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'Judging Amy' a weak, whiny copy of 'Providence'
Oregonian - September 18, 1999
By Pete Schulberg
If you're going to judge Amy based on the first episode of the new CBS drama "Judging Amy," the verdict just might be guilty -- of multiple counts of trying to impersonate another
series.
That series would be the feel-good "Providence," the NBC Friday-night ratings winner that focuses on a woman doctor who returns home to live with her family in Providence, R.I.
In "Judging Amy," Amy Brenneman, who played a cop during the first few seasons of "NYPD Blue," stars as a juvenile court judge returning home to live with her family in
Hartford, Conn.
Coincidence? You be the judge. Worth watching? Only if you're comfortable with an overload of forced sentimentality and a grown woman who is supposed to be a judge but can't seem to get anything
right in her professional or personal life. Oh, and she uses her mother as an emotional crutch.
Judge Judy she isn't.
Just like Dr. Sydney Hansen on "Providence," Amy Gray comes crawling back to the nest after a lousy relationship -- in this case, it was her husband of 10 years who took up with another
woman.
Still, Brenneman -- creator and executive producer of the series -- maintains that the story is based on her real-life mother, who is a juvenile court judge in Hartford.
Unlike her "Providence" counterpart, Amy is the mother of a young daughter and the daughter of an outspoken mother, Maxine, spiritedly played by Tyne Daly, who is used to portraying
outspoken characters.
Maxine is a retired social worker who knows almost everybody that her daughter works with in the courthouse and certainly seems to know what's best for her daughter.
But Mom and Amy don't always see eye to eye, which creates the best tension in this overly tense household. Mom always is saying things she probably shouldn't -- insulting her children and in-laws
alike.
If Mom weren't so domineering, maybe Amy would come off a tad more capable in her new job than she shows in the first episode. On the morning of her first day on the bench, Mom finds Amy curled up
in her bed under the covers. And she's wearing her judicial robes. Not exactly the kind of judge that inspires confidence.
And confidence is something our young judge appears to be lacking. During her big debut in court, the clerk reminds her that it's "chambers," not "office," as Amy had said. And
she's supposed to bang the gavel when calling a recess.
Supposedly, Amy is a Harvard graduate (like Brenneman herself and her mother) with experience as a corporate lawyer. But it looks like she hasn't even graduated from the school of "Perry
Mason" reruns.
"What makes a good judge?" an upset and confused Amy asks Mom. "Stop looking for formulas -- there aren't any," Mom replies.
You could make the formula argument about the show, but if Amy doesn't get out of her whining funk soon, the only whimpering we'll hear is from the producers after they realize that shows about
weak women aren't exactly a ratings blockbuster.
Dan Futterman ("The Bird Cage") is refreshing as Amy's brother, who isn't too stellar himself in the career department. He wants to be a writer but instead has an at-home dog-bathing
business.
That's OK, though. More time to listen to Amy's problems. Just like everybody else who tunes in.
Copyright © 1999 The Oregonian. All rights reserved.
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