Raising the Bar on TNT

Tomorrow night, the premier of Steven Bochco's new legal series Raising the Bar will air on TNT. Thanks to HouseParty.com, my friends and I already watched the premier over a week ago. I was selected to present an early screening of the premier in my home just because I'm special (Actually, I'm pretty sure that my proclamations of undying love for TNT's The Closer combined with my descriptions of the Mr's ridiculously well-equipped theatre room helped to bump my application up just a smidge).

First things first: If you are at all interested in receiving free stuff and in having get-togethers with your friends who might also enjoy some free stuff, then I whole-heartedly recommend that you register at HouseParty.com. They're constantly setting people up with fun products to try out. It's a way for companies to get their goods into homes, and it's a way for the rest of us to enjoy something new that we otherwise might not have tried. Just for hosting this party, I received a large cooler tote, a set of tumblers, and packages of coasters to give to my guests.

Now, about Raising the Bar. You know, I hadn't even noticed in the previews that attorney Jerry Kellerman was in fact, Zach Morris until the night that we watched the premier. It took me just a few minutes into the episode to get over that. Only moments later, I had to repeat the whole process for Judge Lois Kessler. Neither of these wildly incongruent associations hindered my ability to enjoy the plot. What did impede my enjoyment, however, was a teensy bit of overacting by a couple of secondary characters as well as a whole lot of bad hair. Zach's short blond 'do has been replaced by Jerry's dark, long-ish, over-pomaded mop. The rest of the cast sports some equally overdone hair. But is bad hair and a little bit of overzealous drama enough to turn me off?

No. The story is good, and the characters are likable, so I'll be watching this one.

But is this the next Closer for me? Probably not. I mean, it's going to take A WHOLE LOT to outdo my affection for Sgt. Gabriel. And while I probably won't watch the premier again, I've already set the DVR to record an entire season of Raising the Bar.