Another decent show is about to get the shaft on NBC. The Firm (which, full disclosure: I was expecting to be intolerably stupid) is actually a decent drama, with a promising storyline, and a pretty good cast! Plus, TRICIA HELFER plays an evil behind-the-scenes partner of an evil law firm! Hello! Where the frack are you people?
Anyway, the 2-hour pilot debuted last sunday with an abominable 1.4, and the next episode this past Thursday hit with a 1.0. This is really upsetting to me, because it's actually a show worth watching just from the 3 hours I've seen, and I'd like to say this to as many people that will listen -- Check it out! The full first season has already been filmed and produced so unless it hits rock bottom (and knowing NBC, that's a likely possibility) it should at least play out this season. I'm filing this in a missed opportunity because there's a lot of crappy decisions NBC has made recently with the shows they're picking up, and this is shaping up to be a respectable drama.
The Firm - Season 1 - Why is No one Watching?
16 Jan 2012
Cancelled Shows
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I'm not really sure. Molly Parker, Callum Keith Rennie, Shaun Majumder and Tricia Helfer were enough to reel me in.
ReplyDeleteThey were the reason I tuned into the pilot, but even with that cast I lost interest by the end of Episode 1 due to the cliche and contrived writing.
ReplyDeleteIt did not help I don't like most legal shows, but I thought the conspiracy of The Firm may help in my case... Nope.
I don't know, it seems more subtle than I was expecting. I think maybe you had higher expectations and I had much much lower expectations. lol
ReplyDeleteOh okay Wilson i will give it another shot. I thought the 2 hour premiere was a trifle long,umm by an hour.Really,they could have told the story in an hour.I taped last weeks episode but i've yet to watch it,but i will and i will watch before the next episode airs........if there is another. :(
ReplyDeleteI dunno, I didn't really like it. I dislike procedurals, they're so boring and it annoys me to see them get huge ratings while better serialized shows are not that successful. This one I found particularly boring.
ReplyDeleteomg i saw it online and i LOVED IT it is the darkest tv show with such a high level of style i have ever seen on television !!!!!! it s pretty interesting AND mysterious !
ReplyDeleteI think the opening scene made my mood foul right away.
ReplyDeleteI hate when shows reveal the end and then flashback. Plus I thought it was even more loathsome coming from a book author. It would be liking reading the last chapter of a book and then going to Chapter 1. I would never do that....
lol I'm not always big on 2-hour premieres as well, I think this one should've been a bit truncated as well, but I still liked it. I think it's because of the wife lol
ReplyDeleteI can tell you why I'm not watching it. Lawyer, Cop Shows, Medical Dramas etc. are getting annoying. The sheer number of them has put me in a state of mind where I don't even care if they're actually good, I just can't stand them anymore. Even if the shows are compelling, I just can't get past the fact that it feels like it's been done to death.
ReplyDeleteIf I can be harsh here for a moment, I'm sick of the unoriginality. Writers these days are so stuck on the tried and tested that 90% of the TV shows seem to follow the same cookie cutter formulas.
Now don't get me wrong, some of these shows are actually good, but they still manage to bore the hell out of me somehow. If any show these days wants me as a viewer, than it needs to do something different. Good characters can only carry a show for so long. It needs a deep and involved narrative to keep me hooked.
I watched some previews for this show and not once did it make me feel like I was in for good television.
The viewers need something new, something different, and I don't see The Firm doing that. It could change, but the name itself fills me, and I'm sure a lot of others, with a sense that I've seen it all before.
I might watch the first episode at some point, but it's unlikely.
It's a really understated law show for what I was expecting. However, the way the episodes are sort've flowing, I wouldn't call it a procedural... I'm not saying it isn't boring lol but they have like 3 cases going in and out at the same time...
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that you get so upset about that. If they're doing what I think they are doing, they give you some of the consequences, but not the whole story. They do that on Damages all the time, and they lead you to think they've given everything away, but really they're leading you on and ignoring an important detail, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that is exactly what is happening, because I don't know if this is as smart as the first season of Damages (My guess; no chance of that!) but this is the spinoff of the book, from what I've read/heard, it's got nothing to do with the main story of the book.
Upset is too strong a word. I just did not enjoy it or appreciate it
ReplyDeleteI can handle it if done well, like on Damages, but I did not find the writing as smart as Damages like you point out. The opening scene actually made me appreciate the conspiracy less. I felt like it tipped their hand too much unlike Damages where you see the future event but have no idea what hell is going on.
They may pull it together in the subsequent episodes, but Not liking Grisham's books overly much and not liking law series overly much, if the premiere did not draw me in I was not going to keep watching.
I thought it was good for what it was, a middle of the road conspiracy series based at a law firm. I just did not get into it.
