Television You Need to Know About

Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about the steaming pile of poo that Lost dropped in the middle of my living room last night. (Sorry: Spoiled Poo Alert.) Instead, I’m going to talk about a legal television show that could be awesome. Deadline Hollywood reports:

EXCLUSIVE: John Grisham’s The Firm might finally become a TV firmseries nearly two decades after the novel made its author a household name. E1 Entertainment has been shopping a spec pilot script by Lukas Reiter, a series adaptation of the popular legal thriller, which was the base for Sydney Pollack’s 1993 movie starring Tom Cruise.

This will be awesome. But will it be as good as The Good Wife?

Here’s a true SPOILER ALERT. Last night’s episode of The Good Wife was pretty compelling. And it should speak to a number of attorneys out there who are struggling to hang onto their jobs in the middle of this recession. Law and More reports:

There’s that line we cross in our professional life that transforms us from idealistic rookie to a player. Tonight on “The Good Wife,” Alicia crossed that line. She grew up in order to save her job. And save it she did. Smug up to the end, just before he was laid off, Carey will now also cross a line…

Another price Alicia pays is dealing with Carey’s animosity. This is his first setback in life. A member of the Lucky Sperm Club, he has always felt entitled and had been taught, probably at the dinner table, how to play the game, at least the elite white-collar version. He did his face time beautifully, knew to rack up the billable hours, to collect on accounts receivable, and undermine Alicia with the equity partners in a slick way [e.g. her age].

Carey will do anything now to defend himself against this ego blow.

Now, I don’t think this alleged Firm series will do tackle anything nearly as deep. But it still sounds fun:

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Reiter originally developed The Firm for CBS a couple of years ago when the project didn’t go to pilot. He has since written a new version of the script, which is being targeted primarily for cable. Grisham has been very involved in the project, which has been pitched to a number of cable networks, including FX, TNT and A&E, as well as to NBC and Fox. There is already interest from at least one cable net. Reiter and Grisham are executive producing.

All night, my friends were asking me how you can make a series out of this novel. Are you kidding me? Bendini, Lambert & Locke will be the most entertaining fictitious firm on television. Since they’re Mafia money launderers, we won’t have to sit through ridiculous episodes of silly courtroom drama. We’ll finally get some corporate law and tax law on television. I’m telling you, The Firm will be a more accurate portrayal of what big-time lawyers do for a living than anything we’ve ever seen.

Oh, tax law isn’t entertaining? Okay, how about the freaking mob? Andy Garcia is old enough to play one of the two heads of the Morolto crime family. Let’s throw Michael Imperioli in as the other brother.

Yes, I’ve actually cast this whole thing in my mind already. You know what’s going to blow your mind? Terry O’Quinn (Locke on Poo Lost) as Devasher. Search your feelings, you know this to be true!

I’m assuming they’ll use different characters for Mitch McDeere and Avery Tolar, but I’m also assuming that some kind of young kid (lead), mentor (supporting actor) dynamic will be a part of the show. Give me Peter Krause of Six Feet Under from Ian McShane — who was great in Kings, though evidently I was the only person who watched that show — and we’ve got ourselves an Emmy-winning television series.

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And it’ll be a series for people who know what it’s like to actually practice law when you are just a cog in an unimaginably powerful firm. We should be very excited about this.

Unless Lukas Reiter sucks.

Grisham’s ‘The Firm’ To Become TV Series [Deadline Hollywood]
“The Good Wife” – Alicia Grows Up, Keeps Job [Law and More]

Earlier: Liveblogging ABC’s The Deep End