaten but he is alive.  Harry is devastated but Lewis is thrilled.  She doesn’t understand and continues to apologize to him.  He explains to her that she doesn’t get it.  She saved his life.  Because of what she said, he is able to leave and go to college like Malcolm, and he is still alive.  It is such a powerful scene.  I am heartbroken for this kid who was beaten within an inch of his life and I don’t understand the mentality of gangs.  If he wants to leave, just let him go.  I don’t understand why he has to die or be beaten to a pulp.  I understand that it happens I just don’t get why.  I never will.  But it shows once again, how Harry is making a terrific difference in these people’s lives.  She can’t completely change the culture but if she can work within the culture and find a way to make it better, that’s really all she can do.  And I applaud her for it.

 

REVIEW: Harry’s Law “Innocent Man” S1 E3

Tommy Jefferson MUST become a regular on this show!!   He is the best character on this show and I want to see him more.   That is one thing that DEK is so good at….creating these quirky, weird, but lovable characters that can make you laugh yet tug on your heart-strings.  He also does creepy very, very well.  Sometimes they are really good (Ally McBeal, Richard Fish, Alan Shore, Marilyn Peters, Joey Heric) and sometimes they cross over into annoying rather than charming (John Cage, Liza Bump, Denny Crane, Shirley Schmidt.)  For me, as long as they don’t cross over into the ridiculous, like Denny Crane, I’m all for it!

Chinese Law in the USA

I was really looking forward to this case getting to the Ohio Supreme Court because I wanted to see how it would rule.  My guess, since it never made it there, was that it would go against DEK’s supposed sympathetic business owner, and DEK can’t have that!  So it wraps up with Adam giving Tommy an offer to give her her job back but Tommy doesn’t bring it to his client and so Adam goes to tell her about the offer.  What Adam did was wrong on so many levels but ultimately, I think, he did the right thing because she needs to know that her attorney isn’t doing what is in her best interests.  When she goes to approach Tommy about it, you can see all he cares about is his day in the spotlight and not what she wants….which is her job back.  She fires him and takes the deal.

The one thing I wish would have happened is whoever threw that brick through the Lao’s business window should have been arrested!   I side with the protestors on this that he shouldn’t have fired that woman because she was having another child and he doesn’t have the right to enforce Chinese Law in the US.   But he certainly does not deserve to have his business vandalized either.  You can protest and disagree with how he runs his business but people have no right to get violent or destructive about it.  And even though I disagree with Mr. Lao and his “one child only rule” I don’t like that he backed off his opinion because he feared for his family.  He has the right to fight for what he believes in a court of law, whether we agree with it or not, and no one should be intimidated by violence not to do so.  So I would have liked to have seen more on that.

Billy Joel Sang It…I AAAAAAAAAm An Innocent Man!

Eugene Young is back on my screen!!!   But he’s in jail…oh no!   Don’t worry, he didn’t do it.   This case was awesome.  An innocent man, wrongfully accused of murder, has been in prison for 25 years (if Bobby Donnell had his case he wouldn’t be) and now is before the parole board, again, to hear if his parole will be granted.  According to them, he has been a model prisoner, he has set up education programs for the inmates, he has worked with the new inmates on how to survive life peacefully in the prison system.  Quite frankly, they don’t want to see him go, selfishly, because he has been such a positive role model and made such a positive impact.  The only reason his parole has been denied is because he hasn’t shown remorse for his crime.  He hasn’t shown remorse because he didn’t do it.  He has nothing to be remorseful for.  But they won’t let him go.  The warden even told him, just to say he was sorry so he could grant his parole. So after 25 years and 2 other parole hearings, he has decided to lie and express his remorse.  The head of the parole board isn’t buying it and sees right through it so she denies parole again.

