DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
NBC's 'Bluff City Law' Brings Jimmy Smits Back to the Courtroom
September 23, 2019  | By David Hinckley  | 7 comments
 


At a moment when idealists don’t seem to have the upper hand in real-life America, NBC is bringing Jimmy Smits (top) back to fight the noble fight. 

Smits will be playing controversial civil rights lawyer Elijah Strait in Bluff City Law,whose 16-episode first season premieres Monday at 10 p.m. ET. 

While Smits has become one of the icons of contemporary television, he shares the spotlight here with relative newcomer Caitlin McGee (top), who plays Elijah’s equally impassioned and driven lawyer daughter Sydney. 

Set in Memphis, and seemingly primed to use both the city’s civil rights and musical history as part of its backdrop, Bluff City Law doesn’t portray the Straits as perfect people.

The father-daughter relationship, for starters, is riddled with tension, some of it – speaking of imperfect — rooted in Elijah’s extensive record of stepping out on Sydney’s late mother. 

As we join the story, Elijah has just talked Sydney into rejoining his firm. Apparently, she worked there earlier and three years ago walked out, a separation that was not entirely amicable. 

She went to a large firm where her legal brilliance made her a wealthy star. Now her strong sense of social justice has brought her back, and we watch her take on what will very likely be weekly cases in which she tries to even the long odds that always face the downtrodden and the underdog. 

In Monday’s opening episode, a groundskeeper has contracted non-Hodgkins lymphoma after years of exposure to a widely used weedkiller. It’s not called Roundup, but if viewers happen to make a connection, well, that’s their choice. 

Other lawyers at the firm include Jake Reilly (Barry Sloane), who is also brilliant. The jury is out on whether he’s a potential romantic interest for Sydney or a potential professional rival. Or both. 

Michael Luwoye (top) plays Anthony Little, another smart lawyer in the firm, and Icelandic rapper Stony Blyden – you don’t want to have to pronounce his full name – plays Emerson, a sort of researcher and all-around young whiz kid. 

Smits slides easily back into the lawyer role he played years ago on L.A. Law, after in-between years as a cop, a rich guy, and a marginally legitimate businessman on Sons of Anarchy

McGee plays Sydney with energy so restless she almost seems to burst out of her skin. Elijah keeps telling her to relax. He also urges her never to stop being passionate. The result borders on schizophrenia, which presumably will carry over into whatever inevitable personal relationship the show puts her into.

She’s already divorced, no surprise. 

The father/daughter dynamic clearly forms the foundation for Bluff City Law, meaning the show will rise or fall on the extent to which viewers find it enticing. 

On the legal side, it’s a procedural, closer to the Law & Order model than to the extended crime/legal miniseries that have become popular in recent years. 

It may help that there’s a whiff of Erin Brockovich in the premise. But Bluff City Law isn’t Rocky Goes To Court. The ongoing case here revolves more around the burden of living with flawed brilliance, and the reality of the world you’re aiming to save. 

 
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
ATHHI
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: 
7 Comments
 
 
Not only cermet inserts, but we also offer a comprehensive range of tools including special inserts, carbide turning inserts, Vertical milling cutting inserts, Indexable milling inserts, non-standard special-shaped products – and so on. We also produce various kinds of cermet inserts as per request; technical drawing and sample., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Mar 7, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
People tend to fall for these new products due to the classic and timeless looks they demonstrate. Its goods come with preeminent design and perfect details.The first-class carbide inserts' simple design demonstrate the low-key cheap with connotation., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Mar 1, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
Estool offers cutting inserts that provide 100% satisfaction. We have an annual production of more than 20 million pieces. The quality and quantity is not a problem for us. We only used high technology machines to produce cutting inserts., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Jan 29, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
keria
[url=https://quillbot.com/]website[/url]
Jun 15, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
keria
thats fine https://quillbot.com/
Jun 15, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
Pizza Tower Games is an indie video game developer based in the United States. They are known for their retro-style platformer games with bright and colorful graphics. Some of their popular titles include "Pizza Tower," "Starlight Vega," and "Nebula's Lullaby."
Car Games are video games that involve driving or racing cars. There are many different types of car games, including simulation games, arcade-style games, and open-world games. Some popular car games include "Need for Speed," "Forza Horizon," "Gran Turismo," and "Mario Kart." These games can be played on various gaming platforms, such as PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
Apr 21, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
I have no idea about the law firms in America as I am currently living in Pakistan but I need to find a laywer that could help me process my Arg immigration, as nowadays the country is in economical crisis and many people have already left the country. I love Pakistan , it is my homeland but due to economical crisis , I just couldn't leave myself suffering.
Feb 4, 2023   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: