TV dialog, Part I:
“A law firm does not run on hugs.”
-Douglas Brackman, L.A. Law
Have I mentioned how much I love L.A. Law? It was the pinnacle of the late 80s-early 90s ensemble show. At least until those inevitable last couple of bad years, it was sparely and superbly written and acted, and was just plain entertaining to boot. The ongoing travails of murder suspect Earl Williams (just now wrapping up in reruns on A&E) were gripping. And Susan Dey and Harry Hamlin made a romance between two self-obsessed yuppie lawyers something not to be missed. Not challenging or multilayered by any means, it still took a handful of interesting themes and ran with them. Watch a couple of episodes and see if you agree with me.
as good as l.a. law was, if we’re talking 80s, we’re talking st. elsewhere. granted, the timing was a bit earlier that that of l.a. law, and the social issues that drove the plot lines reflected that. A&E is responsible for both of these offerings in reruns, so i guess i can’t quibble. whoever is the programming director there must be disgusted with the current crop of newsmagazine-type things that monopolize the air waves these days, and in a fit of nostalgia for that level of quality must have been struck with the idea of repeating the shows rather than imitating them. my prediction: hill street blues next.
I never watched much TV back then because I thought it wasn’t cool or something. I missed out on a lot. TV is good for you.