NBC was banking that there was an audience clamoring to catch up with the characters from the wildly popular John Grisham novel and Tom Cruise movie "The Firm." Just one hitch, the movie came out 12 years ago. And while glitzy, polished, and fun, it is hardly a genre classic that feels particular relevant today. TV audiences did not flock to the 2012 "The Firm" and so the show was shuffled around as it burnt out its run during the summer season. To truly embrace the series, it helps to have a strong memory and a working knowledge of the material from a dozen years ago. This picks up roughly ten years after the conclusion of that story. The show has the good fortune to have cast Josh Lucas (my choice for one of our more underrated actors) in the Mitch McDeere role with the always appealing Molly Parker as his wife Abby. The couple has struggled after bringing down the mob-fronted law firm of the original, and the show begins with them stepping away from Federal Witness Protection to try for a more normal life. But these expectations are thwarted as past enemies have not forgotten the pair and new intrigue is just around the bend.
Combining elements of mystery with courtroom drama with adventure, "The Firm" is certainly a well made show. At 22 episodes, though, it faces the unenviable task of filling up too many hours and so its plotting becomes wildly uneven. As a more concise mini-series, the show would have benefited greatly by focusing its story to the strongest elements possible. And it might have made a terrifically entertaining short series. As is though, it can be convoluted and meandering. Just when the episodes reach a peek, the story will veer off on a less successful tangent. All in all, "The Firm" is well constructed and well cast. I just don't know that it is as compelling as it might have been. It's easy enough to watch and to like, it just doesn't seem quite as fresh as some of the edgier fare (with similar themes) that can now be found all over cable networks.
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