Pilot Review: For the People

For the People (ABC)
Premiered March 13 at 10pm

Eight years ago, ABC premiered a new show about young lawyers in way over their heads that I described as being advertised as “Grey’s Anatomy” with law instead of medicine. “The Deep End” had some good comic elements, like the protagonist eagerly announcing that he was a little early only to be told that he was ten days late, and the expected amount of sex and scandal to keep things lively. It was decent, if not great, and lasted a mere six episodes. Now, so many years later, we have the same network attempting another series that specifically spotlights lawyers at the start of their careers without any added twist like one of them being in a second career after her husband was disgraced following a political affair. This series wasted no time in being sappy right from the start with an impassioned speech from the judge played by Vondie Curtis-Hall, most recently seen as reporter Ben on “Daredevil.” Playing the adults, we have two very talented and dependable performers, Ben Shenkman of “Billions,” “Royal Pains,” and much more, and Hope Davis of “In Treatment,” “American Splendor,” “Wayward Pines,” and so many others, along with Anna Deavere Smith in a role that’s supposed to tie everything together. Among the younger clan, the only one who sticks out is Britt Robertson, whose recent starring turn on “Girlboss” was far more worthwhile than this dull of a part here which doesn’t do anything to showcase her strengths as an actress. So much that happens on this show is formulaic and predictable, with over-sensationalized plots like someone being arrested for terrorism when he was the lone actual participant in an FBI sting and another person being cruelly targeted for a relatively innocent mistake. This show might be energizing for its target audience, but there’s little new or original about it.

How will it work as a series? We’ve already seen a couple break up after going up against each other in court, and we know that the two adults are actually friendly despite the different ways in which they perceive the world. That’s sure to only be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything that could happen on a show that’s likely to feature high-value cases and lots of complicated webs connecting the people defending and prosecuting them.
How long will it last? Reviews were decent for this show, which is ultimately going to be carried much more on its ratings success given its Shondaland status. Those numbers were also okay if not completely fantastic, and while ABC could probably use a new legal show these days, I’m not so sure that this is it. It could still get renewed, but I wouldn’t be too optimistic.

Pilot grade: C+

What I’m Watching: The Grinder

The Grinder: Season 1, Episode 20 “For the People” (B)

This was a fully silly but very entertaining episode, one which pitted all its characters together and put them in the same place with almost no mention of the law at all. Starting with both Stewart and Debbie very obviously forgetting their anniversary when Dean congratulated them, it was a series of lies from every single character. Anne Archer’s Lenore seemed like a handful as soon as she showed up unannounced, and it was refreshing to see one parent heap unending adoration on Stewart rather than Dean for once. That prompted Dean to go further than even he usually does and make up a complete fantasy in which he and Claire of all people were engaged. Todd was a perfect hapless patsy to unknowingly pose as Claire’s stalker who served as an explanation for her unwillingness to talk about her engagement with Lenore, but it got away from all that pretty quickly with the many layers of deception. Lizzie and Ethan got to have some fun setting their grandfather up on a date with a much younger woman because they used a forty-year-old photo of him in uniform. She didn’t have much depth anyway, and, though they’re not getting back together, Lenore and Dean Sr. seem to have had a very memorable night. How Dean managed to secure two reservations at a restaurant with an extensive wait and his father got one too is beyond me, but it made for some good fun. Nothing that happened in this episode means too much for the future, but it was enjoyable while it lasted.