jameswoods

(S01E12) After the last episode's hyper-ballistic antics, I looked forward to seeing Shark's return to good old psychological terror. Billy Campbell (The 4400), still sporting most of the beard and flowing Jesus-locks he grew on his round-the-world sailing trip a year or two ago, guest stars as serial killer Wayne. He is a more formidable villain than we've seen Stark face before. Don't even talk to me about that fizzle of an international arms dealer: the unfortunately-named Khan.

Anyway, sociopathic Wayne chooses to defends himself at trial, which puts his single surviving victim in the terrible position of being cross-examined by her own tormentor. That has happened in a few notable real-world cases, and probably a dozen Law and Order episodes, but it's an intense dilemma worthy enough of a go-around here.

(S01E11) Well, we finally found out what (other than banging Madeleine, of course) Casey is good for. Kidnap-bait. Casey gets kidnapped by an international arms merchant. Stark and the rest of the gang channel Jack Bauer and CTU for an episode. Sort of. There are government agency turf wars, planes that can' t be allowed to leave Los Angeles, international arms deals galore, and that's all before the opening credits. It's a change of pace certainly, for our team of criminal trial lawyers.

L.A. is not quite under the threat of imminent annihilation, but Stark does note that a well-known rap group was blown up a month ago in their SUV. This attack was possibly caused, says Stark, by "plastique and Taliban surplus weapons" supplied to L.A. street gangs by this Khan fellow. Yeah, those high-grade weapons the Taliban aren't using just now and smuggled out of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region where bin Laden is hiding to airdrop on Malibu. Khhhaaaaaan!!

(S01E10) Instead of a friend or former associate of Stark's, it's a friend of Jessica's that is involved in a crime this time. The "mother" of title is played by Jamie Gertz who does a good job, playing a mother with more than her share of secrets. The crime has Stark a bit miffed at first, as he doesn't feel it has enough of a high profile angle for his elite prosecutorial unit.

On the home front, Stark is dealing with Julie's recent overnight stay with her boyfriend, Eddie. Or not dealing with actually, and giving his daughter what she calls "the whole passive aggressive treatment."

(S01E09) Anyone not too stuffed on turkey and passed out by early-evening got the chance to see Sebastian Stark search for the murderer of one of his own, when an A.D.A. is gunned down, alongside a woman not his wife.

When he gets the call, err ... the text message, Stark is out trying to convince his daughter Julie to let him buy her a $2000 dress for some event Julie's not that shallow, but it does beg the question: how is Stark managing to maintain his lifestyle on a Los Angeles County salary? Ah, never mind, Stark's hardly the first television character to live beyond his means. Maybe he invests well.

(S01E08) Henry Simmons returns as Isaac finally, and it's probably a good idea that they delayed bringing him back until now. For whatever reason this was done, it did give some of the other series regulars a chance to establish themselves.

Stark likes him, seeing in Isaac someone like himself maybe. Impulsive, but smart and committed. Since Stark's first job offer, Isaac's been working security for a wealthy rapper who happens to be a total jerk, so after Isaac inquires about the county's dental plan, he's on board with Stark.

(S01E07) A complicated case this week with some Cold Case touches. Stark has to prosecute a kidnapping and child murder similar to one he defended a man against many years before. Stark lost that case, and maybe Jess convicted the wrong person. What?!?! Sebastian "I never lose" Stark once lost a case?

Anyway it's a good way to put Stark and Jess more directly involved with each other, even if it Jess's part in the wrong conviction would initially seem to leave Jeri Ryan an even lower-than-average likelihood of cracking a smile.

(S01E06) The best part of this episode was seeing Stark operate in Shark-mode in advising his daughter how to deal with her school even after she's admitted her guilt. This is good meaty territory for Woods to explore his character. Stark still thinks the best way he can demonstrate fatherhood skills is to fall back on his professional skills. He has got a disconnect in terms of when it's okay to lie, that doesn't go unnoticed by Julie. Stark likes to believe the line is wherever he wants it to be. As he later tells Martin: "If it were a crime to be rich and hypocritical, they would have locked me up years ago."

