Fairly Legal

A legal drama that's not a legal drama? Kate Reed is an ex-lawyer who's now a "mediator" - a kind of referee for disputes out of court (as she demonstrates in an amusing scene in the pilot where she mediates between an armed robber and a coffee shop owner).

The show is well cast and filmed with real quality and an eye for both visual appeal and new techniques (watch out for the "un-steady cam) that makes a refreshing change - and of course it always helps if your main character is a 4 alarm fire.

Shows real promise and you'll want to know more about the characters. Let's hope they run with it.

As a lighter-than-popcorn time filler on the USA network, the only real reason to watch Fairly Legal is the very charming performance of lead actress Sarah Shahi. Shahi is effervescent, stunningly beautiful and possesses a traffic-stopping figure. In season 2 her character, Kate Reed, has deepened slightly emotionally and Shahi has been able to amp up her intelligent performance as well. Actor Ryan Johnson has been added to the cast in Season 2 as Ben Grogan, a smart alecky law partner and snark counterpart to Shahi. It could be a fruitful and amusing relationship once the writers shake the bugs out. Baron Vaughan, as Kate's assistant Leonardo, is still an annoying presence and could be written out with no appreciable loss to the show. Michael Trucco plays Kate's estranged husband Justin and that relationship also grows wearisome. He's a good actor in the thankless part of whipping boy and deserves a shot in another series. I hope he gets it. The only other reason to tune in is the occasional appearance of Kate's nemesis/stepmother/law partner Lauren Reed, played by Virginia Williams. Reed/Williams is memorable for a joyously eye-catching ability to sashay,saunter and slink while wearing the tightest dresses ever seen on television. If the writers allow Kate to continue her growth while making room for Grogan--and keeps Reed in those dresses, this could be a series that goes for the standard 5 year USA network run. I promise to make time.

Fairly Legal is a new show with a lot of potential for a few season run. This show focuses upon court ordered mediation and in particular the young woman who is assigned by the court to settle disputes between parties before they get to the formality of trial.

Sarah Shahi plays a perky and quirky former attorney who steps down a bit in the legal food chain to take on the job. She has the notion that things be kept on an informal basis, it makes life and the consequences for the parties involved a whole lot easier.

The show has a nice Ally McBeal feel to it. Showing up in a few episodes is Gerald McRaney as a judge. I liked his character and hope to see more of him.

I'd give this show a look.

I liked Fairly Legal at the beginning, but after a few episodes, Sarah's character started to annoy me. She is bossy, slightly rude, thinks she's seen it all, knows it all and has an answer to everything, and patronising at times also. "I can solve everything and listen to me, shut up, do this, don't do that, etc" and her own life is a mess with conflicts with everyone in her life... Also, I find some plots uninteresting and the humour at times really falls flat. The idea of the show is quite good, and it started well but went downhill I think, mainly because her character is not likable enough and plots are not very well thought or covered. Shame.

I really enjoy this show because it's fresh and witty! Every Thursday I look forward to watching it and laugh at the no-nonsense approach that Kate displays with some of her clients. Mediaition is brought to a new level as she doesn't intimidate but steers people in a logical approach. One of my favorite lines was her pointing out that these two guys were possibly going to get beat-up or killed even "over what?? a cup of coffee??" I like her personality and because it's really new and fresh I feel that the writers are even looking for a way to show people some alternatives to murder and mayhem. Kate's assistant Leo is sharp as a tack and hilarious! Justin is just plain adorable and everything gels!! Keep up the good work! You have a fan in me!! I can only say I hope you all see a very long run with this one!