Close to Home

I keep waiting for this show to turn into something worthwhile. It has a fine cast, fairly decent plot ideas, and deals with popular subject matter -- but continues to have no character development, plot holes large enough to drive a Mac truck through, and dialogue that falls flat. Since somebody went to the trouble to move it into a slightly more promising time slot (sure, Friday nights stink -- but not as badly as opposite Law and Order: SVU when you're going for the same audience!), I sure hope they go to the trouble to find some decent writers. It might also behoove them to get some legal advice. There is generally at least one large legal error in each script -- unforgivable, when dealing with an audience that considers itself fairly sophisticated.

This show is designed for a classic CBS audience, the same audience that watched Murder She Wrote and Cold Case. Unfortunately, it will have to improve greatly to maintain that audience.

After watching the pilot of this TV show, I'm convinced that CBS have a winner on their hands. The lead character, Annabeth Chase, played by the talented Jennifer Finnigan, is portrayed as a realistic working mum. On her first day back at work, she has to deal with a difficult case and also her emotions regarding her baby whom she misses. She's also unyielding in her resolve to bring the perpetrator of a heinous crime to justice and Finnigan plays Annabeth with a wealth of fiery passion that is lacking in most other shows on air at the moment.

Though it feels at times that it might be bordering on melodrama, it never crosses the line. The writing for this pilot was top-notch and though there is always room for improvement, it was a delight and a breath of fresh air. I hope this series will be picked up for a full season by CBS because it would be a waste should it be cancelled.

After just seeing the first episode of this new court/law drama "Close to home" I can see it becoming a hit! It reminds me of years ago after watching the first episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" the WOW factor was huge with this and that show! The opening scene was VERY impressive, the middle of the show was Great and the ending was perfect! The cinematography is very wonderful and keeps it fresh and the story is well done.

The characters are very likable. Starring Jennifer Finnigan (Commited) as Assistant DA, and John Carroll Lynch (Drew Careys brother on "The Drew Carey show") and Kimberly Elise (John Q). The cast is experienced and they act well in this show.

Close to Home is yet another great show from the CBS network and I will be watching it every chance I get! 5 Stars out of 5!

EDIT & UPDATE: Unfortunately since I wrote this review on October 4th 2005, Close to Home has gone down the toilet. Mainly with a bad time slot that usually competed with other shows people watch. Effect May 15 2007 it seems that CBS has pulled the plug on this show. Too bad, it was pretty good, the episodes I did watch anyway.

Aren't there any writers out there who can come up with an original thought. This show is a rehash of so many other legal and cop shows using the same old scenarios. Tonight's was really original. A gang leader was on trial and the gang was threatening one of the witnesses. Gee that was really a first. Then the prosecuting attorney's child is missing from the school ground. Did the gang steal her - You think!? Is the "Bad" defending attorney in on the plot to eliminate witnesses? You think!? How boring. An hour I can never get back (actually 45 minutes - I turned it off) I would give this show a couple of more episodes and then it's off to the world of "My Mother, The Car" Look that one up folks. It was almost as plausible as "Close to Home"

This show is the most poorly produced/directed program to show up on a major network in years! All the hollow actors speak in monotones and appear to be reading their lines. The script is so dumb as to make you question whether this is not a satire from a certain late Saturday night program.

Our group, who watched it for the first time, endured 30 minutes before deciding it was indeed a serious attempt at entertainment but absolutely unwatchable. Click! How has Close to Home survived this long?

How can a program this bad survive this long? The American public may soon discover that reading books is preferable to this garbage.