'Trial by Jury' "The Abominable Showman" (2005)
Opening thoughts: 'Law and Order: Trial by Jury' may have only lasted 13 episodes but to me actually it was a decent show that deserved a much better chance than it got, especially when by the time it was cancelled it had gotten quite a lot better. It is not one of the best 'Law and Order' shows, with it never quite reaching the brilliant heights that the best of the original 'Law and Order' particularly had. It is also not one of the worst, with none of the worst episodes being on the same level of 'Special Victims Unit' at its worst.
"The Abominable Showman" is not an abominable start. Actually thought it pretty decent and above average with plenty of good things, though with some pretty big flaws which contributed towards 'Trial by Jury' being a slow starter. As far as 'Trial by Jury' goes, "The Abominable Showman" is one of the weaker episodes with there being a not settled yet feel (understandably). A lot of potential though is also present judging by how well the best of the good things are.
Good things: Which are going to be mentioned first. The best thing about "The Abominable Showman" is Jerry Orbach in his penultimate appearance of the franchise, his performance is authoritative, sincere and in a way heart-breaking and he is the heart of the episode. Most of the regulars are also fine, Bebe Neuwirth overdoes the terseness at times as a quite terse character but makes a promising start in an atypical role, with the right amount of intensity and gravitas. Amy Carlson is a warm contrast and Kirk Acevedo is steely and sincere.
Also thought that Annabella Sciorra does understated and crafty very well, much better than she was on her brief stint on 'Criminal Intent'. The production values are suitably slick and gritty, the music isn't too melodramatic while having presence and the theme tune is one of the franchise's most memorable. The second half is thought provokingly written mostly and the direction has some nice tension in the second half.
Bad things: Having said all this, "The Abominable Showman" does fall short. There is not much special or fresh here, with a routine been there done that feel in particularly the first half in a way reminiscent of latter seasons 'Law and Order'. It is also on the slow side and lacks suspense, was not too surprised by the outcome which was not really in doubt.
Not all the acting is great either. Tony Bill has a rather over the top over-obvious character and overdoes the arrogance to the point the character becomes too cartoonish. Scott Cohen struggles bringing life to a flat character (something that 'Trial by Jury' never properly corrected), while Fred Dalton Thompson comes over as one note.
Closing thoughts: Concluding, decent but nothing out of the ordinary other than Orbach.
6/10.