National Jurist - October 2008 - (Page 7) ENTERTAINMENT New legal drama raises the bar “Raising the Bar,” a new series by Emmy-winning Executive Producer Steven Bochco and lawyer/writer David Feige, not only looks at courtroom battles, but also the relationships among people on different sides. “The primary characters are a group of young public defenders and prosecutors who go up against each other during the day, but they’re friends and hang out with each other at night,” Bochco said. “They argue and negotiate with each other. They are dedicated players within what we feel is a broken criminal justice system.” The new legal drama which airs on TNT reached 7.7 million viewers the night it premiered — setting a new record as the highest-rated series premiere of all time on ad-supported cable. Bochco, who has NYPD Blue and other hits to his credit, said the show is not geared specifically toward the public defenders or the prosecutors. “We try to give equal time to both points of view, with an eye toward revealing the extent to which the system doesn’t work very well,” he said. “It certainly doesn’t have all that much to do with justice. It has more to do with keeping the conveyor belt turning, the idea that if every case in the system goes to trial, the system grinds to a halt.” The series stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and follows the lives of young lawyers who work on opposite sides — the public defender’s office and the district attorney’s office — as well as those who sit in judgment on their cases. —Michelle Weyenberg More legal drama on the tube “The Closer” starring Kyra Sedgwick still reigns as one of the hottest legal dramas on television since it premiered in 2005. Now in its fourth season, and airing on TNT, the show promises even more drama by taking viewers deeper into Brenda’s (Sedgwick) life, according to a release. Brenda (Sedgwick) is a former Atlanta detective who moved to Los Angeles to head a special police department unit that solves sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Brenda is a top-notch investigator and interrogator who pinpoints a suspect, traps them in their own lies and draws a confession. “We are going to examine the issue of power, especially how much power we really have over our own lives,” said show creator James Duff. “We live with the illusion that we are in control of our lives. The season will start with Brenda tracking an arsonist, all while having a reporter follow her every move.” All new episodes of “The Closer” begin in January 2009. And we can’t talk about legal drama shows without giving attention to “Law & Order,” the longest-running crime series and second-longest-running drama series in the history of television, entering its 18th season. It is the 1997 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Sedgwick Series and the record holder for the most consecutive (11) nominations in that category for a primetime series (tied with “Cheers” and “M*A*S*H”). —Michelle Weyenberg October 2008 THE NATIONAL JURIST 7
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