Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2010-11 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at NBC's two year legal dramedy Harry's Law!
The Details:
Premiered: January 17, 2011 on NBC
Starring: Kathy Bates, Nate Corddry, Brittany Snow, Aml Ameen
Created by: David E. Kelley
What I Thought Then:
"It's no surprise that Kathy Bates is the standout of the show. Bates has a commanding presence in every role she's in and this is no different."
"I'm a big fan of Brittany Snow who plays ditzy assistant Jenna, but she needs some better lines."
"Harry's Law had some strong courtroom moments, particularly when Bates is speaking even though it came close to being preachy."
"It's worth coming back just for (Kathy Bates) with the hope that the supporting cast and writing can find its footing."
What Others Said:
"Kathy Bates is just the person to deliver David E. Kelley's tart dialogue, and he surrounds her with enough quirky characters to make this Cincinnati-set spiritual companion to Boston Legal a breezy diversion." - Brian Lowry, Variety
"For all its flaws, there's something attractively amiable about Harry's Law. A little more grit, a little less speechifying, and a better verdict might yet arrive." - Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times
"For all its flaws, there's something attractively amiable about Harry's Law. A little more grit, a little less speechifying, and a better verdict might yet arrive." - Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times
"When the balance is off, as it is too frequently in Harry's Law, it undermines credibility. Bates is almost capable of making us overlook some of the show's problems." - David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
"It's a lead performance that's completely at odds with the tone of the rest of the show, and one that makes all the other goofy things even more uncomfortable than usual." - Alan Sepinwall, HitFix
"David E. Kelley hits rock bottom in the derivative courtroom cartoon Harry's Law, which makes last fall's defunct and equally ridiculous Outlaw look as noble as The West Wing." - Matt Roush, TV Guide
What I Think Now:
I think Harry's Law is a good example of how my TV tastes have evolved when it comes to dramas. I feel as though I've had good discernment of TV comedies back to my childhood (thanks Nick at Nite) but I will admit, my drama tastes were pretty limited until about 5-10 years ago. So when I watched a show like Harry's Law, I thought things like "wow, Kathy Bates is amazing" or "this show is so quirky and fun." I'm not saying that Kathy Bates isn't great in this role, she does single handedly elevate this material. And I'm not saying the show isn't quirky or fun because it can be both of those things. But I'm less impressed by it now because I've since watched shows I could have been watching at the time Harry's Law was on like Mad Men and Breaking Bad to name just a couple. I think I knew it wasn't perfect but I maybe didn't know what perfect looked like. I do still think this was better than your average network procedural. It has a charm and quirkiness that many network procedurals do not. It felt goofy and it wasn't taking itself too seriously. I think a lot of that was the David E. Kelley influence. It had his writing style, at least at the time before he got more into the melodrama of shows like Big Little Lies and The Undoing. The cast was strong across the board. Bates was of course the standout and brought gravitas that really helped elevate the show. I think this is the most I've ever liked Nate Corddry in something and Brittany Snow is charming as usual even if the show didn't know how to use her. So I think Harry's Law was a solid show but it was still a network procedural at the end of the day and that made its strength limited.
What Happened to the Show:
Midway through the 2010-11 season, NBC was in very dire shape. This was about a year after the Jay Leno 10pm debacle and a few months before The Voice started to turn around their fortunes. NBC had a terrible fall for their new shows and here came this little legal drama so expectations were low even with Kathy Bates starring and David E. Kelley writing. The reviews were not positive (48 on Metacritic) so there was very little expectation that it would be anything other than another bomb for NBC. It surprised when it premiered in January 2011 with an old skewing demo but higher viewer totals than pretty much everything else on NBC at the time besides football. Although it felt like a CBS drama with its skew and high total viewer count, NBC was happy with it and easily renewed it for a second season while Bates earned a surprise Emmy nomination for the show. In its second season, it aired on Wednesdays at 9pm against hits Modern Family, Criminal Minds and the new The X-Factor. The show skewed even older and the viewer total wasn't as impressive though it still wasn't bad. NBC cancelled the series after two seasons and 34 episodes. It was a great case study in how much the demo mattered vs. total viewers at the time. The demo weakness ultimately triumphed though the total viewers count kept it afloat for awhile. Bates of course returned to network TV and the legal procedural world in 2024 with her acclaimed turn (and another Emmy nomination) in Matlock on CBS.
Final Episode: May 27, 2012
Episode Count: 34
Where to Watch: Not currently available to stream anywhere
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work at Benjamonster's TV!
