83 replies to this topic

[biglebowski]

I normally like USA shows; I love Royal Pains, White Collar and am okay with Burn Notice. But, Fairly Legal is well below their usual standards. The show is completely unrealistic in how mediation and the Court system work. As a lawyer for 28 years, and having participated in more than 200 mediations, including many in San Francisco, this show takes much more than creative license in portraying what mediation is like. Real life mediation is boring and RARELY are the parties put in the same room together, let alone unattended. All parties are represented by their lawyers at mediation as well. Did USA even bother to consult a mediator or lawyer on how mediation really works. If they had, they would never have based a show on the mediation process.

Not only is the show unrealistic, but the characters are shallow and unlikeable, IMO. I won't even give this show a second chance - I thought is was unimaginative and lame.

Edited by biglebowski, 21 January 2011 - 07:40 PM.

[JenR925]

i know nothing about mediation, but i found the show very enjoyable and the characters to me very likeable.

[sangeetrawr]

Because situations like that on Burn Notice happen all the time...

As much as USA network shows strive to have an element of realism, you have to realize that they are first, and foremost, striving to entertain.

[uria30236]

I normally like USA shows; I love Royal Pains, White Collar and am okay with Burn Notice. But, Fairly Legal is well below their usual standards. The show is completely unrealistic in how mediation and the Court system work. As a lawyer for 28 years, and having participated in more than 200 mediations, including many in San Francisco, this show takes much more than creative license in portraying what mediation is like. Real life mediation is boring and RARELY are the parties put in the same room together, let alone unattended. All parties are represented by their lawyers at mediation as well. Did USA even bother to consult a mediator or lawyer on how mediation really works. If they had, they would never have based a show on the mediation process.

Not only is the show unrealistic, but the characters are shallow and unlikeable, IMO. I won't even give this show a second chance - I thought is was unimaginative and lame.

[uria30236]

1 word "awful"

[KilroyIsHere]

I was really disappointed by her attitude with her assistant. It was just some geek's watch that he paid for and valued, so it was ok to steal and destroy! She seemed not so much like a character as much as she needed to grow up!

She constantly says life isn't simple. Then shes says she hates her stepmother because it's simpler that way! I will give the show another chance but they need to show her growing or I won't be watching long!

I normally like USA shows; I love Royal Pains, White Collar and am okay with Burn Notice. But, Fairly Legal is well below their usual standards. The show is completely unrealistic in how mediation and the Court system work. As a lawyer for 28 years, and having participated in more than 200 mediations, including many in San Francisco, this show takes much more than creative license in portraying what mediation is like. Real life mediation is boring and RARELY are the parties put in the same room together, let alone unattended. All parties are represented by their lawyers at mediation as well. Did USA even bother to consult a mediator or lawyer on how mediation really works. If they had, they would never have based a show on the mediation process.

Not only is the show unrealistic, but the characters are shallow and unlikeable, IMO. I won't even give this show a second chance - I thought is was unimaginative and lame.

[lobsteroll]

1 word "awful"

[CliffFagan]

I am extremely upset with the lead actress taking the Lord's name in vain and will not watch this show again

[lobsteroll]

My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed Fairly Legal. We are big fans of The Closer, Covert Affairs and White Collar.
The situations and mediator approach in Fairly Legal may be unrealistic in life. However this show was fun. It was
lighter than what we usually watch,--and we will watch it again.

[dude2206]

Anytime I see someone create a thread like this and starts off by saying that they do for a living what is being depicted on the show and what is depicted on the show isn't how it is in real life, I just have to say: It is a tv show meant to entertain people. You describe the mediation process as boring, but boring doesn't bring in tv viewers, so they do things to make it entertaining even if it means making up certain aspects of the job or every aspect of the job. I think it is also important to keep in mind that real lawyers/mediators are not the only people watching this show and unless someone like yourself posts what you posted, they're not going to know whether what they're seeing on screen is realistic or not and honestly, if the show entertains them, they're probably not going to care if it isn't totally realistic. Boring doesn't make for good television. If it did, C-SPAN's ratings would be through the roof all the time.

[jcee07]

Anytime I see someone create a thread like this and starts off by saying that they do for a living what is being depicted on the show and what is depicted on the show isn't how it is in real life, I just have to say: It is a tv show meant to entertain people. You describe the mediation process as boring, but boring doesn't bring in tv viewers, so they do things to make it entertaining even if it means making up certain aspects of the job or every aspect of the job. I think it is also important to keep in mind that real lawyers/mediators are not the only people watching this show and unless someone like yourself posts what you posted, they're not going to know whether what they're seeing on screen is realistic or not and honestly, if the show entertains them, they're probably not going to care if it isn't totally realistic. Boring doesn't make for good television. If it did, C-SPAN's ratings would be through the roof all the time.

