Bluff City Law: Jimmy Smits's Elijah Strait needs to bring some signature Victor Sifuentes charisma from 'LA Law'
After revolutionizing the entire concept of a Latino character being cast as a prime-time TV show's lead in 'LA Law', Jimmy Smits is returning to the screen once again as yet another TV lawyer on NBC's 'Bluff City Law.' And even though the actor has, sort of, implied that the NBC show's Elijah Strait is going to be nothing like LA Law's Victor Sifuentes, there are certain extremely charismatic aspects of the latter that fans could look forward to transcended into Smits' upcoming avatar, Elijah.
'Bluff City Law', even though a legal dramedy, will have a very human interest plot at its core with Smits' Elijah trying to reconcile with his estranged daughter Sidney (Caitlin McGee) following the death of his wife and her mother. And as the two of them attempt at meandering through the reconciliation process, there will be social issues tackled in each episode, such as immigration, privacy, free speech, and wrongful imprisonment.
Focusing specifically on Elijah though, Smits revealed in an interview with Parade that "He (Elijah) wants to do good. He’s rock-solid, a pillar of the community and, because of that, his character energy is a lot different than the bouncier guys that I’ve played." And speaking of the bouncier guys, there's no overlooking the iconic Victor from 'LA Law' whose casanova ways and suave charisma led to inspiring several viewers into pursuing a degree in the profession he played on screen.
Quirks like Victor threatening a prison guard about to frisk him saying, “You lay a hand on me and I’m gonna kick your fat butt,” and with his shrewd, off-the-table approach to each case he handled will forever remain timeless. Victor, in short, was a revolutionary character in ways more than one, as it also went about breaking Latino stereotypes - something that can be expected once again on 'Bluff City Law' even though Elijah Strait doesn't sound anything other than a typical white man.
Elijah is also the leader at an elite Memphis-based law firm, while Victor was one of the many leads on 'LA Law.' But if Smits' expertise in playing the role of a TV lawyer is to be considered, there's no denying that he will parlay the same passionate conviction and principles through Elijah, that he did with Victor's drive, in establishing himself in a white male-dominated work environment. So, if you're a fan of Victor Sifuentes and are wondering what Smits could bring to the table as Elijah, a good deduction would be heaps of sass annd intellect but with a heart of pure humanitarian gold.
'Bluff City Law' premiers on September 25 only on NBC.