Television show centers on exploits of ‘fratastic’ lawyers
Rating: CTNT has established itself as a successful network, relying mostly on police shows like "The Closer" and "Memphis Beat." It even has a semi-successful medical show called "Hawthorne."
The latest attempt is "Franklin & Bash," a bromance that combines traditional legal drama with frat-boy antics. Though categorized as a legal drama, the show is more comedic, displaying a dependence on sex-related gags and hardly showing any aspirations in exploring the legal universe.
The show follows two ambulance chasers, Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who became partners because they didn't want to become part of the button-down legal establishment. Franklin is a self-confident party boy who partners with Bash because he doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps. Bash is Franklin's more level-headed partner who mourns after his ex-girlfriend. Together, they take on cases involving dominatrices and medicinal marijuana smugglers.
Their professional careers takes a detour when their courtroom antics catch the eye of Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell). He offers them jobs in his Los Angeles law firm, mostly because he yearns to reach his inner frat boy. Once they get settled in, Franklin and Bash make an enemy out of Stanton's nephew Damien Karp (Reed Diamond). For some baffling reason, the two lawyers work part-time outside their home offices where an ex-convict and a germaphobic function as their investigators.
As a summer show, "Franklin & Bash" is somewhat entertaining, but it hardly does anything interesting with the legal drama format. While the two lead characters are supposed to be wacky and innovative, the mindless devotion to conventional TV-lawyer storytelling is anything but innovative. But then again, the viewers aren't supposed to be entertained by the actual cases, but by the way Franklin and Bash shake things up at the unadventurous law firm.
The show's formula will not only attract fans of legal dramas like "Boston Legal" but also viewers who love to watch guys partying, playing video games and hitting on every eye-catching woman who walks through the law firm's doors.
As for the acting, Meyer is as likable as ever, even though his likability has never gotten into a role worth bragging about. Gosselaar is a similar case, channeling his own likability into his characters. He tried to erase people's memories of his "Saved by the Bell" days by taking a grouchy turn in "NYPD Blue," but he's back to portraying the character who's too cool for school. McDowell's character, however, is all over the place. In one scene, he acts as an eccentric rich guy, but the plot sometimes requires him to change gears and be a brilliant, focused lawyer.
"Franklin & Bash" might have a longer run on television than "Raising the Bar," but not by much. If you're curious to see what Arnie Becker from "L.A. Law" would be like if he were drunk on Grey Goose vodka, "Franklin & Bash" presents a credible answer.