User Reviews

Of course this type of dramatic civil suit courtroom battle(s) show has been on the re-hash wheel since the Perry Mason days of the 1950's. In fact for veteran actor Jimmy Smits who most recently played the Hispanic criminal rebel Nero Padilla on the hit crime series Sons Of Anarchy, in his earlier television roles he played ADA Miguel Prado in the Emmy winning 2008 series Dexter, and we can turn back the hands of time 33 years earlier he also played a young and hip lawyer named Victor Sifuentes in the 1980's drama series L.A. Law. So Jimmy Smits is a bona fide TV lawyer of the highest calibre and his resume is second to none.

In this new series Jimmy Smits plays Elijah Strait and he wants to team up in the courtroom(s) of America with his estranged daughter Sydney (Caitlin McGee) who definitely has a chip on her shoulder due to the way her dad treated her mom while they were assumed to be the darling family everyone dreamed of being.

It may seem to be that cookie cutter courtroom drama where because of some last minute information that is rushed into the courtroom during closing arguments that is provided to the lawyer heroes Elijah Strait and his daughter Sydney tears flow as the jury finds in favour of the smaller symbolic David to the corporate Goliath and the day has been saved once again....until next week.

I really like Jimmy Smits as an actor so I will cut the series some initial slack and watch a few more episodes and see if this series develops a real heart and soul, and a court room style all its own.

I give the series an 8 out of 10 rating

Not bad, entertaining, good pace. I think some of the characters will be intriguing and likeable as the show develops.

It's only been one episode but so far, so good. I have to reserve judgement because of today's TVverse. This, however, was void of political agenda, the soundtrack wasn't blaring while the actors were speaking, it was just pure entertainment with good writing, great acting, and researched courtroom procedures. A night and day difference from "All Rise". I might be a little biased, because I am a huge fan of Sloane. Great facial expressions. He was great in "Longmire" and, so far, great in this. McGee is another that I was impressed with.

I was not overly impressed with the first episode, but figured i would give the 2nd one a try. Episode by episode it has improved and has caught my attention and had me looking forward to the next episode. I feel this one will continue to improve and captivate the audience. If people were not impressed by the first episode they should give it a try and watch the others.

I am enjoying this show less and less. Elijah Strait's wife is very revered by Elijah and all, and it is getting more difficult to accept the perfection of the woman while out of sight. I do recognize she is dead but she evidently is perfect. Hard to accept. And it seems this show wants to take on all current social issues that are causing some angst all at once. This current show deals with euthanasia, alternate life style issues, health care issues etc Seems a lot for one show when some of the viewers are wrestling with their own beliefs. I seems TV wants to take us into the brave new world all at once and I am starting to resent it.

Someone not mentioned in the reviews is the role of Scott Shepherd as George Ball, the wrongly convicted man who was finally exonerated after spending six years in prison. The scene at the cemetery where he meets the mother of the dead girl was stunning. Ball's struggle to adapt to a society that left him behind for six years is an ongoing subplot that creates an empathy lacking in other prime time show.

(Initial Impressions) I really wanted to like this series, I've been a fan of Jimmy Smits for a long time, and the supporting cast is impressive, as well, but, I found Caitlin McGee's performance wasn't convincing. Or, was it the director's failure to guiding us into the emotional conflicts that lie at the heart of this premise. I just didn't buy it. The transitions to family firm and family reconciliation were rushed and Sydney Strait came off as a self-centred, immature brat. Maybe, once the series has some time to breath, the performance, writing and direction will fall into place and we will find the heart of the piece. I give this pilot a 6 (fair) out of 10. {Legal Drama}

Everything about this show is great. Good acting, different challenges, and based in a very interesting town. Hope this gets renewed.

Of three new series seen so far this week, this show is the only one with some merit. The pilot is not flawless, but at least it is a more realistic legal drama, which can develop into a good show. Definitely watchable material.

Update: After seen 7 episodes to date, I can safely say that this series has passed a mix for a rating of 6.

1st episode was slow but we thoroughly enjoyed it after that. Please bring back another series

I agree with the need to honestly portray the social issues we face today. But putting seemingly all issues in one show, it is too in your face. I still watch it and mostly enjoy it but in this show we have controversy over sex, health care, religion , personal and family rights. If you want to be on the forefront then be fair to all sides. Don't preach

This show is a dog. It couldn't be more obvious how it's going to turn out. Bad acting, even worse writing. What a waste of the great talent of Jimmy Smits.