Well said.

[kenman09]

I am extremely upset with the lead actress taking the Lord's name in vain and will not watch this show again

Totally agree with you.

[ArtOfMe]

Shallow and unlikable characters? I thought Lauren and Kate were really interesting. Also, I guarantee that most of the shows on USA are unrealistic. So I don't care if mediation doesn't really work that way: it's for entertainment. I thought it was funny and touching, and I'm going to keep watching every week. The only thing that bothered me was when Katie used blackmail to get the charges against Nathan dropped. But I like morally gray characters sometimes, so we'll see. It's not like the characters in White Collar or Psych haven't used questionable methods before.

[montekat]

I almost turned it off before it was over. I'll give it another chance, but I wasn't impressed.

[CrimeDramaBee]

It was sort of confusing, and her depressing attitude was sort of scary. The scene when the man came in to rob the store was really strange- the way she handled it. And she just let him walk out with the stuff after. I did like her use of the Wizards of Oz ringtones- thought that was nice.

[barbara_ann]

The show was OK! but not great,it was slow,it seamed to drag,it didnt keep my full attention, unlike WC which keeps me very interested and the hour goes by too fast. OK..so Ill give it another try this week, and hope to stay awake.

[dude2206]

Well said.

Thanks. I really do see this kind of thing a lot. Doesn't matter if we're talking about a show about spies or law enforcement or medicine or mediation, there is always going to be someone that will see that there's going to be a show about what they do and instead of just sitting back and letting themselves be entertained, they pick apart every detail of the show that they feel isn't realistic enough and allow that to ruin the show for them. Truth is, very few television shows are going to be 100% realistic and entertaining at the same time. You're usually either going to get an almost 100% realistic, but really boring show or a really entertaining show that isn't really that close to being 100% realistic. There are exceptions, of course, but not many. You've got to be able to separate reality from fiction or in this case, your reality from the show's "reality".

[dude2206]

The show was OK! but not great,it was slow,it seamed to drag,it didnt keep my full attention, unlike WC which keeps me very interested and the hour goes by too fast. OK..so Ill give it another try this week, and hope to stay awake.

That's probably because there was so much setting up to do of the premise, the characters, the relationships between those characters, etc., which is pretty typical of a pilot episode, that it didn't leave much time for much else. Now that they've laid some of that groundwork, I would expect the pace to pick-up some. I thought it was one of the better pilots that I've seen in a while and I think it's going to be a fun show. We'll see how it goes.

[Lorie922]

I was very disappointed in the show. I watched the whole episode but was really turned off when she was "mediating" with the armed robber and the store owner/clerk! I was expecting her to take the gun from the robber when he was preoccupied holding the beer, etc. and could not believe it when he was allowed to walk away and the fact that she was actually pleased with herself for this "solution." And she obviously thought the store owner made too much of a profit on things and he should "share." I will not be watching again.

[PennNova]

Thanks. I really do see this kind of thing a lot. Doesn't matter if we're talking about a show about spies or law enforcement or medicine or mediation, there is always going to be someone that will see that there's going to be a show about what they do and instead of just sitting back and letting themselves be entertained, they pick apart every detail of the show that they feel isn't realistic enough and allow that to ruin the show for them. Truth is, very few television shows are going to be 100% realistic and entertaining at the same time. You're usually either going to get an almost 100% realistic, but really boring show or a really entertaining show that isn't really that close to being 100% realistic. There are exceptions, of course, but not many. You've got to be able to separate reality from fiction or in this case, your reality from the show's "reality".

I responded to a similar point elsewhere on this board. While shows are never 100% realistic if, like Fairly Legal, they are trying to somewhat portray real life (as opposed to a scifi show) they can't be so over the top and unrealistic that the audience can't buy into it. Some of the other shows you mentioned involve professions -- like spies, CIA agents, detectives, art thief turned FBI consultant -- where people can buy into having over the top or dramatic situations. Also, people don't know a ton about what CIA agents, spies, etc. do for the most part. This show is trying to make a somewhat common legal job, a mediator, seem over the top and dramatic. However unlike with those other shows where the profession involves stopping the bad guy or solving the crime, trying to add all this extra drama to the work of a mediator seems pretty ridiculous. Obviously for you this is not a problem, and that's fine, but it's a legitimate complaint.

You are right that if USA made the show closer to what mediators actually do then it would be a pretty boring show. And maybe that's why USA shouldn't have made a show about a mediator in the first place.