Noteworthy Television This Week: Hey That's Not Providence!
Canterbury's Law (Monday, 8:00 p.m., WNYW 5) From the creators of Rescue Me, Julianna Margulies stars as a defense attorney (she's also a producer). Her character is one of those win-at-all cost lawyers - in the premiere episode she is defending someone accused of killing a prominent Rhode Island family's child.
Despite being set in Providence, Rhode Island, the show is filmed here and in Westchester, so you can have fun spotting the local locations. The show has filmed in downtown Brooklyn, passing off Borough Hall as a Providence courthouse.
Given the show's pedigree, don't expect self contained episodes in the vein of Law & Order but multi-episode dramatic arcs instead. It would be a safe bet that the show will have all of the standard Denis Leary-produced series trademarks: A failing marriage, affairs, sarcasm, rule bending and some good actors, especially since they take advantage of the much deeper pool of New York acting talent. One thing it will lack: The trademark language and raunchiness of Rescue Me since it's on a broadcast network.
So even if it's not good to watch, it is good for the local economy and about a billion times better than reality programming. And if the show is successful, one can only wonder when they'll do a Family Guy cross over episode.
Also of note this week:
New Amsterdam (Monday, 9:00 p.m., WNYW 5) This new show, filmed in NYC and actually set here, about a 400 plus year old NYPD detective that can't die settles into its normal timeslot. It is one of the better shows on television right now, so give it a try.
Lewis Black's Root of All Evil (Wednesday, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central) Comic Lewis Black hosts this debate among two guest comedians (Greg Giraldo and Paul F. Tompkins). The Catholic Church takes on Oprah Winfrey in the debut episode, which is expected to be livelier than any of the über staged presidential debates.
The Return of Jezebel James (Friday, 8:00 p.m., WNYW 5) If the phrase "from the producer of 'Gilmore Girls'" sounds good to you, this new show may be your cup of tea. It stars indie film queen Parker Posey as a successful publishing executive who is trying to get her sister (Lauren Ambrose) to be her surrogate mother. Expect witty dialog to ensue.
