Cancelled shows, Strong shows

The Whole Truth is cancelled. Leeard is sad (but unsurprised); Ern is happy.

Sadly, the sexist, shrill, backwards, (mostly) unfunny, and unoriginal comedy Better with You was picked up for a full season. We are happy to see that No Ordinary Family will have a full season too, though.

The Defenders Pilot review

After the other two premiering legal shows were so unworthy (The Whole Truth, Outlaw), we were not looking forward to the third new one. But The Defenders was better than we thought it would be. One of us is not overly attached to procedurals, and the idea of two flashy Vegas defense attorneys made us yawn.

But then we saw the girl from Derek’s brain surgery trials on Grey’s Anatomy. If you watch that show, you will remember that she was the first success of Meredith and Derek’s trials (the girl who wanted to have sex with her boyfriend who went into surgery). She was a good enough actress to make us bawl on Grey's, and she’s good here too as a brand new attorney. We are glad the actress is getting work.

The main lawyers in the firm are Nick and Pete, and in the pilot, they defended a young man charged with murder. We found ourselves caring about the trial and the defendant. We chuckled at the lawyers’ tricky tactics in trying to get the young man off. We held our breaths as the verdict was read. We won’t give it away. This pilot brought tension, heart, and laughs. It was a lot of fun, for what it was.

Episode grade: B

Watch it here: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_defenders/video/?play=true&pid=qUl7bac5swQOkALpnr3jO9mAoR5XEX_X

The Whole Truth Pilot

One of us actually really enjoys procedural shows, especially ones that deal with cops or lawyers. This is pretty much her cup of tea.

The Whole Truth has a pretty interesting premise: it shows the audience both sides preparing for a trial. Not only do we get to see the charming, handsome defense attorney (Rob Morrow), we also get to see the no nonsense, by the book prosecutor (Maura Tierney). The audience also gets to find out the truth. Unfortunately, we don't get to see what really happened, but we were left with a big enough clue in the series premiere that there's little question.

The series premiere dealt with the rape and murder of a 16-year old girl. We're introduced to the main suspect, her teacher and debate team coach, at the very beginning of the show, as he's arrested in his home in front of his wife (who has cancer) and two kids. We're given clues throughout the episode, but it's done well enough that there's room for interpretation. While we're on that subject, the editing is very well done. The episode was generally easy to understand, even though with the changes in view point, it easily could've been much more confusing.

The result of the trial is predictable, but it was still enjoyable to watch. We also really like that we get to hear the jury's verdict. Some shows don't always do that (Law & Order), but we like knowing. Finding out the jury got it right is satisfying, but hopefully that won't always happen.

This blogger likes the dynamic between the two main characters. Obviously they have history, which is pretty formulaic, but it's nice to watch two good actors interact.

Overall, while there were some definite problems, it was a pilot. Most pilots aren't amazing (the exception being LOST), but this blogger is looking forward to next week.

Episode Grade: B

What were your thoughts on the series premiere of The Whole Truth? Are you going to be sticking around for another week, or have you given up already? Let us know in the comments!