https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijqN7IOJatY Last week, we got to meet lawyers Elijah Strait (Jimmy Smits) and his estranged daughter, Sydney (Caitlin McGee) on Bluff City Law. Tonight at 10p, they take on a case close to their hearts.
Back when Sydney was a little girl, she used to take horse riding lessons on a farm. That farm is now in trouble of being sold because of a seed that contiminated their land. The business behind the seed knows that their product gets mixed in with other people’s crops. When it does, they ask the farmers to pay them back for using their seed. Several other farmers have either sold their land to the corporation or took them to court and loss.
The Straights are not going to let that happen to their friend. Therefore, they are going to take on her case that has never been won. Can they be the first lawyers to win the case?
All while Sydney is dealing with the fact that she just found out that her father fathered another child from an affair. Will she accept her younger brother, Emerson (Stony Blyden), who works at the firm as a paralegal? Will she forgive her dad? Did her mother know?
I have to say, when I watched the first episode, I was not blown away by the series. However, after watching tonight’s show, I added the legal drama to my season pass. They take on interesting cases, ones that make you think. It is not the normal stuff everyone else does, but cases that really makes a difference in our World. Then you mix in some father/daughter drama and you have a drama that has you hooked. Case closed.
That is just how I see the show. A few weeks ago at the NBC Summer Press Day at the TCAs, Jimmy Smits and Caitlin McGee along with Executive Producers Michael Aguilar, Dean Georgaris and David Janollari talked about Bluff City Law.
Why do legal dramas work?
DEAN GEORGARIS: Part of it, I think, is one of the most remarkable things about our nation is our legal system. We take it for granted, but as a country, we have a forum where we come together, and we can air our grievances. We can decide what we believe in society is right and wrong, and frankly, over time, the legal field is where we evolve as a society, where we decide, “You know what? This was okay for 100 years. Now it’s not.” I think police dramas, like medical dramas, these are really questions that are fundamental to the human experience. I suspect that’s why they seem to be as timeless. MICHAEL AGUILAR: My father’s an attorney, so I grew up in a house where the law was an art form. And I think it gives us an opportunity to explore subjects like justice and fairness and what we all share, the human values we all share, so I think that’s why it endures.
What type of cases can we expect?
DEAN GEORGARIS: Yeah. I mean, the pilot cases were sort of loosely inspired by the Monsanto case. We’ll be taking on I don’t want to say were ripped from the headlines, because I think it’s almost a little has a connotation to it, but issues like free speech, issues like privacy, these are things that we’re all talking about right now. Frankly, it’s a really interesting time because these definitions are changing. Every week we’ll be taking those on and, by the way, sometimes from a more comedic perspective. If it’s all drama, I think it doesn’t feel real. If you don’t laugh every now and then, it’s not representative of life. MICHAEL AGUILAR: Yeah. And some of the cases are also very human stories and very local Memphis stories as well, and they dip into the culture of Memphis, which is incredibly rich.
Why did they cast Jimmy Smits?
DAVID JANOLLARI: And I will say, on the page, the character of Elijah was incredibly nuanced and incredibly complex, and we knew that we needed to have someone with amazing gravitas and kind of command of leading this show in the role. We were thrilled when Jimmy read the script and was as excited about it as we were.
Was it easy for Smits to step back into the courtroom again since he played a lawyer on L.A. Law from 1986-1992?
JIMMY SMITS: No. There was a lot of brushing up. That was 20 something years ago. But you try to take the best from the experiences that you had and know that this particular guy that I’m doing now is a lot different and doesn’t have the kind of bounce in the same way, and, luckily, we were able, besides having a really great pilot script that is a wonderful jump off point for all these characters and this relationship, we had some really great technical people that were able to work with us that are attorneys there, and a particular duo that have the same type of father and daughter relationship. So that was really helpful as well.
How the producers got father and daughter lawyers to work as consultants on the show.
MICHAEL AGUILAR: Yeah. It’s actually a funny story. We were looking at an office space that an attorney has and started to chat with him. He had no interest in us shooting in his offices, as, of course, he shouldn’t. He’s got legal files everywhere. And we started to chat with him and he said, “So what’s your show about?” And I said, “Well, it’s a father daughter story.” And he said, “Well, you know, my daughter just started working here.” And I sort of paused and said, “Well, that’s probably a little complicated.” He said, “It’s very complicated.” And at that point we just couldn’t stop talking and it was hours. He’s joined us on our show. I mean, he sort of is, in a lot of ways, the Elijah Strait of Memphis. He’s an incredible attorney, a really generous person, and he’s been working with all of our cast, but particularly Jimmy and Caitlin. And his daughter has as well, and she’s brilliant and they have a similar dynamic. So it’s been an incredibly special relationship.
