A hit (maybe) and two misses (Excerpt)

St. Francisco Examiner - September 17, 1999

By Tim Goodman

It's not Amy Brenneman's fault that everybody will compare her new CBS show, "Judging Amy," with NBC's "Providence," a critic-proof hit that soared with female viewers. Still, the comparisons are everywhere. Brenneman ("NYPD Blue") shares a resemblance to and has the curly locks of "Providence" star Melina Kanakaredes. The show is set in New England (Connecticut, instead of Providence), both characters are separated and move back home.

Despite the ratings of "Providence," there's considerably more meat in "Judging Amy," (8 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 5, then in its regular spot at 10 p.m. Tuesdays), because the writing is far superior and the show doesn't come off as a patented tear-jerker or flight of fancy the way "Providence" does. But enough of the comparisons. Brenneman has enough going on in her show that it doesn't need to be pigeonholed.

It's "her" show because she dreamed up the idea; her mom was a juvenile court judge and Brenneman saw some potential in the stories. She plays Amy Gray, a successful Manhattan corporate attorney who, on a whim, allowed her name to be considered for a judgeship. When she separates from her husband, she takes precocious 6-year-old daughter Lauren (Karle Warren) home to mom (Tyne Daly), and that suddenly available judge job in Connecticut.

"Judging Amy" separates itself from other dramas by allowing odd black-and-white photograph flashbacks to help tell the story. It's a neat visual quirk that works better than expected.

The downside to an otherwise engaging first hour of this show comes from the fact that Amy comes off as spineless, weak and completely clueless as the judge. She will gain confidence in the job, CBS says, but her weakness in the pilot is off-putting and will probably seem so to the female target audience.

But Brenneman is a fine actress who manages to give the out-of-court scenes some real layers. Helping inside the court is Richard T. Jones, who makes an impact with very few lines as Amy's knowledgeable and apparently bitter legal assistant, Bruce. Perhaps we'll see an interracial romance down the line.

The focus of the pilot is Amy trying hard to fit back in at home, a tough job under any circumstance but particularly when your mom is known by everyone in town and is meddlesome and opinionated. Tyne Daly is a powerful presence and adds fire to the drama. Amy's brother Vincent (Dan Futterman) is also a fine creation, a man who hasn't been able to fashion a career out of his successful education, ending up as a dog washer. Futterman and Brenneman have a real connection, like you could really see them as siblings, and their interaction with Daly carries the first hour.

It will be interesting to see where this show goes with the plot. We'll continue to see Amy grow as a small-time judge and single mother, but whether that captures anyone's imagination long term remains to be seen. "Judging Amy" may not blow you away, but it has a superb cast and plenty of potential.


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