Harry’s pissed so she asks for a hearing in front of the appellate court which has been granted.   This scene was the best scene of the series so far.  It was so powerful and perfectly executed by all the actors in the scene.  What made it so compelling too, is that I could see both side of the argument.  Harry’s argument was that he shouldn’t have to admit his guilt and show remorse if he is innocent.  The appellate court says that for the purposes of parole, he is guilty.  He was found guilty in a court of law and they can’t have parole hearings turn into re-trials for the innocent.  And according to them Ohio is one of the states doesn’t make the accused admit guilt.  But Harry’s points out that even though that is the law, the parole board still wants to see the remorse.  If he expresses remorse, thereby admitting guilt, he can never clear his name, legally.  It’s fascinating to watch.  But just when the judges have had enough (because Harry was being quite snarky) Eugene stands up incensed that the judge has mentioned how his patience has run out.  He then gives a terrific speech:

“Your patience has run out?   That’s what you said?  Is that what you just said?  You’re out of patience.”  “Mr. Rollins, I’d advise you not to speak.”   “Yeah I got that advice 25 years ago from my public defender.  But this may be the only and last time I get to say my say in a courtroom.  You talk about respecting the system.  The system put me in here based on a lie.  Now you’re telling me I gotta lie to get out.  Is that the system you so respect?    Well I didn’t do it.  I. Did. Not. Do it!!!  Now I got to live with everybody thinking I did it.  Even my own son.  And now the guy who put me here, his conscience finally got the better of him and you don’t care.  You just worried about your damn system.  Well tell me when does conscience ever get the better of you?”

Wow.  What a scene.  It’s why I love law shows so much.  It brings up these debates that are so tricky.  It’s true, our justice system isn’t perfect.  But it is the best that’s out there in the world.  And you hope and you pray that the innocent go free and the guilty are condemned.  But that isn’t always the case.  And how do you right the wrong yet still do what’s in the letter of the law? It’s brutal.  The appellate court does compromise and sign an affidavit saying that Eugene doesn’t have to admit guilt or show remorse in order to be granted parole.  They ask if he has anything he wants to say.  He tells them that he is innocent of the crime but that he is sorry for something…his anger against the justice system and the people involved.  He tells them that he is sorry for all his rage towards them.  They didn’t put him in there and they are only doing their jobs by the letter of the law.  He tells him that he was a good man in prison and that he will be a good man on the outside.  Well, I would have walked over with the keys to his handcuffs right then and there, uncuffed him and driven him myself to anywhere he wanted to go.  They don’t go quite that far but they do grant his parole….yeah!!!!  Harry ends up driving him to his old neighborhood and he thanks her for all she did for him.  Then she sits in her car and watches a free man take his first walk down the street in 25 years!

If there was one area that I could nit pick on, it was the scene with Harry and the prosecutor.  She is trying to convince him to back her on her claim of innocence and he can’t do that without something concrete.  He brings up very valid points that everything she is telling him, while it could be true, is hearsay and he needs proof.  He tells her to bring him some evidence and he will look into it but without evidence there is nothing he can do.  She then yells him “could you at least pretend like you give a crap.”  This is where she annoys me.  By saying, bring me evidence and I will reopen the case, IS him showing he gives a crap.  The prosecutor isn’t going to blindly believe her and the priest without evidence.  As a lawyer she should know that!!!!  We can’t have lawyers going around saying, “he’s a nice guy, he didn’t do it, trust me” and other lawyers saying “sure ok, I’ll trust you, release him!!”  You want to talk about a bad justice system then!  It’s a TV show, I get it, but seriously Harry?  And she kept giving Eugene grief about his glares the whole show.  Has she ever looked at her face?  She walks around the whole show with a scowl on her face that could melt an ice truck.  Would it kill her to smile just once?

I am going to save my comments on the woman who wants to sue a fast food restaurant for opening up and making her fat for next week.  That case is really going to fire me up because she is RIDICULOUS!!!!  But more on that next week.

 

REVIEW: Harry’s Law “Heat of Passion” S1 E2

Heat of Passion was a liiiiittle bit better than last week with the over-the-top political agenda.  It was still there but was incorporated in a more believable fashion…but still annoying.   But what’s even more annoying, winning cases you have no business of winning.  Let’s look at each case.

