Made in Jersey

Normally I don't care for TV legal dramas. They're well written, but not all that interesting to me, unless it's an aspect on the "Law & Order" shows. However, I decided to give the fish-out-of-water "Made In Jersey" a chance. Besides, I was a background actor in the pilot and another episode.

However, neither the TV network nor audiences gave it a chance, having aired only two episodes.

By chance any new episodes air on Saturdays or the show ends up on a Made-On-Demand DVD box set, the premise involves former Trenton prosecutor Martina Garretti (Brit Janet Montgomery of "Our Idiot Brother" and "Human Target", nicely sporting a light urban American accent) helping average people as a defense attorney at a high-level law firm managed by blue blood Donovan Stark (Kyle MacLachan of "Twin Peaks"). Despite sneers from fellow lawyers, Garetti has paralegal Cyndi Vega (Toni Trucks) and shamus River Brody (Felix Solis of "NYC 22") on her side.

Created by Dana Calvo (wrote some episodes of "Studio 60"), "Made In Jersey" could have been interesting, having a blue-collar type working hard in the space of upper-class professionals while deconstructing the Jersey Girl stereotype. Instead, said stereotype rules on crappy reality shows. What a pity

People really hated this show,... and you know what, there're good reasons for it. Extremely low ratings and 8 episodes later, there can't really be any complaints about it getting canceled.

Janet Montgomery (a Brit) plays a 'Jersey girl' being a tough cookie lawyer. I think she's mimicking Marisa Tomei from My Cousin Vinny except this isn't really funny. She has a stereotypical Jersey family and has to face arrogant lawyers at work. She's a tough cookie who has common sense. Her street level insights catches the attention of the senior partner Donovan Stark (Kyle MacLachlan).

There is a desperateness to the stereotype Jersey girl. Also the whole common-sense-tough-Jersey-girl keeps out thinking the Ivy League lawyers just seem overplayed. It's canceled after only airing two episodes.

This show is refreshing. It always seems when a show is at all entertaining and is not just thought provoking the critics give the show poor grades. I like the mix of legal plot with family plot,and it is a fun family to watch. The legal plots are entertaining and thought provoking with a little hint of romance mixed in. This show also has a very good cast not only in the law office but the family members are great, too. The interaction between the family members adds a great deal to the show.

Hopefully another programer will pick the show up if this does actually get canceled.

... would this production have survived through a second season, odds are against it... it's just more of same again and again... not that it is extremely poorly done, really the opposite... it's just that all these "Jersey" characters wear you down (especially-when-streamed)... enough to cancel the series after just two episodes have been aired, we'll that's an untold story there

"Despite stating that it "sounds from a bare-bones description as if it were a cloddish comedy that deserves immediate cancellation," Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times added that "if the show's writers can deepen the characters, Made in Jersey just might continue to be worth watching.""

... seeing it had been cancelled so quickly, either powers that be had seen all the episodes, or least more than just two... or someone-powerful had a vendetta-score to-serve.

I have watched all 8 episodes of MIJ and I enjoyed doing so, The show have some vitality, and I rate it similar in tone to other legal drama as 'Suits' and 'Franklin & Bash'.

MIJ legal cast was very good indeed, and made me want to watch the show further. The cases and the characters in the office were very good.

However the biggest drawback of the show that it was 'too ethnic', 'too Italian' if you like. The backdrop of the main character family life were a tad boring, and would probably interest mainly.. well, Italian from Jersey... It has very little wide appeal and did not catch my attention. Frankly I used to skip those bits to get to the good legal stuff.

The main character herself spoke with too much accent, which in reality would simply be not accepted in a real high-profile New York firm. She, at the very least, should have been made 'less' ethnic and more in line with the other legal colleagues. And we haven't started talking about hair, makeup and cloths...

So all in all the show had very good premise, and was very watchable, but it had some significant drawbacks which most probably added to it's early demise. Shame though, because it did carry very good cast and good scripts.