I had only recently discovered this show, "Just Legal," which I suppose was trying to net the youth market for a legal drama since it aired on the WB, featured a young freshman defense lawyer alongside veteran actor, Don Johnson, featured a mostly young cast, and token scenes of skaters, surfers, and other youth culture in the beachside California locale in which it is set.
This was a great show, too, in that, probably more so than something like 'Law & Order' it strived to actually educate viewers on various facets of the law, and not just criminal law. Piecing together cases and pre-trial preparation and the mechanics seemed to be something that the writers paid a lot of attention to and in the same way you might see the forensic scientists reconstructing crime scenes on shows like CSI (as exaggerated as they may be), you also get the same kind of effect here. But, unfortunately, where it should be commended for this educative approach, it faltered as a result of poor writing. The situations seemed illogical or simply not compelling enough. Moreover, Don Johnson only appeared to be like a crutch for the show's visibility rather than as a real part of the show as his young and naive (though, admittedly well versed in the law) partner took lead. Perhaps this would've been more believable if the actor didn't still look like the college freshman he was playing on 'Undeclared' or, if he was given the opportunity to appear as a more brazen, more seasoned person considering his role as a defense attorney (rather than an assistant or associate).
But, perhaps had this been on another network (it might've done better on the legal drama-friendly network, CBS, which at one time carried Johnson's 'Nash Bridges'), it may've been given a chance to develop it's footing, and perhaps with some retooling. It's a shame that it didn't.
This was a great show, too, in that, probably more so than something like 'Law & Order' it strived to actually educate viewers on various facets of the law, and not just criminal law. Piecing together cases and pre-trial preparation and the mechanics seemed to be something that the writers paid a lot of attention to and in the same way you might see the forensic scientists reconstructing crime scenes on shows like CSI (as exaggerated as they may be), you also get the same kind of effect here. But, unfortunately, where it should be commended for this educative approach, it faltered as a result of poor writing. The situations seemed illogical or simply not compelling enough. Moreover, Don Johnson only appeared to be like a crutch for the show's visibility rather than as a real part of the show as his young and naive (though, admittedly well versed in the law) partner took lead. Perhaps this would've been more believable if the actor didn't still look like the college freshman he was playing on 'Undeclared' or, if he was given the opportunity to appear as a more brazen, more seasoned person considering his role as a defense attorney (rather than an assistant or associate).
But, perhaps had this been on another network (it might've done better on the legal drama-friendly network, CBS, which at one time carried Johnson's 'Nash Bridges'), it may've been given a chance to develop it's footing, and perhaps with some retooling. It's a shame that it didn't.