3.11.2005
TV Review: Blind Justice
Blind Justice
Created by Steven Bochco, Nicholas Wootton and Matt Olmstead
ABC Wednesdays at 10:00 P.M.
Critical Consensus: 54 [mediocre] (11 reviews)
Baltimore Sun: 75
“It's a decent enough show, well-acted and nice to look at, if a little overfull of happy coincidence, stock characters and situational cliche.”
Chicago Tribune: 75
“Blind Justice will go way beyond its fanciful premise to unlock criminal mysteries and maybe address a few in the human heart as well.”
Cox News Service: 75
“"Blind Justice" may not revolutionize the cop drama genre (the cases are still standard-issue), but it definitely gives us a new breed of detective worth watching.”
Pittsburgh Live” 75
“ Once viewers meet the new detectives in the Tuesday time slot, the loss of "NYPD Blue" will not be so painful.”
USA Today: 75
“You may not find a classic if you tune in, but you will find a solid, entertaining TV show.”
Boston Globe: 50
“Despite a likable lead performance by Ron Eldard, and the slick production values of creator Steven Bochco, ABC's new series settles for the sort of nobler than-thou portrayal that marred the final seasons of Bochco's NYPD Blue.”
Chicago Sun-Times: 50
“...at its foundation, "Blind Justice" is a well-acted but very ordinary police drama”
Hollywood Reporter: 50
“The result is a serviceable drama in which the characters, including Dunbar, remain largely two-dimensional and highly predictable.”
Pop Matters: 50
“Despite [its] shortcomings and its trafficking in able-bodied stereotypes, Blind Justice isn't entirely without merit.”
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: 25
“Blind Justice is vintage [Steven] Bochco, but it's a tired vintage that's lost any distinct flavor, rendering it bland "Justice" for all.”
Houston Chronicle: 0
“Beyond the blind-man concept, Blind Justice comes up arrestingly short with predictable and familiar story lines involving a serial killer, a missing child and a police officer.” (Note: the reviewer goes on to compare it to Cop Rock)
Created by Steven Bochco, Nicholas Wootton and Matt Olmstead
ABC Wednesdays at 10:00 P.M.
Critical Consensus: 54 [mediocre] (11 reviews)
Baltimore Sun: 75
“It's a decent enough show, well-acted and nice to look at, if a little overfull of happy coincidence, stock characters and situational cliche.”
Chicago Tribune: 75
“Blind Justice will go way beyond its fanciful premise to unlock criminal mysteries and maybe address a few in the human heart as well.”
Cox News Service: 75
“"Blind Justice" may not revolutionize the cop drama genre (the cases are still standard-issue), but it definitely gives us a new breed of detective worth watching.”
Pittsburgh Live” 75
“ Once viewers meet the new detectives in the Tuesday time slot, the loss of "NYPD Blue" will not be so painful.”
USA Today: 75
“You may not find a classic if you tune in, but you will find a solid, entertaining TV show.”
Boston Globe: 50
“Despite a likable lead performance by Ron Eldard, and the slick production values of creator Steven Bochco, ABC's new series settles for the sort of nobler than-thou portrayal that marred the final seasons of Bochco's NYPD Blue.”
Chicago Sun-Times: 50
“...at its foundation, "Blind Justice" is a well-acted but very ordinary police drama”
Hollywood Reporter: 50
“The result is a serviceable drama in which the characters, including Dunbar, remain largely two-dimensional and highly predictable.”
Pop Matters: 50
“Despite [its] shortcomings and its trafficking in able-bodied stereotypes, Blind Justice isn't entirely without merit.”
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: 25
“Blind Justice is vintage [Steven] Bochco, but it's a tired vintage that's lost any distinct flavor, rendering it bland "Justice" for all.”
Houston Chronicle: 0
“Beyond the blind-man concept, Blind Justice comes up arrestingly short with predictable and familiar story lines involving a serial killer, a missing child and a police officer.” (Note: the reviewer goes on to compare it to Cop Rock)
TV Review: Jake In Progress
Jake in Progress
ABC Thursdays at 8:00 P.M.
Critical Consensus: 64 [okay]
Seattle Times: 100
“Jake in Progress is the reinvented sitcom that TV has badly needed. It combines fast, in-the-know humor and a surprising amount of heart. It treats us like the smart viewers we are without a hint of bi-coastal snobbery.”
