Pilot Watch: 'Outlaw'

From now through August, we're going to be taking a quick look at the fall and mid-season pilots that the networks sent to critics after their upfront presentations.

Keep in mind that in each case, our opinions are based on a pilot that could be completely recast and reworked between now and the fall.

Show: 'Outlaw'
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Fridays, 10PM ET

The lowdown: Cyrus Garza (Jimmy Smits) isn't your typical Supreme Court justice; he gambles, womanizes, and has a more public persona than any justice has ever had. He's also very conservative, a position that's been wavering ever since the death of his activist father. While ruling on a death penalty case, Garza abruptly quits the court and starts fighting for the cases just like the one he ruled on... in fact, that convict's plight is his first case.

What we're saying: I've always liked Jimmy Smits, going back to his days as Victor Sifuentes on 'L.A. Law.' He brings a degree of dignity to whatever role he plays, and makes you want to root for the character to succeed. In 'Outlaw,' it's no different; Smits is a few years older, a bit paunchier and with some graying temples, but that only lends the character of Justice Garza an air of distinguished authority that makes you believe he can win any case with his deep knowledge of constitutional precedents and the penal code.

But even the presence of Smits can't rise above the eye-rolling premise of the pilot. Garza seems to be able to work on the case he just ruled on with impunity, addressing the obvious ethical breach by brazenly saying to his co-attorney Al (David Ramsey), "Let the bar come after me." The legal team consists of a Eddie (Jesse Bradford), a Harvard grad who makes Antonin Scalia look like a bleeding-heart; Lucinda (Carly Pope), an in-your-face P.I. who gets info by flashing her boobs and telling people she's bisexual; and Mereta (Ellen Woglom), who's so earnest that she actually has a crush on Garza despite all of his faults.

For 'Outlaw' to succeed, even in a low-pressure Friday slot, it needs to give its audience more credit than the pilot demonstrates. Garza needs to run into some legal trouble and go through a possible disbarment for this premise to work. And, the cast around Smits needs to step up their games, because right now, they're caricatures instead of characters. Smits deserves a better vehicle for his talents, and so far, 'Outlaw' doesn't look like it's one of those vehicles.

Here's a preview:



Tell us what you think. Is it good to see Smits back in the courtroom?