Parents' Guide to

Harry's Law

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Courtroom dramedy takes on morally complicated cases.

TV NBC Comedy 2011
Harry's Law Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Duke7734
Duke7734 Adult
October 8, 2011
age 17+

Law and Disorder but funny and intelligent

Good show with regard to her living in a low income part of town and gaining respect in the community.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
klords
klords Parent of 10, 12, 15 and 17-year-old
March 27, 2011
age 17+

Had Great Potential...

Another TV show that starts of really well and then goes to garbage. The last episode we started watching (and turned off) was about adultery, and multiple sexual partners. A huge disappointment.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In HARRY'S LAW, Harriet "Harry" Korn (Kathy Bates) tires of her life as a hotshot patent lawyer and decides to open her own firm in one of Cincinnati's roughest neighborhoods -- first, inside a shoe store under the banner of "Harriet's Law and Fine Shoes" and, later, in a much larger law office in an entirely different part of town. Her new army of attorneys includes cocky attention-seeker Tommy Jefferson (Christopher McDonald), rising star Adam Branch (Nate Corddry), level-headed legal mind Cassie Reynolds (Karen Olivo) and Oliver Richard (Mark Valley), a lawyer who once worked at Harry's old firm.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Talk about a makeover. After premiering to a chorus of critical boos in its first season, Harry's Law underwent major changes in casting and concept for a second season that feels like an entirely different show -- one that's more in line with executive producer/writer David E. Kelley's impressive list of legal hits (including L.A. Law, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal). That's bad news for fans of the old law-firm-in-a-shoe-store shtick but great news for those who wanted better things for Bates and her talents.

Along with a revamped line-up of lawyers (including Broadway star Olivo, who won a Tony for her performance as Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story), the firm boasts an impressive roster of higher-profile cases that take Harry and her associates into more complicated legal territory than ever before. And while the firm's new cases are a far cry from those they used to champion, Bates at least tackles them with the same no-nonsense frankness that won audiences over the first time around.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way the law (and the legal system in general) is portrayed on the show. Would Harry's methods work in an actual court of law? Is the law set up to punish people or to help them?

  • Why was Harry fed up with her former profession as a patent attorney? Is there something to be said for walking away from a lucrative, secure job that doesn't excite you anymore to pursue something you're more passionate about? What are the risks involved?

  • Does the show reinforce any negative stereotypes about the kinds of people who commit crimes? How does it compare with other shows about criminals and lawyers on TV?

TV Details

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