E! Online: 75
“A pretty lead, quirky sidekicks and Hollywood skewering? Progress might just be what the ailing sitcom genre needs.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 75
“Jake in Progress is a funny, likable show, if a bit of an HBO wannabe (single camera, no laugh track) in both execution and tone.”
Chicago Sun-Times: 63
“...overall there's little to make us want to commit. Not yet. While it doesn't have us at hello, it might eventually get us.”
Entertainment Weekly: 50
“...an underdeveloped sitcom in which Stamos' Jake alternates snappy talk while he strides along Manhattan's fast track with sappy talk while he apologizes to an ever-regenerating supply of irked women.”
TV Guide (Matt Roush): 25
“[a] slick but empty new comedy.”
ABC Thursdays at 8:00 P.M.
Critical Consensus: 64 [okay]
Seattle Times: 100
“Jake in Progress is the reinvented sitcom that TV has badly needed. It combines fast, in-the-know humor and a surprising amount of heart. It treats us like the smart viewers we are without a hint of bi-coastal snobbery.”
E! Online: 75
“A pretty lead, quirky sidekicks and Hollywood skewering? Progress might just be what the ailing sitcom genre needs.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 75
“Jake in Progress is a funny, likable show, if a bit of an HBO wannabe (single camera, no laugh track) in both execution and tone.”
Chicago Sun-Times: 63
“...overall there's little to make us want to commit. Not yet. While it doesn't have us at hello, it might eventually get us.”
Entertainment Weekly: 50
“...an underdeveloped sitcom in which Stamos' Jake alternates snappy talk while he strides along Manhattan's fast track with sappy talk while he apologizes to an ever-regenerating supply of irked women.”
TV Guide (Matt Roush): 25
“[a] slick but empty new comedy.”
3.03.2005
TV Review: Law & Order: Trial By Jury
Critics hail Jerry Orbach's final performances, but as for the show itself, not so much.
Law and Order: Trial By Jury
Created by Dick Wolf
NBC Fridays at 10:00 P.M.
Consensus Score: 53 [mediocre] (7 reviews)
Hollywood Reporter: 75
“This Law & Order acorn didn't fall far from the tree.”
Orlando Sentinel: 75
“Trial by Jury might not be doing anything new, but it's telling stories extremely well. The verdict: Long may this court be in session.”
Wall Street Journal: 75
“...the emphasis is on the contest between the prosecutors and the defense, the hard detail of the battle tactics. It's an emphasis that plays out superbly, if the first three shows are any measure.”
New York Post: 50
“Unfortunately, by the third episode the plot becomes so fantastical that only a blindly devoted Law & Order fan would buy it.”
Pittsburgh Tribune: 50
“While fans will want to give the new show a try, the weak Trial By Jury may be proof that NBC has dipped into the L&O well one time too many.”
Arizona Republic: 25
“ As it stands, Law & Order: Trial by Jury isn't so much a radical departure from the original series and its spinoffs as it is Law & Order: Another One. And there are more than enough already.”
San Diego Union-Tribune: 25
“...stories start out with a stacked deck that makes the drama far less interesting and complex than it might have been.”
Law and Order: Trial By Jury
Created by Dick Wolf
NBC Fridays at 10:00 P.M.
Consensus Score: 53 [mediocre] (7 reviews)
Hollywood Reporter: 75
“This Law & Order acorn didn't fall far from the tree.”
Orlando Sentinel: 75
“Trial by Jury might not be doing anything new, but it's telling stories extremely well. The verdict: Long may this court be in session.”
Wall Street Journal: 75
“...the emphasis is on the contest between the prosecutors and the defense, the hard detail of the battle tactics. It's an emphasis that plays out superbly, if the first three shows are any measure.”
New York Post: 50
“Unfortunately, by the third episode the plot becomes so fantastical that only a blindly devoted Law & Order fan would buy it.”
Pittsburgh Tribune: 50
“While fans will want to give the new show a try, the weak Trial By Jury may be proof that NBC has dipped into the L&O well one time too many.”
Arizona Republic: 25
“ As it stands, Law & Order: Trial by Jury isn't so much a radical departure from the original series and its spinoffs as it is Law & Order: Another One. And there are more than enough already.”
San Diego Union-Tribune: 25
“...stories start out with a stacked deck that makes the drama far less interesting and complex than it might have been.”