Gun Toting Granny

Are you kidding me with this one?   An 87-year-old woman holds up a liquor store at gun point in order to steal money for groceries and she gets a not guilty verdict.  What?   Don’t get me wrong, I am not a heartless shrew.  Do I think there are some terrible situations out there when it comes to poverty in this country….you bet.   Can I understand that people will sometimes do things they wouldn’t normally do because they are desperate and starving…absolutely.   Do I think something needs to drastically change….of course.   But having said all that, this is a woman who brandished a loaded weapon and threatened to kill a liquor store clerk in order to rob him.  And according to Harry, Ohio gun laws are some of the strictest in the country.  I guess they aren’t that strict because a woman can rob a store at gun point and walk away.   This is the type of thing that fuels my fire.  Kelley believes that because the poor are in a terrible situation, that he believes the government put them, they should be able to do whatever they want because being poor isn’t their fault.   In some cases, he’s right.  But in other cases, he isn’t.  And no matter how bad the situation, it doesn’t give people the right to threaten innocent people and rob them at gun point.  Here’s another question I wish was raised…if she was so poor, how could she afford to get a gun and legally register it?   It also kept being brought up that she is 87.  So her going to jail is a life sentence, even for 3 years.   Well she should have thought about that before sticking a gun in someone’s face and threatening to blow it off!

I thought the prosecutor had a terrific closing argument.  He agreed with the compassion people want to feel towards an 87-year-old woman who has had to sink so low that she had to rob someone to get money to get food on her table.  But that doesn’t excuse what she did.   And let’s not forget the innocent liquor store owner who feared for his life because there was a gun in his face.  Harry’s closing argument wasn’t very good because she knew she didn’t have a case.   But this is where the political agenda creeps in and I’m ok with that to a point.  I’d rather have it interjected here, where it makes sense, then in the middle of cross-examination like last week.  Ultimately it didn’t matter because Harry won.  Even she thought the verdict was preposterous.  We all did Harry.     Ugh.

Chinese Law in the USA

The other case, while also outrageous, was much more interesting.  An American woman was working at an American business run by Chinese immigrants.  She was fired because she was pregnant.  He fired her because she already has one child and she is having another one.   Again, WHAT???   I think this is absolutely 100% WRONG on sooooo many levels.   However, it raises an interesting discussion point that my husband and I debated last night.   Is it acceptable for a private business to invoke any rules and regulations they want for their own business regardless of how ridiculous you may think it is?  Let’s think about that for a minute.  It sounds crazy but where do you draw the line?  In the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office (I have a friend who worked there) women and men must wear suits everyday but women are not allowed to wear pants suits, it must be skirt suits.  A little archaic don’t you think?  But that’s the rule if you want to work there.  Some business say you must have college degree to work for them otherwise, you can’t.  Is that ok?  Some businesses don’t want their employees to have visual tattoos or piercings unless in your ear only for the piercings.  Is that ok?  I think it’s a fascinating discussion point.  There are 2 areas where I have a problem with this case…1. The owner is trying to force something on his employee that is law in HIS country, not hers and not the one he has his business in.  2. Was she made aware of that rule BEFORE she was hired?   If Mr Lao didn’t make his employee aware of his rule before she was hired, I don’t think he can enforce.  Plus, in America, it’s illegal to fire a woman because she is pregnant.   Just like it’s illegal to fire someone with an addiction problem.  You need to offer them treatment not termination.  But, if Mr Lao told this woman he doesn’t want anyone working here who will have more than one child, and she took the job anyway and got pregnant a second time, that’s on her (seriously as soon as that rule was said to me, I wouldn’t work for him out of principle.)  In that instance, she knew the rules of her boss and broke them anyway.  It’s a VERY fine line but what is that line?   This is a case I can get behind.

Adam was a little more toned down this week and tolerable.  So I warmed up to him a bit more.   And Christopher MacDonald was fantastic!!!  I hope we see Tommy Jefferson a lot on this show because he was a fun breath of fresh air.