Why did they base the show in Memphis?
MICHAEL AGUILAR: We’re huge fans of “The Firm.” I don’t know that it was necessarily in our thought process, but I do love that movie. I think the great thing about Memphis is that it’s a big city that gives us a lot of opportunity but has a small- town feel, so you really believe that someone like Elijah Strait could be the pinnacle of justice and a real war hero and could have this firm that could make a real change, make a real difference and change the city.
Are they shooting the series in Memphis?
MICHAEL AGUILAR: We are shooting in Memphis entirely. And there aren’t a lot of soundstages, so it’s actually kind of an advantage. We get to shoot on location, which gives it even more authenticity. We’ve converted a couple of buildings into some of our sets, and we’re continuing to do that. We’re growing the infrastructure, which we’re excited about. I mean, we’ve all fallen in love with Memphis, and it’s not an understatement. I mean, I can’t sort of the history of the place is sort of in the soil, and the people there are so generous and have really welcomed us. So we want to build a film community there. They have some infrastructure, and they’ve certainly are really trying to help us build it. We’ve brought some people in to help train and try to hire as many locals as we can.
NBC is known for Must See TV on Thursdays and this season they are not disappointing. They start it off at 8p with Superstore. The season premiere picks up a few hours after the season finale when Mateo (Nico Santos) was taken away by ICE.
Jonah (Ben Feldman) has gotten everyone together from Cloud 9 for a vigil for Mateo. Since no one knows what to do, they sing a song that is perfect for them. You have to see it, to believe. That and to find out that Lauren Ash, who plays Dina, can really sing. You go girl.
Now, it is time for everyone to get back to work. Corporate has sent over a new worker to replace Mateo and everyone hates Glen with one “n”. Glenn (Mark McKinney) with two “n’s” hates him the most. Therefore, when they come up with a way to get rid of him, he is all for it.
Meanwhile, Dina is still mad at Garrett (Colton Dunn) for letting her birds accidentally go free, so she continues to torture him. He feels bad, but that is not good enough for her.
Talking about couples, Sandra (Kaliko Kauahi) wants to let everyone know that she is engaged but no one will let her talk.
When it comes to talking, Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) has not spoken to her BFF since he was taken away. It is just too hard for her. Amy (America Ferrera) decides to kidnap her co-worker and take her to see their friend. Will she go inside?
All of this leads to a moment that will have everyone afraid, very afraid.
If working at a Big Box store was as fun as they make it look on Superstore, we would all be working at one!
https://youtu.be/U-BaSkJV_Ok
Then at 8:30p, Bradley Whitford is back for another comedy on NBC. Perfect Harmony is something to sing about.
Arthur Cochran (Whitford) is the former chair of the music department at Princeton. After his wife died, he pretty much lost his will to live. He returns to her hometown to bury in her in the cemetery at the church she loved, but he is told there is no room. Therefore, he has come to confront them to let her in.
On the way there, the very drunk professor stops in front of another church with a choir rehearsing. They are so bad that he goes in to tell all of them how awful they are. When he is done, he passes out.
The next day, when he wakes up, and they ask him to coach their choir. He doesn’t want to do it, but then he gets his reason. Now he has to work on them to make them all singers whether they like what he says or not.
Ginny (Anna Camp) is a single mom, who is a mother to the group. She is also just so gosh darn nice. Adams (Tymberlee Hill) is not that nice, so she does not want to take Arthur’s advice. Jax is adopted and he is the Kumbaya one of the group. Wayne (Will Greenberg) takes a lot of crap Arthur, but he has potential. Although, not as much as Shep (Geno Segers) who has the deepest voice you will ever hear.
They are a dysfunctional bunch, but together they make beautiful music. That is why this and Carol’s Second Act are tied for my favorite new comedies with Sunnyside in a close second place.
Then at 9p, The Good Place begins its final season. Michael (Ted Danson) and Eleanor (Kristen Bell) are continuing to welcome the four new humans to The Good Place. They know that these four individuals are there to antagonize them. However, they have to work through it to save the human race.
How will Tahani (Jameela Jamil) deal with her gossip columnist arch-nemesis? Jason wants to be with Janet (Manny Jacinto) but she told him no because the experiment is too important. Meanwhile, Janet is busy dealing with all the new people’s request. Especially, the new guy who is there to torture Eleanor. She has enough problems now that Chidi’s (William Jackson Harper) memory has been erased and he does not remember her.
While things are not going smoothly for them, things are going better off down in the Bad Place. Or are they?
You don’t want to miss as our Fab Four tries to acclimate the new kids into their world with a big old party.
A sad party is happening over here because I don’t want this show to end.
https://youtu.be/sk_2uEoI1i8
Finally at 9:30p, Kal Penn is an elected official in Sunnyside. Scratch that, he is an impeached city councilman for Sunnyside in Queens, NY.
When Garrett Modi (Penn) first ran for office, he had dreams of helping the community. Fifteen years later, he is living in his office because his girlfriend kicked him out, he has no money and he has just been fired from his job. He moves in with his sister, Mallory (Kiran Deol) and she tells him to get a job.
He gets a call to meet some people at a bar to help them pass their citizenship test so they can become Americans. When all of his contacts fails, he decides to help them himself. Luckily, two of his students are really rich, so they throw money his way.
Those two students are siblings, Jim Hoa (Joel Kim Booster) and Mel Lin (Poppy Liu). We do not know where they are from because they won’t say. While they have lots of money, Griselda (Diana-Maria Riva) does not. The Dominican has so many jobs, no one can possibly count them all. Hakim (Samba Schutte) is a taxi driver from Ethiopia. Finally, there is Brady (Moses Storm), he just found out he is from Moldovia and that he was not born in America. His mother brought him here when he was two and she never told him. After he gets caught, the government told him to become a citizen or go back. Since he does not know where Moldavia is, he opts to become an American. Which is why he needs Garrett’s help.
Each week, Garrett will work with them to make sure they get to live the America Dream. Granted the brother and sister are already living all of their dreams and most other people’s. Can Garrett teach them all about the good ole USA?
You are going to want to watch the show that reminds us that we are all immigrants in America. You don’t have to be born here to love America. You just have to live hear to learn you love it! Like we will love this show.
https://youtu.be/GpXxdy4Pb6s
The Voice is back on NBC tonight at 8p without Adam Levine for the first time since the show debuted in 2011. How will it be without the Rocker? Tune in to find out.
Then at 10p, Jimmy Smits is back doing law on the other side of the country in Bluff City Law. Sydney Strait (Caitlin McGee) is a tough lawyer, something she gets from her dad. A man she no longer talks to and she really hates.
One day while she is at work, her father, Elijah (Smits), comes to visit her to tell her mom died. She runs home to be with him because she actually liked her mom. While she is home, her dad asks her to help him on a class action suit.
She agrees to do it. Within her first few hours, she comes up with a strategy to win the case. Even though she cannot stand her dad, they make a great team. They are going to do what they can to help their client win. Even if it means going to jail. Which they do.
At the end of the day, she realizes their style is good to help the little guy. While tonight’s episode is good, next week’s episode is a lot better. This legal drama has a promising future ahead of it. It is not your normal legal drama where the lawyers at the firm become like family. This one they really are family. A dysfunctional family, but a family all the same.
Next week’s episode was so good, it stuck with me. I would say the most out of all of the fall screeners thus far. It is that good. I think this show can be the sleeper hit of the year. That is if you tune in, so do it or you will go to jail like the Straits. You won’t, but it sounded like a good way to make you watch.
Today, NBC has finally revealed details about their streaming site including its name. It will be called…Peacock. Which makes sense. They also said that it will hit the world wide web at the end of July during the Summer Olympics.
Now that you know the name and when it will launch, what can we expect from it? Lots and lots of shows and movies. A lot of classic shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, House and The Office. Some rebooted ones like Punky Brewster, Saved By the Bell with Jesse (Elizabeth Berkley) and Slater (Mario Lopez) and Battlestar Galactica. There will also be new shows like Dr. Death starring Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater, Brave New World with Demi Moore and comedy Rutherford Falls with Ed Helms. Late Night with Seth Meyers’ Amber Ruffin is getting a weekly late night show. As if there were not enough Real Housewives shows, Peacock will be getting a spinoff.
When it comes to movies, Psych the Movie 2 will premiere on Peacock and not USA Network. We better get a revival of the series as compensation. Along with big screen movies like the Fast and the Furious franchise, The Breakfast Club, Mamma Mia, Jaws and Back to the Future.
That is a lot of streaming! How much will it cost? They will announce that closer to the premiere date. Now is when you start negotiating with your friends. You say to them if you give me a password to Netflix, I will give you one for Peacock. Then you do the same with another friend for Disney+ and/or Hulu.
Forget cutting the cord, we are going to have to stop paying all the streaming sites. We can no longer say there is nothing on because there is always something to watch somewhere.
To read about everything coming to Peacock, then click here!
Back in May, NBC announced that they cancelled AP Bio. Well, you didn’t have to take AP classes to know that many people did not think that was a smart idea.
Today, they admitted their mistake and said that they picked up the show for a third season. However not for the network. The Hollywood Reporter says that it will be streaming on their new app that launches next year.
Since this is a Lorne Michaels’ show, I have a feeling he will be producing a lot more shows for them.
