NBC's 'Bluff City Law' will look to tackle social issues like immigration and free speech through its tightly woven legal dramedy
NBC's upcoming legal drama 'Bluff City Law' is about an elite team of lawyers meandering through the gritty Memphis crime scenario with a tense, estranged father-daughter dynamics binding things at its core. But that aside, the show starring Jimmy Smits and Caitlyn McGee will also focus on issues like immigration, free speech, and privacy - aka burning issues plaguing the society, played out with an undertone of comedy. Pretty tight, right?
For NBC mingling social and political issues with a hint of comedy has never been a problem, with some of its most significant shows in the comedy genre - such as 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', 'The Office', and even 'Parks and Recreation' have done a brilliant job at that. We have laughed and solemnly pondered upon issues ranging from sexual assault to discrimination based on race and gender, and even seen the various sides of masculinity and sexuality explored through these stalwarts of today's comedy. And now, joining the league will be 'Bluff City Law', which will look at wrongful imprisonment, hotshot insurance company scams, the opioid crisis still plaguing the country, and the most timely one - immigration.
Coming from Dean Georgaris, he and his team of writers have reportedly been asked by the network to increase their scripts for the initially decided 13-episode freshman season. And at the show's Television Critics Association summer press tour panel, Georgaris, and the series’ other producers claimed that 'Bluff City Law' will cater to the audience's appetite for plots pertaining to the current socio-political climate through stories “fundamental to the human experience.”
In a sea of legal dramas that have garnered cult level following over the years, Smits, who plays the lead at a law firm on the upcoming NBC show, has also played a TV lawyer several times before. But while he insisted at the panel “there was a lot of brushing up” to do to reprise a character he has played before, for the show itself, he has had to undergo a different approach. "I don’t want to say we’ll rip from the headlines," remarked Georgaris, adding: "but issues like free speech, privacy are things that we’re talking about right now. Every week we’ll be taking those on, and sometimes from a more comedic perspective.”
Armed with sassy jargon that every legal drama is sprinkled with, the twist in 'Bluff City Law' will be its comedic perspective and also the human interest character-driven plots at its core. So there will be an evaluation of social issues, lawyers at each other's throats, and a father-daughter bond unlike many seen before. Sounds like a win-win!
'Bluff City Law' premieres on September 26, at 9 p.m., only on NBC.