Grey's Anatomy invades the courtroom.
Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of the first episode of Doubt, which premieres Wednesday night on CBS.
Doubt is sure to invite all sorts of comparisons to the mega-popular ABC series Grey's Anatomy, and not just because it features Katherine Heigl in one of her first primetime TV roles since her acrimonious departure from that series - if you don't remember State of Affairs, we don't blame you. Doubt really does come across like the courtroom equivalent of Grey's Anatomy. But while there's a slick, comfortable quality to the show right out of the gate, it doesn't do much to actually get viewers invested in its main characters. It's a series that could stand to to rethink its approach.
The Grey's similarities aren't at all surprising given that showrunners Tony Phelan and Joan Rater previously cut their teeth in Shondaland. They've basically recreated the same exact formula here, swapping out horny, attractive, workaholic surgeons for horny, attractive, workaholic lawyers. Heigl stars as Sadie Ellis, a talented, highly aggressive lawyer prone to waxing philosophical about the job. Thankfully, the show at least does away with the insufferable narration that plagues every episode of Grey's. Sadie's McDreamy is Billy Brennan (Rescue Me's Steven Pasquale), a rich, handsome doctor whom she also happens to be defending in a high-profile murder trial. The series also focuses on Sadie's colleagues Albert Cobb (The West Wing and Psych's Dulé Hill) and Cameron Wirth (Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox) and boss Isaiah Roth (Ray Donovan and Ocean's 11's Elliot Gould).
Doubt is nothing if not energetic and easily digestible. The first episode hums along as it bounces between Sadie and Cameron's parallel cases, finding ample time for personal drama amid the courtroom squabbles. The performances are generally strong, as well. There's certainly no fault to be found in Gould's work, as he brings his usual sense of class to every scene in which he appears (which, sadly, is not as often as he deserves). And Heigl has a certain innate intensity that serves her well in the role of a ruthless, passionate defense attorney. But perhaps the show's biggest flaw (aside from the blatant Grey's similarities that I'll return to in a minute), is that Sadie and Billy are easily the two least compelling characters on the show. Heigl and Pasquale have little chemistry, and their burgeoning romance feels pretty tepid despite its forbidden fruit quality. Heigl may fit the part as Sadie, but the writing only takes that character so far. And Brennan is surprisingly bland and forgettable for a character facing a long prison sentence.
Frankly, Hill and Cox practically steal the show out from under Heigl. Hill's Albert Cobb has an easy, effortless charm, and his struggles to balance his professional and personal lives give the character a flavor Sadie generally lacks. As for Cox, she brings a palpable spark to the screen in her various scenes. Not only is Cam a more flawed and fatigued character than Sadie, her own murder case is far more interesting. That's to say nothing of Cam's struggles as a transgender woman in a terribly cutthroat business. If Phelan and Rater wanted this series to stand out, why not frame Doubt specifically around Cam?
But standing out is something Doubt has serious issues with. I hate to keep coming back to the Grey's Anatomy comparisons, but the pilot makes them impossible to avoid. Doubt feels so similar to that series in tone and execution that it might as well be a direct spinoff. Even the music - a combination of upbeat cues punctuating the legal squabbling and a handful of mellow pop singles - is cut from the same exact cloth. I give the show five episodes before it finds a way to work The Fray's "How to Save a Life" into the mix. The similarities become even more blatant near the end, as it becomes clear just how much Sadie's personal life and family history are meant to mirror Meredith Grey's. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Doubt seems intent on drowning its inspiration in praise.
All of this proves frustrating because it's so obvious that Doubt could accomplish more with a little extra ambition. It features a few genuinely compelling characters, and occasionally it shows a wit all its own. The real standout scene in this first episode comes when a mischievous judge forces Cam and her prosecutor colleague to role-play as each other while they argue their positions. It's a funny scene, and one that suggests all the more that Doubt is focusing on the wrong main character.
The Verdict
Doubt is a slick, attractive legal drama that Grey's Anatomy fans will either eat up or shun depending how much the similarities between the two shows bother them. But while Katherine Heigl is a natural fit for the lead role, the show is generally at its best when it focuses on Laverne Cox and Dulé Hill's characters instead. Perhaps this legal team needs a different lead counsel?
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire