I am – Hercules!!
The Big Three have stuck most of their new courtroom dramas at 10 p.m. Wednesdays this fall: “Law & Order: Los Angeles” on NBC, “The Defenders” on CBS and “The Whole Truth” on ABC. Something tells me I’m going to be too busy with “South Park” to give any of them any long-term attention.
“Truth,” from playwright Tom Donaghy ("The Dadshuttle," "Eden Lane"), gets big points for casting not just solid TV vets but three of my favorites – Maura Tierney (“NewsRadio,” “ER”), Rob Morrow (“Northern Exposure,” “Quiz Show”) and Eamonn Walker (“Oz,” “Kings”).
I give it points also for being easily the least dreadful new show ABC is offering this fall.
The pilot case is a juicy one, involving accusations of pedophilia and racism.
Its gimmick is it looks at cases from the offices of both prosecutors and defense attorneys. The Morrow and Tierney characters, who share a barely remembered romantic history (one they may be willing to rekindle), work opposite sides of the courtroom.
With both sides given equal weight, I was caught off guard by the verdict; there’s something to be said for that too.
USA Today says:
… All that stops us from being totally indifferent is one person alone: Maura Tierney. As Manhattan D.A. Kathryn Peale, Tierney proves once again that she is both a fine actor and a gold-standard TV star. You can't take your eyes off her — which is a good thing, because as written and played, Rob Morrow's Jimmy Brogan is a near-constant annoyance. …
The New York Times says:
… Brogan and Peale are two different kinds of annoying. Peale lives in the no-smile lane of life’s highway, quoting Benjamin Disraeli and releasing tension at the shooting range, while Brogan runs around with the seeming conviction that he is the reincarnation of Johnnie Cochran. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… the hour's main attractions are Tierney and Morrow, who keep their own volume at a reasonable level, even when made to say things like "Fasten your seat belt, Jimmy" and "Game on, Katie. Bring it!" …
The Washington Post says:
… seems panicked by the notion of dramatic pace vs. short attention spans. It's like watching two lawyers play a frenetic game of tennis. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… an enjoyable courtroom drama. … also gives the appearance of adhering closer to legal reality than what's often seen on TV, particularly on NBC's absurd new Friday night legal drama, "Outlaw." …
HitFix says:
… Where other law shows tend to have one side view the other as the embodiment of evil, here we see that these two are old friends from law school who enjoy the battle of wits even as they're convinced they're on the right side of every fight. On those occasions when "The Whole Truth" slows down to just let those two bounce off each other, it's a show I almost want to watch. But the rest of it is too fast, and too thin, to bother with.
TV Squad says:
… It's disappointing that generally sympathetic actors such as Tierney and Morrow are given so few opportunities to have quiet, resonant moments on the show. But the worst part of this overly caffeinated, overly busy procedural, which tries hard to distract you from the fact that it's really just a variation on 'Law & Order,' is Morrow's character, Jimmy Brogan. He's the kind of aggressive, hard-charging boss who's given to shouting things like, "People, let's work this out!" People, let's not. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… "The Whole Truth," which airs opposite "The Defenders" on ABC, is less lousy. And ABC is free to use that in whatever advertising campaign it can imagine. "Less lousy than the competition!"
The Boston Herald says:
… Tierney and Morrow are both seasoned TV stars, but even they can’t make “The Whole Truth” ring true.
The Boston Globe says:
… Tierney saves the show from near worthlessness. She brings a passion, a finely gauged sense of humor, and a strong chemistry with costar Rob Morrow … The pleasure to be found on the show is in watching Tierney and Morrow riff off each other like very competitive tennis players, hitting the ball back and forth with all their anger behind each whack — then shaking hands warmly at the end of the match.
Variety says:
… gives NBC's "Outlaw" a run for its money as the fall's most dunderheaded legal procedural. … beyond Tierney the exercise plays like an over-acting clinic -- although to be fair, the cast has to race through rat-a-tat legal jargon, in part perhaps seeking to obscure just how banal the dialogue is. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… for the most part, "Truth" works. … The back-and-forth makes for pretty good television, ratcheting up the tension and giving a sense of the approach both sides will take in the trial. …
10 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
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