September 26, 1995
Web posted at: 8:45 p.m. EDT
From Entertainment Correspondent Paul Vercammen
HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Court is now in session throughout prime time television this season. A public thirst for legal drama has spread well beyond the daily trial of O.J. Simpson.
"We really haven't had a show called "The O.J. Show" except on CNN and local news stations, and so the programmers have sort of taken a look at this and seen how interested people are," said Mark Schwed of TV Guide. "Court TV ratings are skyrocketing as well and they've designed a lot of shows to sort of capitalize on that interest."
Perhaps the closest TV fiction to the Simpson case, and so far the most critically acclaimed new court show, is "Murder One." The Steven Bochco drama will follow one sensational murder trial all season. "Given that we have 23 episodes and we are concentrating on this one story line, primarily I think we can do a great deal more with it than anybody's done before in a television case," Bochco said.
John Grisham's book-turned-movie "The Client" has turned TV show, with JoBeth Williams as family lawyer Reggie Love. To prepare for the role, the actress said she talked to several female lawyers, mostly about what it's like to be a woman lawyer in the business. "And certainly I've watched Marcia Clark, because she is so visible and available and I've been fascinated by her personality, and all the personalities in the Simpson case," Williams said.
Also presiding in prime time: "The Home Court," a comedy, "Jag," about a Navy lawyer, and "Courthouse," a multi-faceted drama. "There are certain situations that are sort of ideal for ensemble dramas, because the gestalt of it is, it just brings in all these people over life-and-death matters," said Patricia Wettig, who plays Judge Justine Parkes in the series.
With so many legal shows on television, makeshift courthouses are popping up everywhere. For example, "The Client" purports to be set in the state of Georgia, but the set of at least one episode was actually a private school in Pasadena, California. The Mayfield School made a better backdrop for the episode than a dressed-up sound stage. "In terms of schedule, this school gives us a number of very nice visual effects," said director James Frawley. "It has wood-paneled rooms, which work for judges, chambers or courtrooms."
As the legal wranglings play out in prime time, only a few will be able to survive the vicious cross-examinations from television viewers.
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