I am watching 2 procedural TV shows and that is all I can handle. They all start to overlap story-wise after a while so I only keep up with the one's that I really enjoy which changes after every couple of years since the characterization tends to go down the toilet with most of them by season three.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's where I put it too. I suppose my main concern is that NBC has a decent show finally (amongst all the meh stuff they are thinking about picking up now) and of course no one is watching. It's one of those "the devil you know" dilemmas. lol
ReplyDeleteIf it had been a middle of the road period drama, or espionage series... or even a cop series I may have tuned in longer.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason legal series are not very watchable to me despite Boston Legal being one of my favorite series ever. Go figure...
I personally thought that the pilot was a bit slow but at the same time showed some promise. I DVRed the 3rd episode and have yet to watch it but I'm hoping it gets better. I honestly think the reason no one tuned in is because of the tv advertising. The only advertisement I saw prior to the pilot on tv was the same 2 second clip that shows Josh Lucas running with the Washington Monument in the background. Now I watched the first episode of it because I knew what it was about. Without having researched it a bit though I don't think that would have been enough for me to decide, "Hey I want to spend an hour out of my day to watch this new show." I blame NBC.
ReplyDeleteIt is on NBC...no one watches NBC anymore so that is definitely a huge factor lol
ReplyDeleteThe show was mostly financed through overseas syndication deals. So unless the ratings fall below 1.0, it will probably get it's entire season aired. NBC is only paying a fraction of what they paid for Prime Suspect.
ReplyDeleteI thought of Damages right away after the opening scenes.
ReplyDeleteI have watched live and dvr the second episode. I do like the actors in the show and I like the show though at times the time jumping gets confusing, so dvring helps. It has my interest and I intend to dvr the rest of the shows because I watch Private Practice at that time. I hope it does not get cancelled because it is a quality show-well written and outstanding acting.
ReplyDeleteBecause is garbage
ReplyDeleteI watched the first 20 minutes of the pilot before tuning out. The main character was just too damn stupid for me to watch any longer. The Marshalls tell him flat out he's in danger and needs to go with them, and his stupidity of refusing to go with them gets one agent killed. Then when they offer him protection he keeps refusing, claims not to be scared of the killer, then proceeds to insult the guy trying to get him protection.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, I just wish the assassination attempt succeeded and flipped channels.
Do you even need to ask? Because it's just a law drama with Something Mysterious happening in the background for five minutes every episode. From trailers I was expecting conspiracies and stuff, not a procedural. We already have The Good Wife and Harry's Law which are much, MUCH better shows about lawyers.
ReplyDeleteIt's a show I intend to watch, I have the episodes recorderd, but jsut haven't got around to trying it yet.
ReplyDeleteI agree .. I can't stop being amazed @ the awesome direction .. colors, camera movement, shots .. brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI think it's really good .. I was expecting the usual case-of-the-week plots but it's really interesting how they just focus on a case but still there are other cases flowing around in the background.. reminded me of Silk (uk show) that I liked .. it's like a life of a lawyer .. plus, I get bored watching TGW's cases & it's serialized (but I confess I like the drama of the characters more).. but this one just feels different..
ReplyDeletetoo bad the ratings suck even for NBC .. but who's watching NBC anyways.. the whole time I watched I thought it'd look better on USA or FX .. shame this would likely go :(
That's about the closest I can get to explaining why I don't like it either (although I watch neither of the two shows you used as examples). The time jumping gives me a head-ache: flashbacks I can cope with, but not when some are to the future and some are to the past and there's no visual differences to help keep track - at least give the guy a injury or something so we know when we are!
ReplyDeletePlus, honestly, Boston Legal was that amazing that any other legal-based drama just hasn't much of a chance with me. Alan and DennyCrane will be on their balcony for a long time yet :)
Yeah, this show feels different from other shows in its tone. It seems to take itself more seriously than Law shows lately. Whether or not that's a good thing, well I guess that's up to personal taste.
ReplyDeleteNO, no, no and no, Wilson! I don't wanna watch a new TV show! I just want Fringe and Community (hello NBC) to get renewed!
ReplyDeleteI know, a woman can dream...:-p
(ok, may be I'll check it out another time, but just for doing like my screen sister Laura... and don't tell it to anyone, please!)
I think the reason why people arent watchin new sows is because, it's tough if you get invested in a show and it gets canceled after a few airings. But maybe thats just me.
ReplyDeleteis mediocre at best.
ReplyDeleteThe Event was the last straw for me... I will not watch another NBC show again... Those guys have no idea what they are doing... I can't get interested about another show at NBC only for them to can at after a season...
ReplyDeleteI tend to do that a lot while reading... I skip the last couple of pages, read it, and then get back to reading the rest of the book... :P I know I really shouldn't, it spoils the fun, but I can't help myself... :D
ReplyDeleteIt is honestly an AMAZING cast and has an INCREDIBLE storyline! Watch people! I don't want NBC to kill this show!
ReplyDelete