I don't hate this show, but it's a bit of a mess, much like
the protagonist, played by Hayley Atwell. She plays
Hayes Morrison, daughter of a former president (who sounds
an awful lot like Bill Clinton, but her character is more
like a smart version of Paris Hilton). She's a lawyer who
has become a disaster, getting in trouble for drugs and
worse. Her mom is a Senator up for re-election (played
by veteran Bess Armstrong). Hayes is recruited by NY
D.A., Conner Wallace (Eddie Cahill, formerly of "CSI: NY"),
to find cases where the person might have been wrongfully
convicted and prove it, with a team of lawyers and
investigators. Hayes rebels against the job but, of
course, she ultimately finds it satisfying. Hayes and Conner
have a romantic history, and he's also using her to make
himself look good to the public.
The show just tries to do too many things at once. Every
single character in a show doesn't have to have a tortured
life and a big secret mysterious past. They always
seem to nowadays, though. Each of her team has something
going on. Sam Spencer is played by Shawn Ashmore, who's
always wonderful. He wants Hayes' job and might be doing
some pretty nasty things behind her back. Maxine Bohen
(wonderful TV vet Merrin Dungey) is a cop with a lot to
prove (a dirty past?). Then there's paralegal Tess
Larson (Emily Kinney), who looks innocent and sweet, a real
go-getter newbie, but she has a past that Hayes knows about.
The only one I didn't like was Frankie Cruz (Manny Montana).
The character is fine; I just don't think the actor is
seasoned enough. He had a pretty big role in the first
episode, and his acting was not nearly as good as the
others. Frankie is their forensics expert, but he also spent
time in prison.
The show just didn't ring true for me. The story was fine,
but it lacked emotional resonance. It just seemed to be a
pastiche of shows we've seen before. In fact, it's very
2006. There was another legal show called "Conviction" that
year, as well as one called "Injustice," which I loved,
about a group that helped people who'd been wrongly
convicted get out of jail. It was a similar show, much
better than this one, and they canceled it after one season.
Now, ten years later, we see this show that seems to be
copying shows from 2006.
The most interesting character was Hayes, and she's
also the best actress in the group. She's the only reason to
watch this show at all. I really wouldn't bother wasting
your time on it.
MORE INFORMATION:
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of The TV MegaSite or its other volunteers.
We need more episode guide recap writers, article
writers, MS FrontPage and Web Expression users, graphics designers, and more, so
please email us
if you can help out! More volunteers always
needed! Thanks!
