Post by maggiethecat on Nov 2, 2005 20:41:35 GMT -5
About a week ago, because of the Google News Alert I set up on Steven Bochco, I got a column from the Milwaukee Sentinel's TV critic about Mr. B's new gig at Commander in Chief. And in discussing Bochco's string of "failures," this critic said, snarkily, "Anyone remember Blind Justice?"
Them's fightin' words.
So I emailed him. And he answered. And I answered. Here's the stuff for your enjoyment, my like-minded friends, and I'll keep you posted.
My first response to the column:
"Anyone remember Blind Justice?" you wrote. As a matter of fact, yes.
Only the solid six to eight million viewers per week who never missed an episode (roughly the same ratings as NYPD Blue earned in its last season). Only those who appreciated the crisp, character-driven writing, the sharp directing from the likes of Gary Fleder and Michael Apted, the work of the fine ensemble cast, and, above all, Ron Eldard's compelling and nuanced performance in the lead role.
In any other year, Blind Justice would have been considered by ABC as a solid mid-level hit with a devoted following and given a second season. But Desperate Housewives and Lost set the bar too high and ABC got greedy, admittedly axing a great Steven Bochco drama for "new fall shows." Which, by and large, have turned out to be garbage. And I would have to include Commander in Chief on that list.
Anyone remember Blind Justice? Yes. Fondly and passionately and with a genuine sense of loss at its passing.
---- Original Message -----
From: Michael Drew
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: Steven Bochco, etc.
Thanks, for the well-written disagreement. How did you catch up with this column so late? Mind if I quote you? As a Bochco fan, I watched Blind Justice several times but couldn't get past what I perceived as a gimmick. I truly don't believe a blind detective would be effective, although the show labored to make it work.
Again, I say, them's fightin' words. Here's my reply:
Dear Michael,
Thank you so much for the wonderfully prompt reply. I read your column about Steven Bochco about a week ago and enjoyed it. But that one phrase "Anyone remember Blind Justice?" kept nagging at me, so today I finally responded. I'm sorry it took so long, and of course you may quote me.
I miss Blind Justice because it was different, and because the writing and acting was head and shoulders above what I'm seeing this season. It was a show for grown-ups -- is that why it wasn't renewed? I wonder . . . .
I'm sorry you couldn't get past the "gimmick" of a blind cop -- but neither, I think, could other critics, viewers, and, in the end, ABC's marketing department. And that, far more than the ratings, which were certainly respectable for a mid-season replacement, was what doomed this fine Bochco drama. Blind Justice was no cop show with a gimmick -- it was a character-driven drama about a man trying to put his life back together after a traumatic, life-changing event. Because a detective's work is at base 95% percent mental gymnastics, the writers and actors made this aspect of the show work, and work very well. But Blind Justice was far more than a police procedural, which I think you would have known had you stuck with it. For one thing, we were finally seeing a disabled character who was prickly and multi-faceted, portrayed with an unsentimental toughness that had as much to do with Ron Eldard as it did with the creative team behind the show.
It was Ron Eldard -- underrated and supremely gifted -- who kept me coming back week after week. He made it work. Period. Even when the writing was not at its best -- which was not often and as a professional writer I am fiercely unforgiving -- he just plain made every moment believable, and heartbreakingly real. I would hesitate to call what he did a performance, since I was never able to catch him "acting." And that is rare indeed.
But ABC bailed on Blind Justice the minute the ratings slipped. They stopped promoting it, and, because of the basketball play-offs, no one east of the Rockies even saw the thirteenth and final episode. I'd cry foul -- but when has fairness ever been a part of network television?!
What saddens me, as someone who has followed Steven Bochco's career for years and celebrates his fearlessness and talent, is that with the cancellation of Blind Justice and now Over There, he'll stop going for the new, the untried, the different. Small reason most of my friends and I have rejected traditional network fare this season, instead giving our allegiance to inventive shows like Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, and Prison Break.
Thanks for listening!
Them's fightin' words.
So I emailed him. And he answered. And I answered. Here's the stuff for your enjoyment, my like-minded friends, and I'll keep you posted.
My first response to the column:
"Anyone remember Blind Justice?" you wrote. As a matter of fact, yes.
Only the solid six to eight million viewers per week who never missed an episode (roughly the same ratings as NYPD Blue earned in its last season). Only those who appreciated the crisp, character-driven writing, the sharp directing from the likes of Gary Fleder and Michael Apted, the work of the fine ensemble cast, and, above all, Ron Eldard's compelling and nuanced performance in the lead role.
In any other year, Blind Justice would have been considered by ABC as a solid mid-level hit with a devoted following and given a second season. But Desperate Housewives and Lost set the bar too high and ABC got greedy, admittedly axing a great Steven Bochco drama for "new fall shows." Which, by and large, have turned out to be garbage. And I would have to include Commander in Chief on that list.
Anyone remember Blind Justice? Yes. Fondly and passionately and with a genuine sense of loss at its passing.
---- Original Message -----
From: Michael Drew
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: Steven Bochco, etc.
Thanks, for the well-written disagreement. How did you catch up with this column so late? Mind if I quote you? As a Bochco fan, I watched Blind Justice several times but couldn't get past what I perceived as a gimmick. I truly don't believe a blind detective would be effective, although the show labored to make it work.
Again, I say, them's fightin' words. Here's my reply:
Dear Michael,
Thank you so much for the wonderfully prompt reply. I read your column about Steven Bochco about a week ago and enjoyed it. But that one phrase "Anyone remember Blind Justice?" kept nagging at me, so today I finally responded. I'm sorry it took so long, and of course you may quote me.
I miss Blind Justice because it was different, and because the writing and acting was head and shoulders above what I'm seeing this season. It was a show for grown-ups -- is that why it wasn't renewed? I wonder . . . .
I'm sorry you couldn't get past the "gimmick" of a blind cop -- but neither, I think, could other critics, viewers, and, in the end, ABC's marketing department. And that, far more than the ratings, which were certainly respectable for a mid-season replacement, was what doomed this fine Bochco drama. Blind Justice was no cop show with a gimmick -- it was a character-driven drama about a man trying to put his life back together after a traumatic, life-changing event. Because a detective's work is at base 95% percent mental gymnastics, the writers and actors made this aspect of the show work, and work very well. But Blind Justice was far more than a police procedural, which I think you would have known had you stuck with it. For one thing, we were finally seeing a disabled character who was prickly and multi-faceted, portrayed with an unsentimental toughness that had as much to do with Ron Eldard as it did with the creative team behind the show.
It was Ron Eldard -- underrated and supremely gifted -- who kept me coming back week after week. He made it work. Period. Even when the writing was not at its best -- which was not often and as a professional writer I am fiercely unforgiving -- he just plain made every moment believable, and heartbreakingly real. I would hesitate to call what he did a performance, since I was never able to catch him "acting." And that is rare indeed.
But ABC bailed on Blind Justice the minute the ratings slipped. They stopped promoting it, and, because of the basketball play-offs, no one east of the Rockies even saw the thirteenth and final episode. I'd cry foul -- but when has fairness ever been a part of network television?!
What saddens me, as someone who has followed Steven Bochco's career for years and celebrates his fearlessness and talent, is that with the cancellation of Blind Justice and now Over There, he'll stop going for the new, the untried, the different. Small reason most of my friends and I have rejected traditional network fare this season, instead giving our allegiance to inventive shows like Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, and Prison Break.
Thanks for listening!
