Franklin & Bash

Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar are as smirkily charming as ever on the light lawmedy. [22/29 Aug 2014, p.102]

The show works on its own undemanding terms. [6 Jun 2011, p.45]

It's quip-heavy, doesn't complicate things with too much plot, keeps the pacing brisk and litters the TV screen with beautiful people.

It's a lawyer show with no aspirations to examine the legal universe. If it has any antecedent, it would be "My Cousin Vinny." So it's wise not to try to parse the nuances too closely here. Better to enjoy a steady stream of pop-culture banter and an attitude reminiscent of sophomore year in college.

Franklin & Bash has some of the ingredients of perfectly adequate summer filler: it's handsomely shot; the writing, line by line, is as good as or better than that of most of the cable competition; and there are appealing actors like Malcolm McDowell, Reed Diamond and Ms. Davis in supporting roles. The problem is that Franklin and Bash themselves are resolutely uninteresting.

The problem is that the cases that the lead duo take on aren't offbeat enough, and Gosselaar's appealing qualities aren't enough to make up for Franklin & Bash's other shortcomings.

Franklin & Bash is not a guilty pleasure, because there's no pleasure here to regret, just strained, sexist, frat-boy self-love.