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Thursday premieres: ‘Fairly Legal” and NBC’s 3-hour comedy block
Sarah Shahi stars as mediator Kate Reed in the new USA Network drama, “Fairly Legal.”
“Fairly Legal”
9 p.m., USA Network
Tired of lawyer shows? Me too.
I’m afraid that others like us are going to be turned off by the title of USA’s enchanting new series, “Fairly Legal,” premiering Thursday at 9 p.m. That would be a shame. Because the series, starring an adorable Sarah Shahi as a somewhat goofy but brilliant mediator, is really an anti-lawyer show.
Shahi’s Kate Reed is a former lawyer who got tired of all the legal mumbo-jumbo, rules and loopholes. She still works at her deceased father’s law firm, trying to get warring clients on the same page and, in the pilot, performing pro-bono mediation mandated by an irascible judge. Her stepmother runs the firm now and Sarah still holds a grudge about the woman breaking up her father’s marriage. The divorced Kate has been no luckier in love, but she maintains a friendly relationship with her ex-husband, played by Michael Trucco, who works for the District Attorney. And she’s got new home digs, too, camping out in the marina on her father’s boat.
In spite of all of this upheaval, Kate remains upbeat. She is given to whimsy — especially in her creative solutions in resolving legal disputes — and although she might seem something like a modern day Ally McBeal, “Fairly Legal” is thankfully void of that show’s signature flights of fancy.
One thing I didn’t like about the pilot: the ringtones and photos that pop up whenever Kate’s ever-present cellphone rings are all based on characters from “The Wizard of Oz.” I understand that Kate could consider herself an ersatz Dorothy in her new world and all, but having the Wicked Witch pop up whenever her stepmother calls, the Tin Man for her ex-husband and the Scarecrow for her brother seems unnecessary, gimmicky and forced.
Also premiering Thursday
NBC’s three-hour comedy block is finally here. The network ditched the 9 p.m. drama slot and has filled out the prime time schedule with the return of “Parks and Recreation” (8:30 p.m.) and a new sitcom, “Perfect Couples” (7:30 p.m.).
I’m all for the return of Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Rec,” but “Perfect Couples” is a mess (and really, you’re just handing critics and headline writers a gift when you put the word “perfect” in the title of your show). The acting is bad, the story is pointless and I couldn’t find a single character I cared about. “Perfect Couples” makes “Outsourced” look brilliant.
Here’s NBC’s new Thursday prime time schedule:
7 p.m. “Community”
7:30 p.m. “Perfect Couples”
8 p.m. “The Office”
8:30 p.m. “Parks and Recreation”
9 p.m. “30 Rock”
9:30 p.m. “Outsourced”
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