Franklin & Bash – Season 1 DVD (2012)
Review by Jude Felton
When it comes to shows on television there aren’t all
that many that I watch on a regular basis. The main reason being is that the
good stuff tends to be on in the evenings and I just don’t get the chance, due
to work. Hey, we have to pay the bills right? So, chances are I might catch an
episode here or there, but alas I rarely get to follow a season all the way
through on TV. Fortunately there is always the chance to catch-up on shows with
the blessed release on the entire season of a show on Blu-ray or DVD, which
also has the added bonus of being commercial-free.
This brings me to Franklin & Bash Season 1, a show
that of course I did miss when it first aired but after watching it wished I
hadn’t. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect; truth be told a couple of maverick
lawyers didn’t exactly set the flash bulbs alight in my mind. I will tell you
this though; I thought it was a very funny show. Some shows will try to force
the laughter out with weak jokes and obvious cheesy set-ups. Not here though, I
was laughing like a fool.
The premise of the show is about two lawyers, Jared
Franklin and Peter Bash, who have their own unique way of going about their
business. They are inappropriate; ask questions that you wouldn’t expect to
hear from a lawyer and just flat-out make watching a show about lawyers fun and
interesting.
They get spotted by Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell),
who runs his own very successful law firm and wants to bring them aboard. Even
though their methods are a million miles away from the way his company does
business, he isn’t oblivious to the fact that they get results, and they do
remind him of the way he used to be.
Also along for the ride are Franklin and Bash’s eccentric
team, which include a felon and an agoraphobic, Infeld’s slightly obnoxious
nephew (Homicide’s Reed Diamond) and an assortment of other regular cast
members.
A show like this is only as good as its leads though, and
thankfully Breckiln Meyer, as Franklin, and Mark-Paul Gosselar, as Bash, are
just a joy to watch. Straight from the get-go in episode one there is a quite
apparent chemistry between the two, they are playing lifelong friends after
all, and this shines through onto the screen. Funny and charming, this is one
of the better pairings I have seen in recent years.
They are both more than ably supported by Malcolm
McDowell, who let’s face it shouldn’t really need an introduction. He
character, Stanton Infeld, adds the class to the show and quite a bit of the
humor too, and is nothing less than superb.
A show like this isn’t going to get by on the humor and
buddy-factor alone though. Sure, that’ll wash for a while, but there needs to
be a little substance behind it. Again, the show comes up trumps with some well
plotted cases for the team to represent. This adds more depth to the show and
kept me coming back for more. Without the commercials, that bog down shows on
TV, each episode runs to about just over 40 minutes and they just fly by. As
soon as one ended I was ready to jump into the next one.
Sometimes shows fly under the radar, for whatever reason,
and get missed. Or, and this has become increasingly common, get cancelled
after one season. Franklin & Bash may have flown under my radar, but I am
glad to say that it was renewed for a second season, and after watching this I
am more than ready for it. Great cast, a good script and plenty of laughs make
this a winner for me.
Included on the DVD release are some featurettes, a
blooper reel and three Franklin & Bash commercials (for their firm).
Franklin & Bash Season 1 is available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
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