FOX'S NEW `JUSTICE' -- THERE'S NO `BONES' ABOUT IT.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic `Justice'' is ``The Practice'' without the humor or hot-button topics. It's about a high-octane legal firm specializing in high-profile cases; its partners are self-assured to a degree that could diplomatically be described as off-putting. Victor Garber stars as Ron Trott, a legal mastermind who alienates juries but charms TV audiences (he even manages to disarm a Nancy Grace-style harridan har·ri·dan n. A woman regarded as scolding and vicious. [Possibly from French haridelle, gaunt woman, old horse, nag. who loathes defense attorneys), which seems somewhat contradictory. But then, even his colleagues find him a pain. Only one episode was available for review, and it's pretty foursquare stuff: Guy accused of murdering his wife; things look bad; evidence comes forward; yada yada yada. It'd be easier to digest with more empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em  pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. characters not seeking to free ostensible Apparent; visible; exhibited.Ostensible authority is power that a principal, either by design or through the absence of ordinary care, permits others to believe his or her agent possesses. dirtbags. CBS' upcoming ``Shark'' seems to have solved this problem by switching James Woods' arrogant legal genius to the crime-fighting side. ``Justice's'' ostensible ``gimmick'' is that, at the end of each episode, viewers will be shown how the crime actually played out. Executive producer David McNally claims this is ``what (viewers) never see.'' Well, not really; plenty of legal dramas more or less replicate crimes or lack thereof. And given that this is just fiction to begin with, all ``Justice'' is doing is eradicating any notion of that noxious notion we know as ``ambiguity.'' `Bones,'' on the other hand, is a similarly foursquare crime procedural but managed with far more wit and elan. As it returns for a second season, our heroine, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan For the character in the TV series, Bones, see . Temperance Deasee Brennan is a fictional character created by author Kathy Reichs and is the heroine of her crime novel series. She was introduced in Reichs' first novel, Déjà Dead, which was published in 1997. (Emily Deschanel Emily Erin Deschanel (born October 11, 1976) is an American actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California to father Caleb Deschanel, an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer, and mother Mary Jo Weir, an actress. She has one sister, Zooey Deschanel, who is also an actress. ) loses the top job at the Jeffersonian Institute to Camille Saroyan Camille Saroyan is a fictional character in the American television series, Bones. She is portrayed by Tamara Taylor. Camille was introduced in the first episode of the second season as the head of the Forensic Division, a new division formed during the summer of 2006. (Tamara Taylor Tamara Taylor (born 27 September 1970) is a Canadian television actress. Born in Toronto to a black Canadian father and a Scottish-Canadian mother, she is currently appearing as Dr. Camille Saroyan, head of the Forensic Division, in Bones. ), who, conveniently, has a romantic past with Agent Booth (David Boreanaz), with whom Brennan has an agreeably cozy/flirtatious thing. Camille, it seems, doesn't play nice with Brennan. Tonight, the group investigates a catastrophic train-auto smashup smash·up n. 1. A total collapse or defeat. 2. A serious collision between vehicles; a wreck. that killed both a U.S. senator and an apparently corrupt CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . Meanwhile, a monkey wrench is tossed into Temperance's quest to discover what happened to her father, the series' OK but not terribly involving ongoing throughline. ``Bones'' is elevated by droll droll adj. droll·er, droll·est Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon. [French drôle, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle dialogue and the undeniably charming chemistry between Deschanel and Boreanaz, who tonight works the same magic with Taylor. Hence, a bit of a romantic triangle, played out in a bit of -- and yes, I know I've used this word before -- foursquare fashion. Still, ``Justice's'' brain trust could learn something from ``Bones'' in terms of allowing wit and engaging characters to carry the day. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com JUSTICE - Two stars What: Victor Garber stars as the head of a big-bucks legal firm specializing in high-profile cases. Where: Fox (Channel 11). When: 9 tonight. In a nutshell: Originality- and sympathy-impaired. BONES - Three stars What: Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz return for a second season of flirting and forensic anthropology. Where: Fox (Channel 11). When: 8 tonight. In a nutshell: Solid procedural with droll wit; the couple's chemistry remains engaging. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Victor Garber plays high-powered defense attorney and legal mastermind Ron Trott in ``Justice,'' premiering at 9 tonight on Fox (Channel 11). (2 -- color) Emily Deschanel, left, Eric Millegan and Tamara Taylor examine a skull as they attempt to identify a burned corpse in the season premiere of Fox's ``Bones,'' at 8 tonight. |
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