On the heels of news that both 7th Heaven and The Game were given full season orders comes news that CBS' Shark, with James Woods as a hotshot lawyer, has been given a full season as well. The most recent episode got the series best ratings yet.

This reminded me that CBS only put four new shows on their lineup this fall. Jericho and Shark have gotten full season orders, nothing has been said about The Class yet, and Smith was canceled only after a few episodes.

[via TV Tattle]

(S01E05) Little by little, this show is growing on me, especially the last couple weeks when they've decided to stretch out of the initial formula a bit more. Stark has the stones to call in a football bet to his bookie before actually jumping into the case of the three (maybe two) college football rapists, which was a characteristically accurate touch for this lawyer for whom winning is everything.

(S01E04) The Russo of the title is Harry Russo, an shady private eye and former associate of Stark, who becomes the focus of a murder investigation. Stark's boss Jess Devlin (Jeri Ryan) hates Russo. Stark seems to have a grudging respect for him, or at least him sees the situation as more complex than his boss does. For some reason we have to be told twice, in two close-together scenes, that "every lawyer in town -- not just Stark -- hires private eyes." That's important evidently.

The great William Forsythe, classic bad-guy character actor, guest-stars as Russo. He and James Woods perform well together, and have good chemistry. Russo even makes at joking-stab at getting Stark to get him on the county payroll, but that's dicey given Russo's separate grand jury and murder investigation troubles. I'm still holding out hope that Stark's still keeping that position open for Henry Simmons.

(S01E03) The wife of a prominent heart surgeon goes missing and Sebastian Stark's "High Profile Crimes Unit" is on the case. Jeri Ryan as D.A. Devilin is discovered to have sweeping legal powers, when we see her vouch for Stark, who's allowed to set off the metal detector at the courthouse without being searched by deputies, or even take off his big fat Rolex. She'd be handy to have around at the airport.

(S01E02) This opens with a game of Texas Hold'em -- James Woods' character Sebastian Stark seems to enjoy playing poker as much as the actor himself does. Then it occurs to me, maybe a show about a poker-playing actor would have been a better idea (it's only been done a couple times) rather than what this is -- another legal drama.

The case this time involves a murdered cop -- and a chance for new prosecutor Stark to enhance his reputation with the police department following his years as a high-profile defense attorney, which is a good idea for a story, so I've got high hopes starting out. However ...

(S01E01) The premise here is that a high-priced defense attorney grows a conscience and heads up an new unit of the prosecutor's office to convict high-profile (read rich and/or famous) criminals. This set-up is dispensed with in a couple short scenes so we can get on with it. I appreciated that. There's also a subplot with Sebastian Stark (James Woods) learning to feel and become a better father to his daughter. Squeeze in a couple scenes to establish Jessica Devlin (Jeri Ryan) as a no-nonsense D.A. who is doubtful about having Stark in her department. Then add in four or five difficult-to-distinguish attractive young associates to complete Stark's team, and even before we get to his first case, the one-hour pilot is packed full of character types we've seen in prime time many times before.

Having read or seen next to nothing about this show -- only that it stars one of my favorite actors, James Woods (stepping away from the Hold'em table) and involves lawyering -- I found my excitement-level raise immediately in the opening scene when the action cuts away from Woods' closing arguments in a trial, to Jeri Ryan rolling her eyes at him in the courtroom audience. She plays District Attorney Jessica Devlin. Okay, I'm in for now.

Woods plays Sebastian Stark. That's Stark, not Shark. Don't call him "the Shark" he hates that, at least that's what he says, although there's evidence to the contrary too. Not unexpectedly, Stark is in love with himself, and has mad skills at getting the rich and famous off the hook. Shark the series has a "what-if" premise. What if a high-priced defense lawyer had a crisis of conscience and decided to become a prosecutor? (Slight spoilers after the jump.)

Ah, the Internet. With so much television content going over to the World Wide Web these days in the form of downloadable episodes or special features, it isn't surprising that the networks are offering previews of their new fall programming.

While FOX and The CW offer synopses of the new fall entries, CBS, ABC and NBC are offering video clips of all their new programming. Over at CBS, the previews of Jericho and James Woods' Shark look promising (although Jericho seems like Invasion) while Ray Liotta's heist drama Smith seemed to be Heist and Thief combined.