I saw them and for a coutroom drama the show is pretty good. I liked Adam's character. He was such a dork! It's too bad there wasn't more of him. But the show is about jury deliberation, not the characters.

This is a good show and If I'm in the mood to watch it, I'll watch it. It's not the kind of show I prefer, which is the kind of show I NEED to watch.

electricspacegirl | June 09, 22:15 CET

I did see much of both episodes but my husband kept switching to the Laker game! But from the parts I did catch I wasn't all that impressed. It was either the acting or the dialogue (or both for that matter) but the interaction between the members of the jury are really irritating. The only parts I mildly enjoyed were the scenes with Adam Busch and the big bailiff guy. Not so good, I probably won't watch again.

Karen | June 09, 22:20 CET

A fair intellectual exercise, but not the best choice for summer programming. It's also difficult to become involved when twelve cast members change every episode. The format had already slipped into repetition by the second episode and I find hand-held cameras annoying.
Some of the jury's acting...oh dear, I think that answers the question as to why they are bit players. Anna Friel pulled off a good American accent, but Adam Busch was the only one who held my interest.

bloodflowers | June 09, 22:33 CET

I thought the episodes are pretty good. Focusing on the jury, which changes every episode, is a nice spin on the courtroom drama.

But I like character based shows with an ongoing plot. The episodic "trial of the week" format isn't my thing.

Adam's character was awesome - the best reason to watch the show - and he and the baliff play very well off each other.

Also, I loved the old lady juror in the second episode.

I don't think the show will last longer than the six already filmed episodes, but I don't think it needs to. There's only so much you can do with the show's format; six may be the perfect number of episodes.

If I were FOX, I'd start looking for a replacement now, since all the episodes will be aired in about a month, and they have the show on their schedule through December.

Invisible Green | June 09, 23:41 CET

I rather enjoyed the show's format... because I watched it with my mom, and it sparked debates between us of what we thought really happened.

I think the idea of the rotating cast is actually kind of neat, and I really enjoyed Adam's character. I think he's a great actor, and wont be as hindered by the Buffy typecast as more prominant Buffy characters.

numbereleven | June 09, 23:43 CET

Liked it a lot, more than I expected to given my meh-ness about courtroom dramas, but I'm a big Homicide fan, and it kind of felt like home.

keever | June 09, 23:44 CET

keever - Were'nt the first few seasons of Homicde the best? I loved that show. The Jury is on my Tivo but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I'm not that exited by the premise so I'm not all that surprised it did babdly.

Unitas | June 10, 06:16 CET

Actually Homicide started out as TV movies and did fairly poorly it's first season rating wise until the Summer re-runs were it picked up more viewers but it was never a ratings blockbuster like Law and Order even though they did cross overs between the two shows.

I saw the last half of the first one and all of the second one and I think like Oz and Homicide it will grow on me. I like that a majority of the cast will change from week to week and the fact that they film double endings to go in accordance to the text messaging voting - although I would like if they would not always go with the vote. You know find out a guily person is really not and visa-versa. I do like Adams character the best so far, but then I was always partial to the funny ones. Overall I'm glad I watched and I will watch again - and afterall how many here ever thought after a 7 episode order that Tru Calling was actually going to survive the season let alone get renewed and kinda like the Jury it's the same basic premise everyweek.

On a side note Adam Busch seemed excited about the series when I spoke to him this weekend at the convention he was attending. I told him I couldn't wait to see it and looked foreward to it. On another note the during the trio's q&a they all 3 went off on reality TV saying that it has made it so much harder for actors to get work in Hollywood - Danny Strong said between this season and last he probably only went out on half as many calls as he did the year before because there is no work out there.

RavenU | June 10, 06:59 CET

RavenU - Not to pick a bone but Homicide did not start out as a series of TV movies. It's pilot premiered after the Super Bowl and then it aired it's remaining first season on Wednesday (I believe). It had an abbreviated first season (9 episodes) and a ridiculously short second season (4 epsiodes) which aired in the prime Thursday night slot. The show never attracted many viewers but was basically kep alive through critic's reviews and the affection of NBC. It aired Friday at 10 for the majority of it's run, which was considered pretty much a dead zone so Homicide's anemic ratings weren't held againist it.

Unitas | June 10, 08:41 CET

RavenU - Where did you hear that they filmed multiple endings to go along with the audiance vote? It was my impresion that the vote was an opinion poll only.

400lb_Gorilla | June 10, 09:45 CET

It was mentioned in a news story around the beginning of the series shoot - refering to it as interactive TV in the article, that may have changed since then but it was odd that it went the way of the verdict both times.

Unitas - maybe but I can remember NBC promoting it as a movie of the week - the one that stands out was the promo with Robin Willams in it - if season 2 was 4 episodes I'm guessing that's the one I think they did like 2 movies of - I didn't know it exsisted before those 2 movies. After I saw those I watched the series.

RavenU | June 10, 10:53 CET

I don't think they aired an ending according to the audience poll.

For the first ep:
about 2/3 said innocent
about 1/3 said guilty
He was found guilty (but of a lesser charge).

For the second ep:
52% said guilty
48% said innocent
He was found innocent.

Invisible Green | June 10, 11:07 CET

Homicide premiered to like 17 million after Superbowl. Fell away pretty badly after that though.

