Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Clichéd courtroom comedy is funnier than it should be.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Trial & Error
What's the Story?
In TRIAL & ERROR's small southern town of East Peck, South Carolina, a woman lies dead. Tracked through her blood are parallel lines, which sure look like they were made by roller skates. The murdered woman's husband, poetry professor Larry Henderson (John Lithgow), is a self-professed skating "roller-cizer." Case closed? Maybe -- if Larry and daughter Summer (Krysta Rodriguez) didn't engage tireless young NYC lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D'Agosto) for the defense against lead prosecutor Carol Anne Keane (Jayma Mays). Settling into an office behind a taxidermy shop, which is populated by a platoon of local misfits and weirdos, Josh soon finds out that defending his client is not going to be an easy job -- particularly when Larry's always accidentally making himself look guilty.
Is It Any Good?
Though it scans as pieced together from other beloved-but-gone comedies, this legal-hijinks comedy is funnier than it should be despite the painfully clichéd setting. Southern people -- they're funny, right? And the minute you hear that the workplace of this workplace comedy is a taxidermy studio, you may have one foot out the door. But the writing and the jokes are funnier than they have a right to be, and the seasoned actors are pros at delivering them. When Josh, Larry, and company find it expedient to snoop into a man's financial details at a bank left unoccupied while its head officer goes to join his wife in labor, office manager Anne (Sherri Shepherd) stays behind to lock up and winds up manning the front desk. She meant to leave, she explained; it's just that customers kept coming in. "I just approved a small business loan," she beams, before urgently telling Josh that there's no better time to refinance. This is positively Dwight Schrute-level absurdity -- we didn't realize how much we'd missed it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about their feelings about Trial & Error's premise. Is a murder case an appropriate premise for a comedy? Does the way the show takes Margaret's death lightly make you uncomfortable? Is it supposed to?
Legal firms are frequently the settings for comedies as well as dramas. What others can you name? What dramatic or comedic possibilities do legal firms offer a TV show?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 14, 2017
- Cast : Sherri Shepherd , John Lithgow , Jayma Mays , Josh Segal
- Network : NBC
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate