Kate Walsh is back on TV, but instead of the intelligent Dr. Addison Montgomery on Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, Walsh plays Rebecca Wright on NBC’s new comedy, Bad Judge.
Bad Judge tells the story of Wright, a new judge on Los Angeles County Circuit Court, who spends her time off of the bench drinking and engaging in reckless behavior. The Pilot episode begins with a hungover Wright rushing to her courtroom to hear a case about a man charged with bigamy after living two separate lives with two different wives. Wright makes inappropriate comments to the prosecutor, tricks the defendant, Mr. Riller, into admitting he is a flight risk, and has her bailiff, Tedward, throw away a pregnancy test. Luckily for Wright, the test was negative.
In another Bad Judge move, Wright uses her chambers for a quickie with Dr. Gary Boyd, an expert witness, before Tedward interrupts them with an urgent phone call from a 10-year-old boy named Robby. Wright sent both of Robby’s parents to jail and feels responsible for his well being, even after her supervisor, Judge Hernandez, discourages her from feeling that way. Wright travels to Robby’s school to help him with a bully problem, and instead advises him to punch the bully. Wright’s advice backfires and Robby is sent to a group home for violent kids. Eventually, Wright gets Dr. Boyd to write a letter saying Robby is not a violent child, and Robby is allowed to stay at his current home.
At the new hearing for the bigamist, both of Mr. Riller’s wives plead with Wright for leniency with personal statements. Wright decides not to send Mr. Riller to jail, but forces him to take a college course on feminism while wearing a t-shirt saying, “I’m a convicted bigamist,” to which he responds, “What? How am I going to pick up girls?”
The Pilot concludes with Wright celebrating a successful commencement speech at a local bar with Tedward, Dr. Boyd, Judge Hernandez, and engaging in her typical Bad Judge behavior.
Bad Judge is akin to other half-hour sitcoms. With a strong lead, and an easy storyline, Bad Judge brought in a total of 5.9 million viewers, a relatively strong premiere for the new fall shows. Critics generally have given Bad Judge unfavorable reviews, with a current rating of 18 percent on RottenTomatoes.com. Bad Judge airs Thursday nights at 9pm on NBC.
Victoria Holt is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies and minoring in journalism. She can be reached at VH758202@wcupa.edu.