I actually think the full length seasons were best, especially the whole Luther Mahoney/Junior Bunk think that ran through seasons four, five and six.

Although, the Pembleton/Bayliss dynamic was amazing in season one. In the commentary the producers mention that they were never meant to be partners betond the first episode, but the confrontation between them at the close of that episode was so electric that they changed their plans and put them together.

Hollowman | June 10, 13:47 CET

Oh Hollowman, why did you have to mention Luther Mahoney? He absolutely creeped me out. In my mind I knew he was fiction, but I don't think I've ever despised a character as strongly. I loved the Pembleton/Bayliss dynamic as well and thought the Bayliss character evolved the most over the course of the show. And the episode in the subway...one of the best hours of television ever.

"During the trio's q&a they all 3 went off on reality TV saying that it has made it so much harder for actors to get work in Hollywood - Danny Strong said between this season and last he probably only went out on half as many calls as he did the year before because there is no work out there."

That depresses the hell out of me. I want to see actors act and stories be written. Every time an actor is interviewed and they exclaim how they are addicted to American Idol or one of those other shows, I wonder if they realize they are supporting something that's taking their jobs away. Reality TV is the outsourcing of entertainment. My cousin just moved to California to break into acting. His mom told him there's no shame in coming back home if he doesn't make it.

bloodflowers | June 10, 16:18 CET

Writers should also be complaining about (so called) reality TV. Perhaps its time for the unions to get involved. They are certainly active in agitating against "run away" productions (which we see a lot of here in Toronto).

redfern | June 10, 17:51 CET

Mahoney was one of the great characters. The moment when Kellerman lit him up absolutely stunned me. One of the great scenes of any show.

Bayliss was exceptionally well done (and there's more than a hint of him in the drawing of Dutch in The Shield), but I was never sure about the way they closed it out in Himicide The Movie. The final scene between Pembleton and Bayliss was fantastic acting for sure, but Bayliss' actions bewildered me.

Hollowman | June 10, 17:59 CET

RavenU & others - The broadcast history of Homicide can be found at Homicide: Links on Sites at...

http://members.aol.com/hlotslinks/


As for the TV-movie angle, you may be thinking of NBC's advertising strategy in season 3 which was to give each episode an on-screen title (often not the actual episode title) in advertsing. The look & feel of the ads was certainly TV movie like (in that they were loud & garish, but kinda fun) but they were in fact just regular hour long episodes. This strategy actually worked and delivered Homicide it's strongest ratings.

Also, I am pretty sure that The Jury poll is just a little fun feature for the audience and does not actually determine which ending the audience sees. I read a few reviews and no one mentions this angle, which is difficult to believe if it's true.

Unitas | June 10, 18:07 CET

A little error in the post above in that the TV-movie like advertising was used in Homicide's 4th season and not it's third. In it's 4th season, Homicide moved away from longer story arcs to more stand-alone episodes in order to improve it's ratings.

Hey, that sounds familiar

By the way, I'm a little shocked how much I know about this show's broadcast history.

[ edited by Unitas on 2004-06-10 19:05 ]

Unitas | June 10, 20:16 CET

"The moment when Kellerman lit him up absolutely stunned me. One of the great scenes of any show."

And they would show it on numerous "previously on Homicide" episodes after, to my disturbingly satisfied delight.

bloodflowers | June 10, 21:31 CET

Hey, thanks guys for your praise of Homocide. I place it on reserve at the library. I remember watching a few episodes and thinking it was really cool but I think it went off the air or I just couldn't find it. It will be great to watch it from the beginning.

electricspacegirl | June 10, 21:42 CET

The DVDs are pretty good. Decent commentaries. And most of the original music appears to be there, which is surprising, because there were a lot of songs in Homicide. Thought they would have been the first things to go.

I'd been waiting years for Homicide on DVD. Now all we need is Twin Peaks Season Two and Profit to be released on DVD.

Hollowman | June 11, 01:41 CET

Last I heard (which was several months ago) Twin Peaks season 2 DVD would not be released due to under performing sales of the first season DVD. But things may have changed since then.

Simon | June 11, 01:53 CET

Yeah, that was Artisan's excuse in the US, but I don't think they hold the overseas rights; Paramount do I believe (the region 2 release was different from the region 1 release). They've indicated it might get a region 4 release at the very least. That'd do me. I'm fair sure we'll see it somewhere in some form.

I doubt we'll ever see Profit. Greenwalt should get on the case and put a package together.

Hollowman | June 11, 02:05 CET

I didn't realize that this turned in to a Homicide thread, or I would have read it sooner. The Vincent D'Onofrio episode where he was trapped by the subway car..unforgettable. And Luther Mahoney, Watching the reruns, I like to see the first episode where he's mentioned. Somebody says, Who's Luther Mahoney? I always want to shout, You'll find out! I've got Homicide on my Netfix list to see.

lycoming | June 11, 02:20 CET

Yeah, they dropped Luther Mahoney in Season Four like ink in a glass of milk. Come season five the colour had turned forever. Amazing, considering he was only in six episodes.

Hollowman | June 11, 02:29 CET

Getting back to The Jury, and regarding the first episode - although the young man was found guilty of a lesser charge, it was clear from the flashback showing us what really happened that one of the other boys actually fired the fatal shot. It was the smaller of the two other boys. Therefore, the jury got it wrong.

barbara | June 11, 15:20 CET