CBS gives ho-hum show a test run on Tuesdays

From:Detroit Free Press
Date:March 16, 2004
BY MIKE DUFFY

There oughta be a law against surrounding a fairly provocative premise in such blandly conventional CBS storytelling.

Welcome to "Century City," a futuristic legal drama that premieres for a spring season test run at 9 tonight on CBS. The show -- which features an OK cast, a few interesting ideas and the slickly forgettable razzle dazzle of too many special effects -- is set in Los Angeles 2030.

The familiar, comfortably avuncular Hector Elizondo ("Chicago Hope") heads the ensemble of regulars as wise Marty Constable, senior partner in the firm of Crane, Constable, McNeil and Montero. Viola Davis ("Antwone Fisher") portrays Hannah Crane, the firm's designated strong, assertive senior female. And "Horatio Hornblower" star Ioan Gruffudd is idealistic young legal dreamboat Lukas Gold.

Thanks to a nifty guest-starring performance by David Paymer ("Line of Fire"), "Century City" gets off to a moderately strong start with the anguished tale of a 7-year-old boy in desperate need of a liver transplant. The futuristic medical ethics and legal hook? The boy's father (Paymer) is fighting for the right to use the child's genetic embryo clone to develop a baby that could then donate a portion of its liver to save the son.

"Century City" is the jurisprudential brainchild of executive producer and Harvard Law grad Paul Attanasio. Besides creating "Homicide: Life on the Street," Attanasio wrote the screenplays for the feature films "Quiz Show" and "Donnie Brasco." Impressive.

But "Century City" -- which focuses on the 21st Century collision of science and law -- is at best a mixed bag of formula legal drama tricks during its first two episodes. Despite the futuristic setting, which includes slightly hokey holograms, the series possesses the cozily cliched traditional feel of CBS-style dramas from "Judging Amy" to "The District" to "JAG." Yawn.

The show's biggest problem may be its lack of any single character who is even remotely as complex and interesting as Simon Baker's charismatic tortured soul, Nick Fallin, on "The Guardian." Fallin is one of the few truly complicated, original lead characters on mainstream network television.

Though "The Guardian" is set to return April 27, its own somewhat iffy future may hinge on how well "Century City" does in the ratings over the next six weeks while sub-letting Nick Fallin's 9 o'clock Tuesday home.

Me, I'd rather stick with Nick. But now it's time for the jury sitting at home to vote on "Century City."