Chicago Justice

Chicago Justice's first episode, as opposed to its premiere episode, was Act III of a story arc that involved Chicago Fire and Chicago PD with a significant but uncredited contribution from the cast of Chicago Med. This was a great ploy for creating an audience but the storyline left the cast a bit stranded. Hence, a great deal of Law and Order, the original series, style grandstanding. Chicago Justice feels like the newest colt out of the Wolf Films stable. Given the show has excellent bloodlines, the odds are in favor of self-contained episodes meeting the (L&O) family standard as characters become more defined and story lines are developed that are based on the personal and professional lives of the Chicago Justice cast. Setting a legal drama in The Second City worked for CBS with the Good Wife; here's hoping that with a little more elbow grease and artfulness the toddling town that is home to Second City and the Steppenwolf Theater Company can show the rest of America that not all of the nation's acting and writing talent lives in NYC or LA.

I would like to see TPTB rework this show to make it watchable. I love the other three shows in the One Chicago series and I really wanted to love this newest addition to the franchise. Chicago Fire first got me hooked and then I started watching Chicago PD. Chicago Med probably has the best performances of all, but Chicago Justice has left me wondering who thought THIS would be a good idea. It is not cerebral. It is not emotionally stimulating. The characters are unsympathetic. The dialogue is stilted, clichéd and poorly delivered. I have seen all of the actors in other roles and, for the most part they are better than what we see in this. Jon Seda and Joelle Carter were terrific in previous series, but I can't seem to care about them in this. Carl Weathers really needs to take some acting lessons before he attempts another role. I think the writers or the director must have a problem with Monica Barbaro or why else would they give her nothing but throw-away lines in every episode. Philip Winchester is about as wooden as any actor I can remember. After the colossal failure of Player, why would anyone think he could handle the starring role of a dramatic series.

I'm so sorry this show only ran for one season then was not renewed. It's interesting that the "Chicago" series was created and intertwines. I know Chicago Fire is popular but after watching many episodes I couldn't get interested in it. But here comes Chicago Justice that I really like... and it gets canceled.

I like the actors, the procedural component, the direction, and the courtroom scenes.

It makes perfect sense to tie this show together with Chicago P.D. I suppose it was canceled due to low viewer-ship. Too bad for me.

There are two things that could be changed to make this show better. 1) There is no character development beyond the job. My wife and I always look for the romance behind the scenes. We don't want it to be overwhelming or even more than perhaps 5-10% of the content, but we don't want it to be zero. 2) The story lines are good but they fall apart, almost always. The cases are won in court with inadequate evidence and incomplete development. This, of course, is the crux of the show but it fails.

In spite of #2 above I would have wished for the project to continue with better writers and direction. Not cancelled.

Perhaps the Chicago collective can return with Chicago Law or something similar.

The character played by Carl Weathers almost completely ruins this show. Most of the other characters aren't any better. I had such high hopes for this show, since all the other Chicago series are fantastic, sad to see that Jon Seda moved to this Show. He deserves better than what they are bringing to this show so far.

I really like legal dramas. What I like the most is not the "evidence-based" crimes but when they present actual dilemmas that we encounter in our lives. I mean the thin line between right and wrong. You hear the arguments of one side and you think they are right, you hear the arguments from the other side and you totally change your opinion.

Chicago justice tries to be such a legal drama, but unfortunately fails miserably. I just watched the 3rd episode that (supposedly) had some things to say about racism and cultural differences, and heroism, and taking action... Yet, it ends up to be a complete mess, blurring every message with ridiculous arguments and plot twists. The same feeling I had for the 2 previous episodes which by the way I have totally forgot what they were about.

The main actor is totally unsympathetic. His character seems also like a confused person. He acts like he knows what he is doing and saying but the situations prove him wrong every time. It's not a character that has "flaws". He is just a character poorly written.

Same goes for the rest of the cast which includes Rocky's Carl Weathers.

The script is bad. The music builds tension in places that don't justify such treatment. The plot of every episode is shallow and the resolution of each trial seems forced and pretentious with spontaneous and unjustified outbreaks from the defendants.

Another newcomer "The good fight" (a spin-off of The good wife) is surprisingly better in that department. Despite the fact that focuses in other areas and aspects of the legal world and its people, ends up to be a more solid legal drama in terms of the cases and the arguments and the "dilemmas" I previously mentioned.

Overall: Not a good legal drama. It focuses on the cases more than the lives of their characters (which is good) but it doesn't deliver. If you want a legal series with good arguments that makes you think, you have to look elsewhere.