Benched

If you're into comedies about lawyers and courts you might find your new favorite show in this one.

A woman lawyer loses her job after an incident in her high-powered corporate firm and ends up in public defender's office, defending cases faaaar from glamorous! So it is basically a "fish out of water" comedy. The fancy attorney goes to defend poor people in a smelly courthouse.

Obviously you can expect lots of awkward moments that our heroine is getting into and this is where Eliza Coupe (as Nina the lawyer) is shining. The supporting cast is also very good and especially Fred Melamed who plays the sarcastic (but fair) judge.

Overall seems like a good comedy, way better than the ridiculous "Bad Judge", so if this is your thing, check it out!

I know the show is only three episodes in, but from what I've seen, I believe it has real potential.

I think the premise of this show is quite good. A once high-powered attorney now having to serve as a public defender sounds like it has a lot of potential for funny situations for the characters to get themselves into and for humorous side characters to be introduced.

For the most part, I am unaware of any of the actors in this show with the exception of Eliza Coupe (Nina Whitley) and Oscar Nunez (Carlos). Coupe is a talented actress and comedian who also portrayed Denise on the medical sitcom drama "Scrubs" who I'm glad to see in something else. Nunez has done good comedic work on "The Office" and Jay Harrington (Phil Quinlan) has so far given some good comedic performances in the show.

The one issue I have at the moment is that of the main character, Nina. While Eliza Coupe has done a good job at bringing the character to life, I feel at the moment she is a bit annoying and unlikable, which is understandable given where she came from and the job she now has, but it's a bit of an off put for me. Though, it's only been three episodes so I'm sure that Nina is another Michael Scott (Steve Carell) from "The Office" or Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) from "Parks and Recreation", a main character who I find annoying who I will learn to like after getting to know her better.

It's only the start of the series so it's a little bumpy, but most series are at the beginning and just need to find its footing. That's the case with "Benched" and I am eager for the next episode because, as I've already said, I think this show has great potential.

I don't know what's wrong with these other reviewers.

This is way better than "Bad Judge", which I really wanted to like.

The lead has great comic timing and the rest of the cast shoes promise.

Just the fact that the stand-up comic Maria Bamford is in the cast makes it worth watching.

I laughed a lot during the first episode, and there are signs that there will be some heart along with the laughs.

Good comedies are hard to come by - give it a chance.

I don't know why IMDb request ten lines of text for a review! It's just not necessary!

Benched is something special, IMHO. The characters are flawed but are fighting the good fight. The supporting cast is excellent and create a quirky and rich environment. I've had real laughs watching this show and that's the highest praise I can give. Thumbs up, way up!

Let me add that for a show to be great, like this one is, it has to hit on all cylinders. From writing to acting to directing, this show has what it takes. If it doesn't get renewed for another season it's a TV travesty.

If it were up to me I'd give this show two Golden Globes, so Nina could have a matching set.

Caught this on Disney+ and right after finishing Raising the Bar. So went from a serious-ish look at the public justice system to one that used it for the setting of a comedy show; and it worked. The lead and the characters play their parts perfectly and the episodes are very entertaining. Shame, they didn't make a couple more seasons.