TVision: New legal show may 'Raise the Bar'

'Raising the Bar' may become this century's 'The Defenders' if potential displayed in the trailers is fulfilled.

Network television’s first (and greatest) legal drama debuted back in the early ‘60s, and was an extension of a classic two-part drama that aired on the vintage anthology series Studio One in 1957. Reginald Rose’s The Defenders co-starred E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed as a father-and-son legal team, the Prestons. The original program The Defender co-starred Ralph Bellamy and William Shatner in the same roles, and was referenced last year on an episode of Boston Legal.

The Prestons specialized in impossible cases, and their clients were usually people society deemed dispensable (at best) or utterly worthless. The show aired on CBS from 1961-1965, and tackled such topics as abortion, civil rights, capital punishment, black listing, political corruption, union busting and assisted suicide.

The Defenders was far ahead of its time. The father/son duo frequently lost cases, even those where they actually presented the superior legal argument. Secondly, there was never any attempt to portray life as rosy or upbeat. The Prestons weren’t opposed to defending murderers or rapists, though they seldom embraced truly despicable types. Still, they didn’t hesitate to take extremely unpopular cases, and they operated under no illusions that early ‘60s America was ready for such notions as open housing or gay relationships.

Sadly, The Defenders can’t be found anywhere today, not even in the glut of online networks specializing in nostalgia and programs from earlier eras. There’s been nothing like it since, though ABC’s Equal Justice and The Practice at their best approached its thematic quality and dramatic impact. When Boston Legal concentrates on issues it also sometimes rivals The Defenders, but Rose’s show didn’t rely on absurd character gimmicks and ludicrous situations for comic relief to balance the serious atmosphere.

Incidentally, Perry Mason preceded The Defenders and was one of television’s finest dramas, but it was a detective show that utilized a courtroom setting. L.A. Law was far more about the personality of the attorneys than the law, though they did frequently explore compelling questions while navigating from one affair to the next. Other short-lived series like Judd for the Defense also tried to mine the same territory, but ultimately failed.

But if the potential displayed in the trailers is fulfilled, the new TNT show Raising the Bar, which debuts Sept. 1 at 9 p.m., may become this century’s equivalent of The Defenders.

It’s the latest Steven Bocho production, and in the series’ promotional material Bocho maintains he’s interested in trying to present a balanced view of lawyers and the criminal justice system. This being the era of celebrity and glitz, there’s no way he could do a show as static or preachy as The Defenders, but within contemporary television boundaries that seemingly require edgy interaction and sexual energy to capture an audience Bocho plans to probe critical problems and examine controversial topics.

Cast members include Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Jane Kaczmarek, and the show’s focus will mix the lives of defense attorneys and prosecutors as well as judges. Author and attorney David Feige is co-creator of Raising the Bar, which has a good shot of becoming TNT’s next big series.

Fishburne joins ‘CSI’

CBS made it official last week (via TV Guide) that distinguished film and theatrical actor Laurence Fishburne will be joining CSI: Crime Scene Investigation this fall.

Unfortunately, he won’t become part of the cast until the ninth episode, when longtime regular William Petersen takes his leave (at least as a fulltime character). Petersen’s Gil Grissom and Fishburne’s new character is a onetime pathologist turned college professor who eventually joins the team as a Level-1 CSI.

While things regarding Fishburne’s status are still being developed, landing him is certainly a coup, particularly as Fishburne is coming off a host of rave reviews for his recent role portraying the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on Broadway.

Fishburne’s hiring comes in what’s going to be a critical year for the entire CSI franchise. There’s plenty of fan discontent online and in e-mails and comments to various critics about all three shows, especially CSI: NY. Petersen’s departure further agitated the fan base, although Fishburne’s arrival may at least temporarily quell some of that dismay. But there were far more thumbs turned down than up over the CSI: Miami cliff-hanger and its general quality.

We’ll see if this is the season where the most influential trend in recent crime television (the procedural show), if not drama as a whole, finally loses its luster.