TV Reviews for Regular People: “All Rise”
All Rise, CBS Television
So, what do I look for in a new TV show? First of all, is this going to blow up my DVR, or do I have room on my schedule for it? Second, does it have some actor that I liked in some other show? Does the basic plot sound like something I’d enjoy?
I have to be honest. Every May I look forward to clearing out my DVR. I have a bad habit of watching shows way past the point where I actually enjoy them. But it’s a habit I started breaking last year (Goodbye, “Arrow!”) and quite frankly I’m not looking to add a bunch of shows back in.
Which is bad news for our first entry. “All Rise” debuted Monday on CBS. It’s certainly not a BAD show. It’s actually a halfway decent show. It just didn’t really grab me.
The premise seems to be a cut and paste version of every other legal show you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Plucky judge newly appointed to the bar? Check! That was pretty much the pilot of “Night Court” 35 years ago (and just typing that made me feel old.) But this judge is a BLACK WOMAN! Are we supposed to believe that there aren’t any black women judges in Los Angles yet? Simone Missick stars as Lola Carmichael (nicknamed “The Lolacoaster” by her colleagues.) And she is far and away the best thing in this show. She’s also surrounded by A list talent. Marg Helgenberger costars as Lola’s new boss, and Wilson Bethel portrays her best friend and current ADA. Veteran actors Paul McCrane (hello, Dr. Romano!) and Tony Denison make welcome appearances. The rest of the cast is unknown to me. But we have the requisite earnest ADA fighting for the wrongfully accused, tough Asian assistant, and Deputy/law student. Like I said, we’ve seen all of this before, and most likely better. We learn less about Lola’s personal life than we do about the vast, diverse supporting cast.
The pilot is pretty straightforward. A young, pregnant Hispanic woman is set to take a plea deal for a crime she clearly didn’t commit because of pressure from the DA and fear of an even longer sentence. I’m sure you can guess what happens without my elaborating further. We get glimpses at the lives of the players including the public defender with a clear domestic violence fear and an ADA with a criminal father.
I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars. Did I add the season to my DVR? No. I don’t think this series will be around that long. Am I willing to give this show another chance if I’m wrong? Absolutely. But my Monday nights are pretty booked! I haven’t even gotten around to watching “Bluff City Law” with Jimmy Smits. Is there room on Monday nights for TWO legal dramas? I doubt it.
If I’m wrong, I hope another network snatches up Ms. Missick. I would definitely tune in just to watch her again.
This review makes me nervous. It’s tough to tell if the show is just about race and sex. But that’s probably true for the viewer as well. A show will typically start out with its broadest pitch, then it will settle into character development and world-building. On the other hand, legal shows can be particularly preachy.
It’s been years since a legal show really caught my attention. Probably The Practice is the last one that I’d watch even the unwatchable episodes.Report
I’m bingeing The Practice right now. I always liked it, but t was on when the kids were little and TV was something there was rarely time for. Typical David Kelley show in that it started out strong but got sillier and sillier as time went on. Like, who know Boston was such a hotbed of serial killers?Report
Serial killers who need a lawyer for their trial tomorrow morning.Report
I just watched the perfect The Practice cold open:
Pretty woman showing an album of pictures of herself as high school cheerleader. “I had the body and I could do the gymnastics.”
Eleanor: “Those are lovely pictures, but you’re going on trial for murder tomorrow.”Report
I don’t watch much (or lately, any) network tv. It’s not a policy of mine, but there’s just so much available elsewhere, like Netflix–and my schedule is a bit limited and I have no DVR–that I usually don’t get around to it. (The main exception is sometimes network shows that make it to Netlfix, like The Good Place, but I’m sure there’s lots that I miss.)
At any rate, thanks for reviewing these shows. I might actually give this one a try. I know law dramas are an overworked things, but I might like to get into one.
I’ll add that in my (apparently, limited) experience, the pilot is often not a very good show compared to the shows that follow. I’m told, for example, that Breaking Bad is really good, but I was so turned off by the pilot that I didn’t continue watching. Maybe that’s true of All Rise? (Maybe not, but I’m raising the possibility..)Report
I watched it this week, and I liked it, and I think I have some of the same reservations as you. I’m fine with the fact that the judge is supposed to be a trailblazer and that all the young professionals are the first such generation to ‘look like Los Angeles’
All hour long shows are going to mix up the comedy and drama, but I feel this show didn’t quite get the tonal shifts fined tuned enough in the pilot (especially when it literally ‘starts with a bang’ and then kind of merely runs in place for the next act.
The other off thing that stuck out to me was I feel they tried to give a bit too much characterization too soon to the public defender. She’s harried! She’s hard charging! She’s got an romantic admirer at work! She’s got an abusive current relationship! They honestly should have dropped one or the other of her character notes for the pilot and slowly introduce the other. (Or perhaps give just a hint of her bad current relationship in an episode stinger, the way they gave for the DA and [preemptive edit for spoiler] [someone the DA knows])Report
Tonight’s show was spectacular, from beginning to end. I enjoy all the shows but this one was just genius.Report