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The Deep End is an ABC network legal drama series created by David Hemingson which aired from January 21 to February 25, 2010, lasting for one season and six episodes.
It was produced by Hemingson Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television.
Plot[]
The series followed five first-year associate attorneys from diverse backgrounds as they learn how to deal with the challenges of working at Oppenheim & Craft, one of the most prestigious law firms in Los Angeles, California.
Cast[]
- Matt Long as Dylan Hewitt
- Norbert Leo Butz as Rowdy Kaise
- Ben Lawson as Liam Priory
- Tina Majorino as Adelaide "Addy" Fisher
- Clancy Brown as Hart Sterling
- Billy Zane as Clifford "Cliff" Huddle
- Mehcad Brooks as Malcolm Bennet
- Leah Pipes as Elizabeth "Beth" Branford
- Nicole Ari Parker as Susan Oppenheim
Reception[]
"The Deep End" premiered on January 21, 2010 as a 2009–2010 midseason replacement for "FlashForward," attracting 7 million viewers and receiving a low 1.7 rating in the category of adults 18-49.
The series received a negative critical response, averaging 40/100 on Metacritic, based on 23 reviews with one positive, 14 mixed, and eight negatives.
Critics said that the show lacked originality and appeared similar to shows such as "L.A. Law", "The Practice", "Boston Legal", "Damages", "Eli Stone" and "The Good Wife".
"The Deep End" premiered in the time slot before "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice", leading the Washington Post to say that The Deep End resembled the two other shows "closely enough to warrant a paternity test".
Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine said that even though "The Deep End" received a great deal of publicity, the show "sank in its first outing".
Tom Maurstad of the Dallas Morning News observed that it was noticeable that the show was shot in Las Colinas, not in its setting of Los Angeles.
Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said the show consisted of a "bunch of attractive people in suits saying the same lines".
Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald described the show as "a dreadful attempt to duplicate Grey's Anatomy in a law office".
Mark Peikert of the New York Press said that the show was "sailing in shallow waters".
Attorneys criticized the show as unrealistic due to numerous violations of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct by the fictional attorneys on the show.
It was also criticized for its depiction of young associates performing tedious legal research with hard copy books in a law library; a firm the size and caliber of Sterling, Huddle, Oppenheim, & Craft would have a subscription to online databases like Westlaw or LexisNexis.