When you combine the charming, pull out all the stops attitude of Peter Bash with the witty, fight for the little guy mentality of Jared Franklin, you get Franklin & Bash, TNT’s newest team of legal eagles. Lawyer dramas like Law and Order have long provided us with a serious take on the legal system and what goes down in the courtroom, but this new comedy duo has come to shake things up. It’s nice to see a show about lawyers with a strong sense of humor, though at times Franklin & Bash tries too hard to be funny.
The series starts off with Franklin (Road Trip’s Breckin Meyer) and Bash (Mark Paul-Gosselaar, aka Zach Morris from Saved By the Bell) working together as an independent law practice with the catchy slogan, “We’ve got your back.” They are borderline ambulance chasers until their outrageous courtroom antics catch the eye of big-time attorney Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell), who sees in the pair a younger version of himself. Upon being hired to the firm, Franklin and Bash immediately make their presence felt, much to the dismay of Infeld’s nephew, Damien Karp (Reed Diamond), who prefers the firm’s lawyers maintain a serious demeanor. The considerably different characters clash early on, as Franklin and Bash refuse to sell out for large profits (as Damien is willing to do).
In the courtroom, you can bet the irreverent lawyers have some sort of trick up their sleeve, including (but not limited to) using an attractive woman as a distraction and making out with a witness to prove a point. Nothing is too off the wall for this ambitious pair.
Peter Bash is a handsome bachelor who makes no attempt to disguise his playboy mentality around the workplace, and he brings a charming confidence that enables him to stretch the legal limits in the courtroom. The wisecracking (to the point that it becomes annoying) Jared Franklin is always willing to dig to the root of a case to expose his client’s accuser. He’ll also make a mockery out of the courtroom if necessary in the service of presenting a solid argument. When they aren’t busy making jokes or fighting for their underdog clients, Franklin and Bash are usually playing host to a wild house party or eating at a Los Angeles diner (which becomes familiar landmark in the show).
The stars receive help from a diverse supporting case, including Dana Davis as tough and sassy legal adviser Carmen Phillips, and Kumail Najiani as the socially awkward yet brilliant Pindar Singh, who serves as writer and researcher for the legal team. I found Malcolm McDowell’s character to be pivotal to the show’s success. A funny and bizarre old man with strong moral convictions and an Asian fetish, Infeld retains a great deal of wisdom from his many years in the legal profession. The show also benefits from strong cameo appearances from the likes of Jason Alexander and James Vanderbeek, among a few others.
It’s almost like. Although the cases generally take some sort of twist or turn in each episode, I have doubts about the show’s sustainability. Because it is such a feel-good show (think Law and Order meets Entourage), the endings become too predictable. If I had one overall suggestion for the writers, it would be for the Jared Franklin character to tone it down a bit with his rapid-fire smart-ass comments. In fact, they could take the whole show down a notch.
As it is, it seems like Franklin & Bash is trying a little too hard.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This review is the last piece by CL spring intern Tony Allen. We enjoyed having Tony on the team and wish him the best of luck in school and in future endeavors. You can check out Tony’s sports writing for USF’s The Oracle by clicking here.
This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2011.