VERDICT--MISTRIAL! Unlike some folks around here, I did not spend the evening accusing my wife of violations of Levitical law. Instead, I spent it watching the first episode of the new Fox show The Jury. Fox, apparently desperate to find a new hit not dependent on the rapidly diminishing pool of people willing to humiliate themselves on camera, hot chicks in bikinis, or tempramental voice actors, has decided to try something new--quality. So, they commission the team behind the late, lamented, Homicide to come up with a new crime drama. The result is The Jury. Honestly, the concept isn't bad--we watch a jury come to a verdict in a criminal case each week, with the case being mapped out in flashbacks during the jury deliberations. Two major difficulties arise immediately:
1. The jurors, who play the major roles in the episode, are only around for one episode each. We are (in theory) supposed to become attached to the DAs, PDs, and court officers we see each week. However, they have so little to do that it's difficult to form an emotional connection to any of them.
2. Some EXTREMELY clunky dialogue. Especially in a first episode, you don't want to drop a "Scooby-Doo" type clunker five minutes in, like the following (slightly paraphrased):
Juror #1: Well, who ordered the can of room deodorant? That's a mystery to me!
(Laughter)
Juror #2: We do have a mystery to solve. This murder!
Sadly, Juror #2 was not dressed in an orange turtleneck sweater, or the snark would have been priceless.
The cases are cleverly designed, and the writing team has a good history, so I'll see how it develops before giving a final verdict on future viewings, but the first episode is not exactly awe-inspiring.
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