The Court (2002) User Reviews

Judging Sally

[mercutio24 · 12 April 2002]

I agree 100% with Mr. Leone's compare-and-contrast review of this show and "First Monday" (2002). IANAL, but even as a layperson I can tell that FM thoroughly sacrifices legal accuracy for maudlin melodrama. I'm sure The Court doesn't get things precisely right law-wise either, but it seems like they're at least striving for realism, and unlike FM, they haven't pulled any stunts so far that I can point at and laugh at as being completely off-the-wall.

I too had a healthy dose of skepticism upon first viewing TC, but I've been suitably impressed so far. There have been a few hokey moments (scenes with Field's character and the weepy bleeding-heart clerk for instance) but overall, the performances and presentation have been subtle, restrained, and intelligent. My overall impression is similar to my feelings about executive producer Carol Flint's other venture, "ER" (1994): while this show isn't completely free of the contrivance and tear-jerkiness endemic to all television dramas, the overall quality is such that I'm willing to overlook a few peccadilloes.

Kudos in particular to Chris Sarandon for his work. He does a wonderful job of straightforwardly playing a character that in the wrong hands could have been reduced to sappy saccharine.

An interesting show, strangled in the crib

[cookstevend · 8/10 · 8 March 2021]

I watched all three episodes of The Court. Unlike First Monday on another network, The Court bore at least some resemblance to the actual Supreme Court. This made the drama actually interesting and compelling. I remember turning on the TV to watch the fourth episode, only to see that some other program was in its place. I never heard anything more about it until I came across it here 19 years later. I would like to see the three episodes that never aired

Why wasn't it given a chance?

[PaulaHanninen · 8 August 2002]

Until I stumbled onto the IMDb website today, I didn't know for sure that "The Court" had been cancelled, although that was certainly my assumption.

I looked so forward to Tuesday nights (even bypassing "Judging Amy") to watch "The Court". It was so professional and well done. How can judgement be made after 3 episodes? I would think with a top draw like Sally Field (do you know how many women her age watch television?) it would be given a chance.

Please bring it back........

I really, really like it too!

[mkuzio · 17 April 2002]

I guess I must admit to being a Sally Field fan (I even really enjoyed the TV commercial that Ms Field did as a take off on her Academy Awards).

I am very sorry to hear about the cancellation of this program I really don't understand how anyone could expect a show to develop a large following after only two issues. Could we at least have a full season to give it a chance? I don't remember how the West Wing was accepted when it first came out, but I would not be surprised if it didn't take more than two shows to become a hit.

The Court has very smart challenging writing and is very well acted. I was especially impressed with last show that left me really thinking about the issues. I appreciate the balanced position taken by Ms. Field's character and feel that that position is well balanced by supporting characters.

shame, shame

[Earpick18 · 12 May 2002]

Shame to this network for not giving The Court a chance. How can a ridiculous series, such as First Monday, get a whole season to be absolutely terrible, while The Court only gets three episodes to challenge it? The Court is light-years better than First Monday, in every respect. The acting, the writing, and the story-lines are excellent. Actually, after watching First Monday, almost anything would be an improvement, but I was pleasantly surprised by this series. It was a refreshing change from the outlandish First Monday, as anyone who knows anything about law will tell you. The cases are much more realistic, and the atmosphere is much closer to the reality than the locker-room antics of First Monday. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a more realistic and intellectually stimulating depiction of the Supreme Court. But then again, since the network has cancelled it, no one will get a chance. I guess our only resort is to continue watching the dumbed-down version of the law that's available from CBS. It seems that the entertainment powers that be are intent on making its viewers less intelligent, and ABC has decided to let them. Shame, shame.