Created by
Stephen Bochco
Cast
Anthony LaPaglia… Jimmy Wyler
Barbara Bosson… Miriam Grasso
D.B. Woodside… Aaron Mosely
Mary McCormack… Justine Appleton
J.C. MacKenzie… Arnold Spivak
Michael Hayden… Chris Docknovich
The Show
Murder One set the standard for the courtroom dramas of recent years. Anthony LaPaglia was Jerry Orbach before Jerry Orbach. Barbara Bosson was Lara Flynn Boyle before Lara Flynn Boyle. Steven Bochco was Steven Bochco before David E. Kelley.
The show set the standard for an intense examination of the American criminal justice system and by focusing on only three cases during its last season, an intense portrait of the courtroom was depicted.
The show begins Anthony LaPaglia taking over as the lead in Wyler & Associates (assuming the role that Daniel Benzali, playing Teddy Hoffman left behind at the end of the first season). LaPaglia leaves the district attorney’s office after he is denied a promotion and completely switches sides, by going into private practice. After stealing a high-profile case involving the prime suspect in the murder of the governor of California, Wyler sets up shop in Hoffman’s old digs. Sharon Rooney is accused of murdering Tom Van Allen and his new mistress after being dumped while pregnant and the first few shows of the season focus specifically on Wyler’s relationship with his new associates and proving Rooney’s innocence.
In addition to Wyler, the Rooney case also introduces Aaron Mosely (D.B. Woodside) to the show. Mosely was the public defender that was originally assigned to the Rooney trial, and to offer an olive branch for stealing his case, Wyler gives Mosely a job at the firm.
The second case in Murder One’s last season involves Ricky Latrell, a professional basketball player accused of murdering his team’s owner over a contract dispute. As the case moves forward, we learn that the owner had a relationship with Latrell’s cheerleader wife before the couple wed. The case is emotional as race plays a role and after Wyler gives the first-chair position to Chris Docknovich, there is a battle at the firm for who will assume the role of second-chair. Mosely feels that because race will undoubtedly play a role, he should sit beside the lead. Arnold Spivak (J.C. MacKenzie) feels that he should be rewarded for all of his hard work in preparing briefs for all the other cases that the firm handles. The end result is a fiery courtroom battle with twists and turns at every corner.
Finally, in what will ultimately be the last case of Murder One, Wyler takes over the “Street Sweeper” case as a favour to one of his old mentors. Clifford Banks (Pruitt Taylor Vince) offers an Emmy-winning performance as the Street Sweeper. Banks murders 17 other rapists and murders and is the poor man’s vigilante. The plumber claims that it is his responsibility to avenge his brother’s murderer and, in his opinion, is a one-man justice system to replace the real one that isn’t working. This case particularly highlights all the strengths of the show, as it examines criminal intent, defending the guilty and office politics when determining the ethics of client representation.
Murder One is a show that ended before its time. The second and last season allow the viewer to see the courtroom in a way that hadn’t been shown on television before. The show also developed the serial drama, where missing one episode would leave the viewer completely in the dark and perhaps this was the reason for its ultimate demise (along with being slotted against Friends). There is no question that it broke new ground and paved the way for contemporary serialized programs like 24, Lost and Alias.
The DVD:
The Video
The video is presented in its original television format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in full color. The quality is clean aside from some general edge enhancement and the crispness of character faces suffers minimally.
Score: 7/10
The Audio
The audio is in Dolby Digital 2.0. It is available in English, French and Spanish. In addition, the DVD has closed captioning available in English and Spanish. Quality is perfect, but it is recommended to turn the volume up since a lot of the dialogue is in whispered.
Score: 10/10
Special Features
The DVD is equipped with only one featurette, titled “Final Verdict: Season 2.” It lasts about 20 minutes and features interviews with some of the show’s key players. These include Barbara Bosson, Mary McCormack, D.B. Woodside, J.C. MacKenzie, producer Marc Buckland and director Robert Zisk. It severely misses not getting thoughts from lead Anthony LaPaglia and most of the cast just speculates about why the show did not have a longer run and the reasons for its strong quality. It definitely will be interesting for the show’s fans (the title purchasers of this DVD), but its appeal to new viewers is questionable at best. Obviously, behind-the-scenes footage would have also helped, especially in a five-disc set.
Score: 5/10
