"Gaines" was originally "Anderson"

I'm gravely concerned about this new legal drama, Justice, coming this fall courtesy of FOX. Normally I'm a fan of all things legal on television - excepting, of course, all iterations of daytime judgery (save one). But then I caught a preview for FOX's Justice, describing the exploits of one criminal defence firm and the high-tech solutions they employ to exonerate clients and alternatively create FX demo reels. It's all very glitzy and, with CSI-creator Jerry Bruckheimer's name attached, there are sure to be explosions (some of which are on the figurative level - the show's law firm is called Turk, Nicholson, Tuller & Gaines, or TNT&G... How drole.)



I just don't understand this need in television to make the law... exciting. The law is relatively boring and that's just the way we like it, thank you very much. Lawyering is very much about reading fine print and visiting libraries; it's about presenting a solid case and serving a client. Fancy exhibits are just window dressing.

I was published a while back on precisely this subject - needlessly sensationalizing the law - and while CSI wasn't the focus of the piece, it sure deserves more grief. One reason I dislike that show is because it assumes its audience cannot concentrate on a spoken investigation for too long, and subsitutes computer-generated imagery to keep you from remembering that the much superior 24 is likely on elsewhere. Now it seems that Justice has transposed that same audience into a jury box, where twelve people won't be able to render a verdict unless it's been through the MTV editing booth.

Anyway, I'll stop there - because this show will likely become a hit. But for future reference, if you're trying to spice things up, at least put your attorneys in a cape.