Television - Justice Appreciation #1: Scheduled to premiere at 9c/10e on Wednesday, August 30,2006

***Andie*** · 06-28-2006, 09:34 PM

Description:
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 (Garber) 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 (Smith), the heart of the firm. Tom is a brilliant litigator whose Everyman, earnest manner makes him Ron's alter ego. Luther Gaines (Walker), 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 (Mader) is a young, ambitious and brilliant clinician who approaches each case analytically, uncovering ways to destroy expert witnesses on cross-examination.

Starring:
Kerr Smith asTom Nicholson
Eamonn Walker as Luther Gaines
Rebecca Mader as Alden Tuller
Victor Garber as Ron Turk

Who is intrested in watching that show?

I'll give it a try because of Victor Garber. He is an amazing actor

***Nad*** · 07-01-2006, 06:59 AM

*pops in* Me

I'll def give it a try, I hope Victor Garber has a new hit show on his hands

Kerr Smith is in it as well, I miss seeing him on TV after E-Ring got cancelled

.

cls21c · 08-30-2006, 10:53 AM

Justice premieres TONIGHT on Fox at 9/8pm central time. I've seen several commercials for the show and I think it looks like something worth watching.

UnsilentMajorty · 08-30-2006, 07:06 PM

The premiere was pretty good in my opinion.

This isn't your typical "Law & Order" court-room/forensics/procedural kind of show. Granted, I am sure a lot of what they portray is exaggerated for dramatic effect, but at least it shows a different side similar dramas don't which makes it fresh for now.

Victor Garber is pretty good as Ron Trott, and what surprised me is this may very well be a Kerr Smith-centered show... Which is a surprise considering most shows about lawyers center on the more experienced ones unless it is supposed to focus on the newer ones like "Conviction" tried to.

Judging by the Pilot, I think there is a solid foundation for the characters -- since we know absolutel zero about them except their dedication to their jobs at this point -- And the many scenarios they will encouter each week. It may become formulaic, but as I said, it is new so far so it will take some time for it to become standard.

To be perfectly honest I wasn't really expecting anything from this show and other than just knowing Kerr Smith was in it from various previews didn't really know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised and I will be tuning in each week.

Liliya · 08-30-2006, 07:27 PM

I saw a commercial for this just recently and decided to tune because it looked interesting. And of course for Victor Garber and Kerr Smith.

I have to say that I enjoyed the pilot and I like the entire cast. I think this show can defintely go places. It was also interesting to see how the defense handles cases. I look foward to future episodes.

**Considering Disobedience** · 08-31-2006, 12:41 AM

I really enjoyed the pilot.

I'll watch again.

...plus it doesn't hurt at all that Kerr and Victor both act in it.

cls21c · 08-31-2006, 07:25 AM

I liked it. I especially like how they show what really happened at the end. I guess some of the people who they defend are going to be found innocent and then we'll see that they really did it.

I can't wait for one of those episodes.

Jacob1983 · 08-31-2006, 12:45 PM

I also liked the pilot episode too. I kinda think the first episode was a lot like real life and how the media automatically convicts people before the trial ever starts. The show had some suprises. The prosecution had a good case but they messed up about the umbrella not getting any blood on it. I really thought the defendant was guilty. I thought at the end it was going to show him murder his wife but it didn't. The lawyers on this show really invest a lot of time and effort into their cases. Kerr Smith and Victor Garber did a good job. Smith seems to be more the compassionate and easy going lawyer while Garber is a veteran lawyer who doesn't sugar coat things.

*Shannon* · 08-31-2006, 01:56 PM

I really liked the pilot. Victor and Kerr were great, and if this show keeps going I'd hope to see some more backstory, they have interesting characters - I've seen them in other work so it made me appreciate them more. The show was really fast-paced and addicting, I liked how they divided the sections of trial up, it had this "insider" feel. And all the tidbits about the jury selection, rehearsing the speech for the press, etc, was very cool. I'm definitely into it.

Jacob1983 · 09-01-2006, 06:42 AM

The pilot episode got almost 9 million viewers and people are saying that those are not good numbers for Justice. I swear the ratings system is a joke. One thing that I forgot to mention is that I think each character plays an important in the firm. The woman lawyer is a hottie. I remembered seeing the black lawyer in ER and Lord of War. His name is Eamon Walker. He was funny in Lord of War.

**sunnykerr** · 09-01-2006, 08:58 AM

There are some definite issues with the show.

For instance, Victor Garber just ended a five-year run as a very beloved character. Now I can understand why, as an actor, he wanted to shift gears, but you gotta wonder if an audience is ready to accept him as this kind of borderline slimeball type of guy. I mean, I know this is that character's way of being a good guy, but if the show is making a point that people, juries, clients don't like Ron... You gotta ask yourself if the audience will ever like this guy. And that plays a big part in whether they're willing to invest an hour of their time in watching him. Not to mention that, when you have a powerhouse like Victor Garber in the role, you need to give the guy some kind of dimension. Right now, the role isn't worthy of the actor playing it.

The Luthor and Aiden (?) characters, though promising, aren't nearly well-defined enough as is. There's four of them, and yeah we've only had one episode so far, but these two should have more specifics to them. Right now, they feel very much like generic lawyers ought to get the job done and, while at it, making sure that the team has on black man on it and a woman, so as to make sure that their basic bases are covered. We need to learn more about these two. They need to distinguish themselves from the two leads and they need to do it fast.

I've got no complaints about the Tom character. He was given personality and layers and Kerr Smith did a great job playing each and every note. Hopefully, that stays consistent.

The strong point of the show, as far as I'm concerned, comes from the storytelling. It's incredibly addictive. I can't put into words how much I wanted the end to turn out the way it did. Not only the courtroom part, but the real events as well. I think the story was strong, they just need to focus a bit on character development and they should be able to do that now that they've established their formula. I loved how they addressed the legal parts. They did a great job in making it all very interesting.

As for the ratings, the system is clearly a joke. Look at Family Guy. Classic example. It was cancelled twice because the ratings "weren't there" and then, when it was released on DVD, it sold so much and so well that the PTBs kept bringing it back.

However, joke or not, the ratings systems is basically what networks go by. I think this show has the potential to see its ratings grow. People are going to want to see the new Victor Garber project. The people behind this show have just got to learn to do a better job defining its characters.

*Shannon* · 09-01-2006, 10:37 AM

sunnykerr, great review and I agree with a lot of what you say. However, I found myself liking Victor's character. I realize that he's a "slimeball" kind of lawyer, but I think if the show continues, he will be fleshed out without losing his edge. I also found it cool to see him in such a different character, so perhaps fans of Victor may be pleased to see him in a new role.

Loved Kerr, he was very on.

Here's a blurb from Hollywood Reporter:

"Mistrial for 'Justice' in Fox debut

NEW YORK -- "Justice" was slow in coming for Fox in its premiere Wednesday. The new legal drama had an underwhelming start in the 9 p.m. slot against mostly repeat competition. The sophomore-season debut of "Bones" also was a lackluster performer for Fox in the 8 p.m. hour. "Bones" opened the night with an average of 8.6 million viewers and a 2.7 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research data. "Justice," an ensemble drama led by Victor Garber, upticked slightly to 8.9 million viewers and a 2.9/8 in the demo at 9 p.m." (Paul J. Gough)

AmericanDirrty · 09-01-2006, 05:12 PM

I actually enjoyed the first episode.

***Enigma*** · 09-02-2006, 02:41 PM

I didn't really like the pilot all that much though I like Garber and Kerr. I won't watch this show live during the season, but if it sticks around I'd watch it on DVD probably.

Lonely Smile · 09-03-2006, 08:02 PM

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the pilot episode. I'm not one for this lawyer-type shows, but I found myself drawn into the storyline. The only reason I tuned in was for Victor Garber and I'm happy to see that I'm glad I did.