PILOT REVIEW: For the People

FOR THE PEOPLE

Starring: Hope Davis, Ben Shenkman, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Susannah Flood, Wesam Keesh, Rege-Jean Page, Ben Rappaport, Britt Robertson, with Anna Deavere Smith, and Vondie Curtis Hall

Created by Paul William Davies
Written by Paul William Davies, Directed by Tom Verica

THE PREMISE
For the People is a new Shondaland drama centered on a group of new lawyers working for one of the most famous courts, the Southern District of New York federal court. Young lawyers Allison, Seth, Kate, Jay, Leonard, and Sandra (Jasmin Savoy-Brown, Ben Rappaport, Susannah Flood, Wesam Keesh, Rege-Jean Page, & Britt Robertson) work for both the defense under Jill Marcus (Hope Davis) or prosecution under Roger Gunn (Ben Shenkman). Rounding out the main cast are Chief Judge Nicholas Byrne (Vondie Curtis Hall) and clerk Tina Krissman (Anna Deavere Smith).

THE REVIEW
For the People doesn't really feel like a Shondaland drama as much as it does a Dick Wolf procedural. But that's not a bad thing. While the pilot was not very memorable, it also wasn't self-indulgent or trying to bite off too much. It's one of those shows that just kind of is what it is. It had some stylized looks at the city and was certainly trying to go for a "young hot lawyers" vibe but it also seemed bent on not making it the lawyer version of Grey's Anatomy with steamy scenes coupled with workplace drama. Instead, it really just focused on pretty standard and generic cases. I don't know how I feel about that. I think I would have been critical and rolled my eyes if it was a typical Shondaland drama, but it just ended up being kind of boring.

The performances were fine but, again, unmemorable. Early on, they seemed to play up Anna Deavere Smith and Vondie Curtis Hall but the two of them disappeared for long blocks of time after making an impression early on. I know this show strives to be an ensemble drama, but at least in the pilot it seemed to be a few too many characters. There seemed to be a lot of character development for Britt Robertson but not nearly as much for the rest of the characters. Maybe that was a conscious choice because Robertson was perhaps the most likeable. I wasn't totally sold on Hope Davis or Ben Shenkman as the bosses for the defense and prosecution, respectively. I found them both a little bit annoying.

The biggest problem with this show isn't that it's bad acting or bad writing. It's that it's forgettable. I have been doing this blog for nearly eight years now and when I look back at some old pilot reviews, there are shows I have next to no memory of, even ones I know I watched more than one episode of. I have a feeling this will be one of those shows. I just finished watching it and I can't even remember a lot of details of the cases in this episode. It's not terrible, it's just not memorable in any way. Though I did like the final picture of New York City and I think that should be the title screen.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Maybe. I don't see it becoming one of my regular shows though.