Another good series bit the dust. In one of her recent tweets, Kathy Bates (Harry Korn) announced that Harry's Law would not be coming back for a third season. What a dumb move.
Harry's Law is--or, was-- NBC's latest legal drama-comedy (or, dramedy) created by David E. Kelly, who is the master mind behind the whole string of legal dramas we've seen so far on TV (The Practice, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal). It features an Oscar-winning actress Bates as the House, or the Sheldon, or the Barney, of the series, and a bunch of new faces, such as Brittany Snow (Jenna Backstorm), Nathan Corddry (Adam Branch) and Christopher McDonald (Tommy Jefferson). The first season comprises of thirteen episodes, which essentially tells a transition story of bored-to-death, former-patent-lawyer Korn opening up her own shoe-store-cum-law-practice in one ghetto neighbourhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Granted Korn falls short of the magnetic charisma of House or Sheldon in their respective series, but nonetheless, Bates' portrayal of the curmudgeon lawyer who has a penchant for shooting quails is pretty delightful.
At the start of the second season, the show decided to toss up its cast by dropping Snow and Aml Ameen (Malcolm Davies) and introducing other new pretty (perhaps prettier?) faces, namely Karen Olivo (Cassie Reynolds), Mark Valley (Olli Richard), and from episode 16 onwards, Justine Lupe (Phoebe Blake). All of these aimed at bringing in more younger viewers, which the show desperately needed. Apparently in the US the deciding demographic that determines whether a show remains on the air is that of 18-49. It has something to do with the idea of it being the age group with has the most purchasing power, and since the network gets its money through its ads spaces, the higher the 18-49 ratings, the more willing the ads companies are to pay a higher price for the spaces, and therefore the more likely that a show would remain on the air.
Sadly for Harry's Law, despite being the most viewed scripted show on NBC, pulling in an average of seven to eight millions viewers each week, and despite Bates' obtaining an Emmy nomination and Paul McCrane's (Puck Peyton) winning an Emmy for their respective performance in the first season, the 18-49 ratings have not improved enough to keep it on the air. Most of Harry's Law's loyal followers happen to be older.
It is sad because I actually think that this is a good show, and not in anyway worse than the fas-and-critic-favourite The Good Wife (which Raj once mentions in TBBT as his new Grey's Anatomy)--although I have to say Harry's Law's attempts to appeal to the 18-49 demographic have been so in-your-face, that sometimes it is ridiculous, if not patronising. It is definitely much better than Shonda Rhimes' latest baby Scandal.
In the episode The Contest, Korn told Branch that: "And you know what else? I may be sixty, I may be short, but I'm damn hot! I sizzle in fact! And I want to win this competition. May be the equivalent to lawyers' wet T-shirt contest? I don't care. I want to get the news out there. The law offices of Harry Korn: we're sexy, we're hip, and we're hot!" after previously commenting that the 'people' think that they're 'fuddy-duddy'.
In the last episode The Whole Truth, in a scene where Korn is forced to get out of bed at 6 a.m. (what's the purpose of this scene?), she grumbled: "It sucks getting old. I miss the time when I was in the age of eighteen and forty nine." Also, in a concluding scene of this episode, where Korn, Jefferson, Branch and Blake were sitting together drinking, Korn commented "Some days I don't know whether I'm gonna make it, but today... *one by one they held each others hands* *cue music with lyrics: /cause you're all I need/and I can't do this alone/stay with me/stay with me*".
Nonetheless, it is really sad that the show is almost over. There were some really great highlights, such as: Jean Smart (Rosseana Remmick) being the draconian DA we all love to hate, the testimony in Sins of the Father which led the judge to declare prosecutorial misconduct, the cross-examination by Korn in Purple Hearts which stirred a confession from a nurse for a murder of a baby, and the Jefferson's auto-tuned version of a confession which he sneakily caught on tape. The show combines a healthy dose of lightheartedness with moments of moralising which give us the much-needed catharsis at the end of the episodes.
Of course, Kelley could have developed the character better, especially in the second season where more characters are introduced to the main cast, and there are times where I felt that the episodes abruptly ended where it did not feel like it was supposed to end there, but no show is perfect (with an exception of Grey's, TBBT and Modern Family), and I thought--and think--NBC should have given Harry's Law another shot, and instead of focusing so much on the 18-49 ratings. RIP Harry's Law. Can't wait for season finale next week!
Of course, Kelley could have developed the character better, especially in the second season where more characters are introduced to the main cast, and there are times where I felt that the episodes abruptly ended where it did not feel like it was supposed to end there, but no show is perfect (with an exception of Grey's, TBBT and Modern Family), and I thought--and think--NBC should have given Harry's Law another shot, and instead of focusing so much on the 18-49 ratings. RIP Harry's Law. Can't wait for season finale next week!
