admin @ Tue, 2006-09-05 11:00
Why: Sex and the City fans know Livingston is tough, adorable and just a little kookie, and as his brainy, no-nonsense partner, DeWitt is equally hot.
How: Crisis-negotiation partners aren't supposed to be romantically involved, but Matt and Emily went and did it anyway. Not only is their job performance in jeopardy -- so are their jobs. But for now, when they're not bickering or making out, they put their full energy into rescuing hostages and saving lives. Standoff is described as a blend of 24 and Moonlighting, which may seem like a stretch. What's indisputable is the chemistry between the two characters. This standoff is no stalemate. Whatever Matt and Emily are doing, they hold you hostage.
How: Wholesome Henry Beckman (Sloan) has lost his job, his girlfriend and the apartment they shared. But all is not lost: he finds Larry Cone (Medlin), whose best friend Brad (Faxon) just moved elsewhere in the building upon getting engaged to the shrewish Tina (Denbo). Larry, a brash bon vivant who runs an Internet-sales business, hasn't given up the fight for Brad's soul. But in Brad's absence, he must mould Henry into a suitable replacement. He helps land him a job and tries to fix him up with girls. But mostly he gets Henry plastered. Happy hour is a sacred rite for Larry: "Forty years ago, every man in this country was half-drunk by sundown,'' he tells Henry wistfully. "It was a gracious, golden time, and I want it back. The revolution starts here.'' Suffice it to say, the premise-challenged Happy Hour signals no revolution in comedy.
How: Here's a souped-up show about souped-up justice. Ron Trott (Garber) heads up an L.A. law firm that bows to no one in its use of every tool available for its rich, high-profile clients -- jury consultants, focus groups, mock jury, simulations. They're all part of trial preparation, and rivetingly woven into the story. A staple of the talk-show circuit, Trott is the master of using the media. His team also excels in other specialties: Tom Nicholson (Smith) is the Midwestern straight arrow whom juries love; Luther Graves (Walker) is gifted at working political angles; Alden Tuller (Mader) zeroes in on the forensics. No detail is too small. "When the judge comes in and we all rise,'' Trott tells his client en route to the courtroom, "help us kick our table up a couple of inches. Gives us better sight line with our jury.'' From producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Justice has the same slick, fast-paced production values that distinguish his CSI hits, and it portrays the legal process in a way no series has before: as expensive, carefully plotted theatre. Then, as a bonus, Justice adds a truth-telling coda to reveal whether the client was truly guilty or not -- whether justice was served.
How: There's tidiness and purity to this sitcom's design. Garrett and Fisher, two old pros, play Eddie and Joy, a battle-weary couple who, after 24 years of matrimony, have seen it all. Now they get to see their history replayed for them by their lovey-dovey new neighbours, Jeff and Steph (Thomas and Foster). Keeping everything extra-cosy, both guys car pool to the high school where Eddie teaches history and Jeff is the new vice-principal. But, mostly, Eddie sees himself as Jeff's mentor, offering cynical, sarcastic marital advice like, "Men want to have fun, and wives want to walk that fun deep into the woods and shoot it dead.'' The romantic naif Jeff isn't buying most of it, but the comedy of 'Til Death comes from the fact that, much of the time, Eddie is embracing his misery with Joy voluntarily and, also, from the fact that, sometimes, his bleak assessments are right on the mark.
Who: Gale Harold, Ming-Na, John Allen Nelson, Joanne Kelly, Rebecca Gayheart, Margarita Levieva, John Patrick Amedori, Chris Egan, Robert Hoffman, Penelope Ann Miller.
Why: Every viewer can understand the pain of losing a loved one. And (providing she isn't theirs) most viewers love the idea of a wife with a questionable past.
How: Georgia Sen. Collins (Nelson) is beside himself instead of his wife when she disappears from under his nose (and that of 500 others in a hotel ballroom) during a gala dinner held in her honour. FBI Agent Graham Kelton (Harold) is brought in to lead the investigation.
He and the senator immediately clash. Adding to the tasty mix, Collins has a rebellious teenage daughter who's hooked up with a shifty boyfriend. And Sara (Kelly) turns out to have a suspicious past, plus a previously unknown bond with Collins' first wife, who hates him.
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