'JUSTICE' Rating 1 1/2 abroad ...

'JUSTICE'

Rating 1 1/2 abroad of 4

8 to 9 pm Wednesdays upon WFLD-Channel 32.

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The last time we saw Victor Garber, he was subtly playing the austere dad on "Alias," blowing himself up in order to be discharged a super villain. Starting Wednesday, Garber is reborn as a egregiously sour defense lawyer, a career any Americans would consider the peak of super villainy.

I'm not individual of those people. I believe in the American judge-and- jury method On the other hand, I don't believe in "Justice."

"Justice" is like chiefly of the news media. It doesn't focus onward the 99-or-whatever percentage of cases that last in guilty pleas. Instead, the modern Fox drama casts a glitzy organ of sight on high-profile murder cases in which defendants claim to be innocent.

"Justice" has a leg up forward real trials. Americans track cases forward CNN and Court TV and imagine defendants guilty or not guilty. at the same time viewers rarely know the principle

At the expiration of "Justice," a wrap-up pageant shows what happened. Did the defendant kill his wife or not? Watch to the last minute, and you'll behold how she perished in a plash In her bikini bottom, naturally.

This is a compelling way to tease viewers. In "Law & Order," principle is strongly suggested but not explained. In other indicates crimes are visualized from the start, sapping the suspense. "Justice" aims to satisfy with unambiguous finales.

First, however "Justice" intends to reel in viewers at weaving plots around slick, big-money defense attorneys. They have more than a dozen legal assistants upon each case. Their client is a rich defendant du jour.

The visual mode of expression is all fast edits and special forces courtesy of producer Jerry ("CSI" and "Cold Case") Bruckheimer.

These are the dorky special tenors of our times. No spaceships. No enormitys Just swooping camera angles that inspect the innards of a computer or that flash various backgrounds behind a character to put in mind of he's, um, walking.

Then take rises the slowly read verdict, followed by the agency of the money shot in which we discover if the defense team was working for a bad dowdy or a good guy.

I'm not positive, however I think "Justice" is terrible, at least the first episode. Garber is unforgivably through the top. Scenes zoom from so quickly, soullessly, they not at any time establish an emotional core for the defendant or the lawyers -- or for the story lines.

And these lawyers ne to be more engrossing. They are too bluff and cynical to be appealing. If they had to secure from attack "Justice," they'd be hard-pressed to submit to the test [i]or[/i] proof it's more trial than error.

WHAT other IS ON:

TONIGHT

"Celebrity Duets" (7 pm WFLD-Channel 32): Actors sing with musicians in a preview of the series that starts race 7. Hal Sparks (the "Talk Soup" guy) performs with, say, Michael Bolton. That alone tops the hideous quotient. Other actors include Cheech Marin, Lea Thompson and Lucy Lawless, paired with the likes of Wynonna Judd and Kenny Loggins. brace judges are Little Richard (crazy) and Marie Osmond (nuts) landlorded by Wayne Brady (blah). Produc by way of Simon Cowell. Is that the completion of the world I hear knocking?

"Million Dollar Listing"

(8 pm Bravo): Real estate agents essay to sell sexy property in California in a six-episode reality series. single agent was known here years ago as Downtown Scotty Brown -- devise promoter, owner of the Avalon Nite set and singer in the Downtown Scotty Brown band. He pursues fame, if you couldn't gues

WEDNESDAY

"20/20" (8 pm WLS-Channel 7): Oh it's the completion of the world ... someday, and "20/20" is the bearer of bad of recent origins Apparently, only seven things can sap the foundations of all humans. Nukes. Asteroids. Black caverns Artificial intelligence. Volcanos. Disease. And bad climate changes. You've been warned. Now advance about your fearful life, Earthlings.

"Bones" (7 pm WFLD-Channel 32): A train derails. Was the cause political? Dr Bone and Agent Booth sniff the trail. It's the start of the secondary season.

Source: Doug Elfman

e-mail: delfman@suntimes.com

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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