One of the issues that could develop with the show over time could be the lack of other substantial characters as nearly everyone around Shahi in the debut was presented with a relationship of inferiority to the lead Kate. They set up her stepmother and boss as the rival and her ex-husband, whom she’s still sleeping with, as the cliché relationship that will constantly yo-yo both personally and professionally. Her assistant is unfortunately yet another stereotype insignificant sidekick.
But Shahi… there is just something about her that is so captivating that you can build an entire show around, which I guess will allow for the other characters around her to be built up over time instead of cramming all the development into the first episode in haphazard fashion. Her character in this show is probably a lot more fun to watch and will undoubtedly become a bit deeper over time to match that of her former drug addict cop role as Dani Reese on the NBC series Life, which I was a great fan of.
My enjoyment of the series Life still ranks higher, at this point, because the co-lead – both the character Charlie Crews and actor Damian Lewis - on Life was a great pairing with Shahi. Crews was a detective who had returned to the force after spending 12 years in prison for murder he did not commit. After being released he had won a lawsuit of $50 million as well the reinstatement of his job on the force, which allowed him to not only return to work, but search out who framed him. The thing with Crews though was that he had been changed in prison and looked at life through an entirely different lens than before and had a keen sense of justice. Although Shahi’s character does not have Crews’ kind of unique view of life, Kate Reed does have a strong sense for justice and seeks it in a somewhat quirky and untraditional fashion. Ironically, the second episode of Fairly Legal is apparently about a man who was unjustly imprisoned for 22 years and is seeking financial restitution.
Anyhow, Fairly Legal is another example of how the cable networks are allowing good, smart shows to be themselves. I find myself more and more watching series that air on USA and TNT as opposed to the networks because I know they will be given more opportunity instead of being cancelled after eight episodes because the ratings aren’t as good as shows on two other networks despite being far better than most everything else on cable. Instead, these idiot network execs would rather spend three more wasted seasons trying to find something of the same quality in a trial and error method, remaining at the same level in the ratings or worse. End of rant.
As for Shahi’s character, she does well in showing how much she misses and loves her recently departed father despite the fact that they viewed the justice system and law in starkly different ways. I also really liked the contrast in her being kind of a fashion diva, but lives on her father’s boat, Welcome A Broad, after giving up the house in her divorce from a lawyer in the District Attorney’s office. Both led to a charming scene at the close of the debut that was very heartwarming.
Virginia Williams as Lauren Reed looks to be the second-most intriguing character on the show. At first it’s the typical young stepmother that the lead character can’t stand because she replaced her mother, but she is facing a difficult situation in that the firm is losing business following the patriarch’s death and she is struggling to keep it afloat. This could be a very interesting secondary angle for the show to follow, but I have a feeling things are going to run off into different tangents surrounding Shahi’s lead role.
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