Public Defense

Liveblogging Raising The Bar (updated)

By Gideon

Update: Seth Abramson has 10 questions for David Feige and I sign on to all of them.

10:17pm: So Raising the Bar is on TNT… It’s a little hard to watch, I’ll be honest. I’ve cringed a few times already. Hopefully it will get better.

10:20: Oh my…

10:25: Um, wasn’t there an acquittal on the rape?

10:30: What about recusal? Sorry…I guess I was looking for something more…realistic?

10:31: Oooh boy….I’m just gonna go now. I’ll come back if it gets better.

10:33: Hmm. Very strange chambers discussion… 10 days for contempt? What the hell goes on in New York courts, ScottyG?

10:40: I guess relationships decide guilt or innocence or lengths of sentence. I guess that’s true to some extent (the last bit).

10:45: Looks like no one’s heard of conflict of interest.

Well, that’s it, I guess.

Overall, I think it was entertaining enough that I might watch it next week again. From a legal perspective, it was awful - inducing the same cringes and head-slaps that L&O does, except this is from the defense perspective. I guess my biggest problem with the show is that it’s not realistic - at all - unless this is exactly like NYC courts and NYC courts are a unique universe unto itself. That I have no clue about, but from my experience, this stuff doesn’t happen.

Also, I’d normally advise the writers of the show to get a quick lesson in legal ethics, but seeing as how it’s written by Feige, it’s an intentional disregard of any semblance of prof. responsibility. Which makes it another L&O (and, from me, that’s not a compliment).

I have to say, I like Mark Paul Gosselaar’s hair. A lot.

Overall: C. I’d watch this over Greek, but not the Big Bang Theory.

Full post as published by A Public Defender on September 01, 2008 (boomark / email).