 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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Shark
Common Sense Media says
James Woods is bright spot in mature legal drama.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this legal drama details criminal cases involving murder, rape, violence, and sex. Scenes have involved a woman's bloody body and an Internet sex video that features sexual noises and some skin. The main character is portrayed as good-at-heart, but not above some immoral and unethical practices.
What's the story?
Big-screen regular James Woods (Ghosts of Missippi, Virgin Suicides) moves to the tube in the legal drama SHARK. He stars as Sebastian Stark, a former high-profile defense attorney who switches over to the district attorney's office after one of his cases goes horribly wrong. Charismatic and cocky, Stark is put in charge of a small team of freshman prosecutors. He uses his box of defense attorney tricks to teach the young lawyers how to dazzle the jury and wrap up cases with a slam dunk. Jeri Ryan (Boston Public) co-stars as Jessica Devlin, Stark's former adversary and current boss. Stark's underlings are a diverse, well-dressed bunch who hang on his every word. The exception is Sarah Carter, who plays Madeline Poe, a volunteer prosecutor who wows Stark with her brains and ambition while alienating the other lawyers with her aloofness.
Is it any good?
Without Woods, Shark would be just another formulaic legal drama. But his acting chops are sharp and his presence strong. While work consumes much of Stark's life, he also has a 16-year-old daughter to care for. Though the show's writers may be aiming for a Veronica Mars-type father-daughter relationship, this duo has none of the quirky sweetness of that twosome. Instead, the wise-beyond-her-years Julie Stark (Danielle Panabaker) speaks to her father with a tone of pity, a sentiment that seems ill-fitting for the showy, loud-mouthed lawyer.
Shark is clearly an adult drama. The cases profiled in each show are sometimes gory and always entail a criminal act, some of which have sexual elements. And while Stark is a generally likeable guy, he uses tactics some would consider unethical -- and he's a realist rather than a true believer in justice.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the meaning of justice. Is it better to lose ethically or win unethically? Do the means always justify the end? If you were in trouble, would you want a lawyer like Stark to help you?
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AGE
I LOVE SHARK (52yrs old)
Shark was a wonderful show, I have seen that it is on the cancel list for next season, with its time slot I am surprised anyone saw it, what a wonderfullly interesting show with a great cast, totally unexpected plot shifts and a great chemistry, they really need to bring this back next year
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AGE
THE BEST SHOW...............
This show combines crime with the angst of bringing up a teenager alone. i love each episode more than the next!
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| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | CBS |
| Cast: | James Woods, Jeri Ryan, Samuel Page |
| Genre: | Drama |
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