Another second of its type for the season, this one in the legal odd-couple family.
We first meet David "Skip" Ross (Jay Baruchel), 18-year-old prodigy who's already been graduated from law school and passed the bar; none of the big firms in downtown LA will hire him because he's just a kid. He occasionally gets hired to write briefs for Grant Cooper (Don Johnson), a functional alcoholic who scrapes by on court appointments (which he invariably settles) and hasn't actually argued a case in court in years.
The formula here is obvious: Skip and Grant wind up working together; Grant gives Skip some street smarts and toughness; Skip gives Grant some idealism about justice and the law. Within the limitations of that formula, though, the show's not bad.
I never watched Johnson in Miami Vice or Nash Bridges, and have always had the general impression that he's a bit of a joke as an actor. He's certainly not brilliant -- Gandolfini and Sutherland needn't worry about losing their Emmy spots, I think -- but he's got a nice, laidback charm, and he's letting his age work for him; his voice has gotten a bit raspy, and he's got a tired look that suits the character.
Not a groundbreaking show, but pleasant enough entertainment, and off to a better start than the other legal-team drama, Head Cases.
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