TV Show Review: Common Law - Complete Series

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Character interaction is fully enjoyable

Cons: Mysteries are weak

The Bottom Line:

Just twelve episodes

With just okay mysteries

But plenty of heart

"I Thought You Guys Broke Up."  "We're in Couple's Counseling."

Buddy cops and even dysfunctional buddy cops are really nothing new when it comes to genres.  However, the USA Network took it to a new level with Common Law.  The resulting show was never a strong mystery show, but it was a fun comedy.

Travis (Michael Ealy) and Wes (Warren Kole) are as different as they can possibly be.  Wes is uptight, responsible, organized, a former lawyer, and still trying to get over his recent divorce.  Travis is erratic at best and, having dated every female he knows at least once, is on the prowl for his next conquest.

Their working relationship fell apart right before the series started when Wes pulled his gun on Travis.  As a result, their Captain, Mike Sutton (Jack McGee) sent them both to see his marriage counselor, Dr. Elise Ryan (Sonya Walger).  And that’s how they find themselves in group therapy with married couples who have relationships just as bad as theirs.

And somehow, whatever issue they are working through in therapy manages to come up in their case.  Whether it’s trust or revealing secrets, it is either a clue to the case or completely helps them solve it.  The cases?  There’s the woman who fell from the balcony of the honeymoon suite.  They get placed on a special task force to stop a gang steeling high end cars.  And, while taking on each other's personalities, they must find out who strangled a woman.

Obviously, the show, set in LA, fit in with the USA Network’s brand of comedic dramas.  Yes, there are the serious moments, but there are plenty of fun ones as well.  Ironically, these most often come in the therapy sessions, while the more serious moments come as the guys finally apply that to their lives while out in the field.

In the pilot, neither guy came across that great, but as things progressed and we got to know the characters better, I actually grew to like both of them.  The acting from all the characters was great, but Michael Ealy and Warren Kole really did stand out as they had the widest range to pull off every week, and they did it perfectly.

Unfortunately, the mysteries were rather weak.  Okay, they were very weak.  I usually had the big “twist” figured out by the half way point.  Even with all the mysteries I read and watch, they usually still trip me up.  However, the fun of this show was getting to the ending, so I didn’t mind that much.

The bigger unfortunate thing is that the show never did spectacularly in the ratings, so it has been canceled.  As a result, these 12 episodes are all we will get.  However, they are well preserved in this set.  They are preserved in their native wide screen and full surround sound.  There are no extras, and, at least at the moment, it is only available as a Made On Demand release from Amazon.  But I think it is worth tracking down.

If you missed this show and are looking for something with a light touch, pick up the set.  You’ll enjoy your walk on the light side of crime solving with the dysfunction duo of Common Law.