TNT
Welcome to my comfy couch where I talk about TV shows which aren’t quite in the mainstream. Addict that I am, I give a lot of shows a try. Some I really enjoy, some I put in my “feh” file, and with others I’m lukewarm. The cable stations have really been producing a lot of good new shows in the past few years. I want to like a new show from Stephen Bochco. After all, Hill Street Blues was one of my favorites years back. He was also responsible for Doogie Howser, MD and yeah … I liked the Doog, don’t laugh at me. Critics raved about L.A. Law and NYPD Blue was an acclaimed hit. But then he also did Cop Rock, an intriguing idea but huge flop in execution. So where do I stand with his latest effort, Raising the Bar on TNT? Read on!Alas, this one isn’t going to be any Hill Street Blues for me. It isn’t quite in my “feh” file either. I’m lukewarm on it. What does that mean? Well, I’ll watch it if I come across it and haven’t any “must watch” shows on the slate. The actual time slot for Raising the Bar is up against Heroes, so the latter wins that hour for me. But, one of the great things about the cable stations is that they often re-air current episodes throughout the week. So, if I’m up and it’s on at 1:00 AM, I’ll watch.
This is another lawyer show, not quite up to the standards set by L.A. Law. The series is mainly a vehicle for an all grown up Mark-Paul Gosselaar to show off his really bad hair. Okay, I’m being a bit cruel with that. But something needs to be done with the ‘do, for sure!
Set in the Bronx, it’s the tales of both the prosecution and public defense attorneys with a particular leaning towards the defense. Gosselaar, in the role of Jerry Kellerman, is a defense attorney who tends to empathize with his clients. With many of the cases, that’s an issue for me. I just can’t get behind feeling sorry for a pedophile or horrendous folks of that ilk. Kellerman seems to occasionally reflect on why he does it but then pulls the idealistic dreamer card that he has to do his job and defend them. Um, okay. Whatever. Miraculously, many of his clients aren’t totally guilty of the crimes with which they’re charged.
I’m finding this all a bit unrealistic on both the same judge so often in the Bronx (there are many judges trying cases there) and the shoddy police work which has so many innocent people arrested for crimes served up on the show. I’m sure some are innocent, but every case Kellerman lands? Give me a break!
He also always seems to run up against the same judge in each case — one who really doesn’t care too much for Mr. Idealistic Defense Boy with Bad Hair. That judge, Trudy Kessler, is played believably by Jane Kaczmarek. There are other story lines throughout the episodes, but all seems to come back to Kellerman at the end.
So far I’m not getting into these characters so much, nor the stories, or the whole thing at all. Yeah, I’ll keep giving it a watch now and again because I have hope. Raising the Bar has been renewed for another season, so someone else has some hope, too. Have you watched? Or am I the only one? I’m innocent, I tell ya. Get me Kellerman!
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Oct 03, 2008 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
I agree with you that it’s not that special and quite predictable. It reminds me of Boston Legal, where everything tends to revolve around Denny & Alan. I got tired of BL so I guess same will happen with RTB. I just think it’s funny we get to see on the show 2 alumns of different Saved by the bell generations.
The judge being on court always against “the hair” gets a bit boring, it’d be better if they had someone else to play the counterpart but I guess that way viewers wouldn’t empathize that easily.
My jury is still out on this one, Jackie. I want to like it (the same way I want to like the Mentalist) but so far I’m iffy on both shows. RTB seems to have thrown out a lot of plot lines and I can’t help but wonder if they will go with them or drop them as time goes on. The one that is bugging me is the judge and her assistant and his closet gayness and his random pickup who now appears to be a stalker and might have something sinister in mind … That’s a lot for just 2 or 3 shows!
Yeah the fact that Kellerman has the same judge for every case is already old. I mean Judge Kessler could be in in every week just rotate the lawyers she presides over.
I’ll keep watching it -I like it, don’t love it — maybe it will get better, I like the cast.
On the hair front — I hear that it will get better. I thought that I read that Bochco made a comment about how people responded to MPG hair and said that it will be fixed.