Posted by JennieO...Jeers to TNT for its over-the-top overpromotion of Steven Bochco's tepid "new" series Raising the Bar. And many more jeers to Mr. Bochco himself for hiring third-graders to rewrite discarded Hill Street Blues episodes to bring them into the late '80s. That he is misusing such a talented cast so badly, and obviously not allowing any barbers on the set, is terribly sad. I hope this show goes swiftly into that dark night.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
read more
The man who gave TV such memorable dramas as Hill Street Blues and LA Law has a new story to tell It involves a group of stalwart public defenders led by Mark-Paul Gosselaar Saved By the Bell and Gloria Rueben ER and the other legal types including Malcolm mom Jane Kaczmarek as a judge to be reckoned with who inhabit their world Does TNTs Raising the Bar premiering tonight at 10 pmET fill a need that TV viewers may not realize they have TVGuidecom invited Steven Bochco to preview his new drama Matt MitovichTVGuidecom Whenever the idea for a new legal drama pops into your head and I have to imagine that happens every now and again do you ever think Does TV really need another one Is there anything new we can do here stillSteven Bochco Absolutely First of all I dont think that there are a lot of legal dramas on television A lot of what passes these days for legal drama and historically what has passed for le
read more
Question: Do you have any info on Steven Bochco's new show for TNT? I'm a big fan of his, and after his last few tries, he's due for another hit. All I know so far is that Gloria Reuben is in the cast (yay!), and it seems to be about a group of lawyers. Should I get my hopes up?
Answer: Look for Raising the Bar to show up on TNT on Labor Day. I've seen a few episodes and was personally underwhelmed by what seemed to be pretty ordinary storylines involving public defenders and prosecutors and a mercurial judge (Jane Kaczmarek) who continually locks horns with the rumpled young hero, played by Bochco repertory vet Mark-Paul Gosselaar. I'll give it another look closer to the premiere date, and at the very least, I think that even if it isn't another blockbuster like The Closer, it's the kind of show that might feel right at home nestled among old repeats of Law & Order. But is it the next NYPD Blue? Not by a long shot ...
read more
TNT has given a 10-episode order to Raising the Bar, a new legal drama from Steven Bochco and starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a public defender. Gloria Reuben (ER) plays Zack's boss, Jane Kaczmarek (the Malcolm parent currently not cooking up crystal meth) is an erratic judge (what I like to call "The Holland Taylor Role"), and all the while Mr. Belding wags his finger at that reckless young lawyer.
read more
This Saturday, FX is running the entire first season (up to now) of its legal thriller Damages as an all-day marathon, which means theoretically there will be viewers who will get to experience this show the way it might work best: as a rock ’em, sock ’em miniseries, compounding all of the story’s elaborate and sometimes preposterous shocks and twists into a roller-coaster ride that doesn’t require waiting a week between chapters.The ratings have been, even by cable standards, a disappointment, and as I write this, FX had yet to confirm a second-season renewal (although as I’ve said before, any network that would keep Dirt and The Riches going and fail to renew this gritty gem has some explaining to do). I’ve wondered if the show’s elaborately serialized structure, with an entire season built around a single case and its murderous fallout, may have kept viewers away (shades of ABC’s short-lived Murder One).The brutality and darkness of Damages...
read more
