Raising the Bar: The Complete First Season

This TNT legal drama lacks the punch of creator Steven Bochco's earlier successes, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, but maybe he's played out with courtroom capers, or maybe David E. Kelley has milked the genre dry with entries like Boston Legal and The Practice. Whatever the reason, Raising the Bar suffers from a surfeit of overly familiar themes, situations, and character types. Witness Jerry Kellerman (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a passionate public defender who's not afraid to end up in contempt of court when he thinks his clients are being railroaded. Or Judge Kessler (Jane Kaczmarek), the mature, no-nonsense jurist who has grudging respect for him. Or Michelle (Melissa Sagemiller), Jerry's old pal in the D.A.'s office, who is often required to prosecute cases she finds uncomfortable. In the strongest of the 2008 season's 10 episodes, “Guatemala Gulfstream,” Jerry defends an accused murderer whose fate depends on locating an eyewitness who may be in Guatemala. In “I Will, I Will,” Judge Kessler loses patience with Jerry's antics as he represents a mentally ill client. Jerry's associate Bobbi (Natalia Cigliuti), a minor character, grabs the spotlight in “Bagels and Locks,” defending a seemingly normal family man charged with heroin possession. Several times during the first season, Kellerman's emotions so threaten to run away with him that cool-headed colleague Nick Balco (Currie Graham) is forced to take over his cases. The acting, writing, and direction are all fine—better than fine, in many cases—although the show ultimately fails to breathe new life into moribund plot conventions. DVD extras include audio commentaries, a staff roundtable discussion, bloopers, and the featurette “Sworn Testimony: True Stories of a Public Defender.” Optional. (E. Hulse)