At a great hero show, someone to fight for the little guy!!!

"Catlin" is very good but Jimmy Smits is lackluster? I will have to watch a few episodes of this new lawyer show before I decide if I like it or not. First outing: A very somewhat-predicable tale about a gardening chemical similar to "Roundup". It asks a rhetorical question that we already know the answer to: Does a company have the right to suppress evidence about the (possibility of) poisonous or cancerous nature of their product? Is it ethical or legal to do so? I will have to watch a few more episodes of Bluff City Law to see it it stays on my weekly recording list. By the way, I loved "All Rise" which is also new this season, on the same night, different channel.

There is a company that creates GMO seeds. It spreads the seeds on farms that it wants. It takes the farm owners to court, saying that they stole and planted their GMO seeds. They nearly always win and take over the farm. This has been going on for years.

That company is "Monsanto"!

It's about time that the story of this criminal company is brought to the attention of the nation!

A group of idealistic lawyers battle greedy corporations who harm voiceless everyman. This cliché premise leaves the plots predictable while the relationships seem hurried and forced. Still, the acting is good -- and it's Memphis! I live in and love this area... with all its blemishes. The crossroad is a mythical place where demons lurk offering temptations of fame and Memphis represents the crossroads of America. This place is the razors edge of America. It's where good meets evil, where East meets West, where North meets South and where Black meets White. Those collisions have produced music that is powerful, unique and beautiful. Memphis is also a powerful, unique and magical place so I will watch more episodes in the hope that this series, too, will also produce something powerful, unique and magical. I *want* this show to succeed. Let's see what this show does at the crossroads.

This show is good, we love the ensemble. I don't know if the reviewers need to get laid or move away from their recliners, but we love it. Each week gets better.

Episode one is a complete rip off of the glyphosate Monsanto lawsuites claiming the worlds most common herbicide causes non- Hodgkin's lymph Phoma..

I had hope for this show but after yesterday's show we deleted it from our DVR. We watch TV to relax and enjoy a show. With this week's episode we felt like we were watching CNN and all the MSM and Hollywood pushing their agenda.

I love this show. Its plot hit a lit of sensitive real life experiences. The cast seems to now reflect meshing well together after a few episodes. I hope the show will not be cancelled and continue to touch upon sensitive matters reflecting a passion for what is right.

Sydney Strait (Caitlin McGee) is a successful lawyer defending her corporate clients. Her father Elijah Strait (Jimmy Smits) is legendary civil rights lawyer defending the little guys. She's estranged from him due to his cheating on her mother. After her mother's death, she reluctantly agrees to rejoin his firm and the law is no longer a simple paycheck. It's a stressful fight to do right.

I don't buy Sydney in the pilot where she is a cold-hearted corporate lawyer. It's a long distance from that to working under her father. It would be more fitting if she is doing small time lost-cause cases. It doesn't make sense that she's goes from defending rights of the small guys to the rights of big corporations. Once the show gets pass the pilot, the show does improve a bit. The father daughter relationship gets more depth. It allows the group to operate and it turns into a functioning leftist network legal procedural. After 10 episodes, it's unlikely to get more.

But typical Hollywood "we will tell you what to think and do". Deleted future episodes.

So happy to see Jimmy Smits back in the role of an attorney! I was an LA Law fanatic! Love the story lines and how they are bringing real life issues to the forefront in each episode. Hope that they keep this show running for a long time.

I'm a fan of law shows in general. The premise is good- fighting for the little guy and standing up to injustice. But a couple of things keep me from really feeling invested. As some others have pointed out the show doesn't really deal with the emotional complexities that the daughter and father would have after everything that has happened. For the most part the daughter just seems to get over it and everything is fine (with a few mentions here and there that it's a tough). I don't know if it's her acting, or the writing, or the directing but she's not the most believable character in my opinion. My second issue is how BIG every. single. case is. Every episode is dealing with a huge cultural issue. No matter where you stand on them (race, religion, big pharma, etc) it's so very unrealistic that every case has such great moral ramifications. Where can they possibly go after season 1 when they have already hit all of the hot topics of our day?

I think the acting in general is good. The secondary story line of the wrongly convicted felon is interesting. I am finishing this season on Hulu. But I won't be upset if it is not renewed for a second season.