I am going to keep watching, especially since I want to see what happens with the pregnancy case.   But since the soap box material was toned a little bit and interjected in a more appropriate fashion, I am going to hang with Harry a little longer.  The funny thing is, since my husband only watched this episode and not the pilot he thought this was very in-your-face political slant.  I told him it was toned down from last week.   He shouts “this is toned down!   You’re lucky I didn’t see last week then because I wouldn’t watch it again.”   Well sweetie, you aren’t the only who feels that way.

 

REVIEW: Harry’s Law “Pilot” S1 E1

I’m really not sure where to begin.   There are things I liked, things I was confused by, and things I flat-out hated.  I can’t say I liked the show and I can’t say I didn’t like the show.  I guess I will say the jury is still out (pardon the pun.)  I think I need to see a few more episodes to make a proper assessment.

Harry’s Law is about a patent lawyer, Harriet Korn (played by the wonderful Kathy Bates) who decides to tell her boss that she is totally bored with patent law and is frustrated with her job.  Apparently for the last month, her work hasn’t been up to snuff.  So he promptly fires her while she is watching Yosemite Sam on TV and smoking pot.  This was one of the aspects I was confused by.  You have the best patent lawyer in Ohio who was at your firm for 30+ years.  She has one bad month and is a little disgruntled so instead of talking with her about her attitude and seeing if you can come to a compromise, you just fire her?  Does that make any sense?  At least when Ally McBeal left her big firm for Richard’s, it was for a good reason (sexual harassment from her boss.)   After leaving her firm, in a matter of a few hours, a suicide jumper drops on top of her sending her to the hospital with no injuries and a patent lawyer foe hits her with his car sending to the same hospital with again, no injuries.  In the same neighborhood, where she was almost killed twice in one day, she finds an abandoned shoe store that she decides to convert into her new law firm with her assistant, Jenna (played by Brittany Snow.)  The suicide jumper, Malcolm (played by Aml Ameen) comes to see her and asks her to defend him against a 3rd time drug charge.  He’s going to school and knows he has a problem and needs help but he didn’t want to go to jail and that’s why he jumped.  Meanwhile, the patent foe, Adam (played by Nathan Corddry) has decided to leave his cushy job at a firm to join forces with Harry.  This was another confusing part for me.  Why would you leave a job where you are most likely making $175,000-$300,000 a year to join a firm where the partner can’t afford to pay you, just so you can learn from her?  Ok.  Then comes Damien (played by Johnny Ray Gill) who is the local thug who does “security” for the local businesses for a price.  Basically, he threatens them by saying if they don’t pay him to keep them safe, bad things will happen to them.  Nice guy.  Harry turns the tables on him though by saying he will keep them safe and she will give him free legal representation when he will need it.  And it doesn’t take long when he is arrested for shooting someone.   This is our main cast for the show.

There are 2 cases going on, Malcolm’s and Damien’s.  I guess I am supposed to feel sympathy for both of these kids but I can’t.  I just met these characters tonight.  If I have any empathy it’s for Malcolm who I assume is a good kid because he is going to be a regular on the show and work as a paralegal in her firm.  And he seemed genuinely concerned about finishing school and getting help for his drug addiction.  Damien I have no sympathy for.  He’s a thug who goes around threatening people to get what he wants and not 5 minutes later in the show, he’s involved in a shooting at one of the local businesses.  I have to say, I love the way Harry put him in his place and showed that a punk like him isn’t going to scare her.  But she also showed her compassion by saying that if he doesn’t protect the firm, she will defend him for free.  When we get into the individual cases is when I get to the part of the show I hated.  In Malcolm’s case, the prosecutor is in the middle of cross-examining Malcolm and when he asks a question Harry doesn’t like, she announces her opposing opinion in the middle of the cross.  And instead of objecting, the prosecutor gets into it with her and they start to debate the issue of legalizing drugs (oh and bashing Republicans)…IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROSS EXAMINATION AND THE JUDGE DOES NOTHING!  Seriously?   So I guess this was David E Kelley soap box time instead of Harry’s Law time.  And after the spirited debate, the judge asks Malcolm to step down.  Guess he’s not getting questioned after all.  In regards to Damien’s case, we learn that yes he has an illegal weapon (because it isn’t registered) and runs a shady “security” business but he does it to protect the people in a neighborhood that the cops ignore.  So he’s a nice criminal.  When Adam goes to his arraignment, he only needs to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty….that’s it.  Instead, it’s liberal soap box time again and we get a 5 minute rant on how no one cares about poor people.  Finally the judge has had enough and asks for the plea, which he enters not guilty.   Damien is pumped because no one has ever fought for him like that before and Adam is able to get a plea deal.

I hate talking politics.  Especially when it comes to a fun TV blog.  But when a show runner forces my hand, I have to comment on it.  As I have mentioned on this blog before, I HATE when writers and show runners use their show to vocalize their side of the political spectrum instead of focusing on what I as a TV viewer want and that is entertainment, not propaganda.    If David E Kelley wants to vocalize his belief system, fine.  Then do a show about lobbyists or congressmen and women or campaign managers trying to get candidates elected.  Then those kinds of monologues that Harry and Adam had would make perfect sense.  I don’t purport myself to be a Republican or Democrat because I have beliefs on both sides of the aisle…just depends on the topic.  So I don’t care what the view-point is.  What I do care about is having one of my TV characters going all Keith Olbermann or Glenn Beck on me in the middle of my show.   And if this is what Harry’s Law is going to be about, a platform for Kelley to spew his political agenda on my TV screen, especially in a way that disrupts the flow of the show, I won’t be watching anymore.  I guess what bothers me, is that he could have interjected those views about drugs and the poor in a very simple and believable way in the courtroom…during closing arguments.  Not in the middle of a cross-examination and not at an arraignment.  The way it came across was like “stop the show!!!  David has a view-point he needs to get across here.”  And once the stance was made, it was back to the show.  Don’t you dare preach to me.  I think this show has some potential but not if it’s going to be about using this show as a way to vocalize, quite blatantly, what he thinks the American public should be absorbing. For the love of God, the West Wing wasn’t even that preachy.  That’s why I want to reserve judgement on the show until I watch a few more episodes.  If it gets toned down or is inserted in a more subtle way or in a context that doesn’t take away from the characters, plot, or flow of the show, I’m ok.  But if this continues, I won’t watch it ever again.

Having said all that, I do like Kathy Bates.  I know there are some people who have an issue with her character but I don’t.  She seems to be a complex person I want to learn more about.  I find her to be tough, intelligent, honest, fearless, and no-nonsense.  But I also see a softer side and a woman with a great heart and passion for her belief system.  Also liked Jenna and Malcolm.  Adam, I’m not sure about.  He’s a little over the top for me and if he becomes a Kelley cartoon character, like some of his other characters in his shows have become, I won’t like him.  But it’s still early.  I’m not sure how I feel about the shoe store element.  I reminds me a little of the show “Ed.”  Ed had a law firm in a bowling alley and was referred to as a bowling alley lawyer.  “I own a bowling alley and I’m a lawyer.   Two separate things” is how Ed used to always correct people.  I think as a source of early revenue to help get her firm started, it’s not a bad idea.  But if the show continues and Harry gets more established, I would be surprised to see the shoe element go away.

What did you think of Harry’s Law?  Will you be tuning in again or checking it out if you haven’t yet?   Let me know!

 

CASTING NEWS: Harry’s Law

Great news which I just read on one of my favorite TV scooper’s web site (Mr. Aushole himself, Michael Ausiello) tvline.com, 2 The Practice stars are set to guest star on David E Kelley’s new drama Harry’s Law starring Kathy Bates.   Who are those DEK alums you ask?  None other than Eugene Young and Eleanor Frutt, Steve Harris and Camryn Manheim.  Awesome!!!!!

It’s no secret, I have been looking for a new law show to take over that has come close to the level of The Practice.  Sadly, I haven’t found one yet.  But I will take some The Practice alum in the meantime and with DEK behind this show, I’m sure Harry’s Law will be a great addition to the NBC lineup.  And they could sure use the help!

Check out the link to the total story below.

http://www.tvline.com/2011/01/which-practice-alums-will-drop-by-harrys-law/