Close to Home

I watched an episode of this last night, the only episode I will be watching and from the beginning it didn't flow right. The lead-in to the case was good, but from there it took a swan-dive and did a delightful belly-flop.

I think it extremely unlikely that a prosecutor with a supposedly strong case would throw the entire case away by questioning a suspect after a request for an attorney has been made. Everything from there on became what is referred to as "Fruit from the Poisoned tree". Her whole case was based on this evidence, which when it came to arraignment was thrown out, except for ONE single piece of evidence which they obtained through a "seperate investigation". The last time I looked a single piece of evidence which proves intent, doesn't necessarily go beyond reasonable doubt.

The main character Annabeth, appears to be written as a smartly intuitive prosecutor, who can clearly tell when a suspect wants to confess, but it appeared that once the writers got that far, they didn't know what to do next.

The dialogue in it was wooden, certainly the supervisor in the Prosecutor's office appeared so wooden, he either grew on the spot or was poured from a concrete mould.

It's certainly not the edgy drama with an aggressive lawyer that it was touted as, it's a lightweight trying to punch well-above its weight and it's leading with its chin.

Annabeth Chase (Jennifer Finnigan) is a suburban wife and an aggressive prosecutor with a perfect record. She is a new mom returning to work. Maureen Scofield (Kimberly Elise) climbs over her to be her new boss. Her husband Jack Chase (Christian Kane) is killed off at the end of the first season.

This is a crime legal procedural. It started with an interesting secondary home life story. Jennifer Finnigan is likable and compelling. Maybe it didn't gel for the writers. There is a massive overhaul for season 2. The first season seems to work well but maybe there were problems behind the scenes. Sadly it never took off. The changeover did nothing but cause disruptions. Finnigan was left to struggle by herself and the show got canceled after 2 seasons.

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.

The fatal flaw in this show is that it does not even come close to accurately representing the criminal justice process. "Law & Order" remains the most accurate representation (though not perfect) of the procedural aspects of a criminal investigation and prosecution, albeit abbreviated. The first (and last) episode of "Close to Home" I watched last night (abusive husband who locks family in house) was ridiculously inaccurate.

1. Mom can't refuse to testify; 2. Mom can't prevent kids from testifying; 3. Recalcitrant witness (Mom) would be forced to testify and impeached with her original statements to police and D.A.; 4. Depositions are not taken in criminal proceedings; 5. Witness testimony is not excluded for failure to take deposition (see No. 3 above); 6. Prosecutors do not have perfect records, unless they cherry pick their cases, and even then, not likely; 7. Prosecutors with THAT solid of a case (such as last night's episode) do not plea bargain on threat of appeal by defense attorney; 8. Defense attorneys do not get to decide on whether to accept the plea deal. The defendant is the ONLY party that can accept or reject. Defense attorney is required to relay the offer (whether he/she agrees with it or not) and let the client decide. Last night's episode implied that defendant (husband) was convicted on his attorney's decision.

Yes, I realize it's a television show, but to wholly make up procedures and processes for the sake of drama is not necessary. The story last night was a great idea, and "Law & Order" would have done it justice without all of the fantasy. If this were a fantasy show, then I could accept the premise. However when the premise is "real life," then it falls flat.

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.