ALL RISE: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this drama series about the lives and work of the hardworking staff of a Los Angeles County courthouse. In this episode, prosecutor Mark Callan helps pal Lola Carmichael out with a would-be laptop thief and begs her not to leave him behind in the D.A.'s office as she ascends to a judge position in a few weeks' time. Public defender Emily Lopez tries to juggle her many clients, and when Lola upbraids a bailiff for escorting a defendant, Daphne Rivas, into the courtroom half-dressed, he loses his temper and pulls his gun on the judge and the crowd, but is quickly subdued by another guard, Luke Watkins. Two weeks later, Emily awkwardly thanks Luke for his quick actions, and he explains that he is soon to graduate from law school himself. Lola steps into her new role and meets fellow judges Lisa Benner and Jonas Kaski, though she is taken aback when the ruthlessly no-nonsense Sherri Kansky, who made a complaint about her in the past, is assigned to be her judicial assistant. Sweet-tempered court reporter Sara Castillo chats with Emily, who reveals her troubles with an angry ex-boyfriend, and Sherri briskly tells Lola to avoid trials wherever possible, declaring that justice comes second to speed in their business.
Mark is annoyed by the antics of a very obviously guilty burglar, Robbie Brooks, who opts to represent himself in court, and Judge Carmichael's grand entrance doesn't quite go as planned, though Emily is relieved when she dismisses her first client's minor charges. Daphne Rivas then returns and pleads no contest to a robbery charge, but Lola, learning that Daphne is pregnant and seems not to understand the gravity of the charge, ignores Sherri's warnings and decides to go to trial. Surprised, Emily urges Daphne to take the stand and create sympathy for herself, and though Mark shows security camera footage clearly showing Brooks, the now-heavily bearded Brooks is granted permission to cross-examine him. Lola urges Emily to enforce the restraining order against her ex, though she refuses to discuss Daphne's potential plea deal outside of the courtroom. Mark complains that Judge Kaski is seeking revenge on him because of a past run-in during a hockey game, and he is further frustrated when Lola supports Brooks' right to defend himself, pointing out that "his voice matters" in his own case. Luke alerts Emily to a discrepancy in Detective Jackie Leyland's seemingly airtight evidence against Daphne, and the two discover that she may have manipulated evidence to support a false identification. Mark is embarrassed when Brooks attempts to sully his reputation by bringing up his estranged father Victor, a "grifter" and possible Mafioso, and when Daphne asserts her innocence on the stand, Lola agrees to examine Emily's claims against Leyland. Lisa, however, introduces assistant police chief Jack Healy, who strongly hints that Lola shouldn't tarnish Leyland's strong reputation for the sake of a lowly criminal. Lola, unable to confide in Mark about her confidential cases, admits that it's "different up there," but he takes her advice and cleverly tricks Brooks into proving his "innocence" to the jury by shaving his beard, leading to a speedy conviction. Lola agrees that Leyland's questionable evidence creates reasonable doubt and declares Daphne not guilty, though Leyland argues that women in the justice system should support each other, as they rarely get second chances in the male-dominated field. Emily hesitantly considers Luke's offer to spend more time together, and Lola figures out that Daphne was covering for her mother Consuela out of desperation for her help with her forthcoming child, but Lola reassures that she doesn't need to support of someone who would allow her to take the fall for her own crime. Later, she accompanies Mark to a brief but effective "reunion" with his dad. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:48
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 137807
- GENRE: Drama, legal
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, legal; Women judges; Los Angeles
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 2019-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Len Goldstein … Executive Producer
- Michael M. Robin … Executive Producer, Director
- Greg Spottiswood … Executive Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Ronald D. Chong … Producer
- Dantonio Alvarez … Co-Producer
- Gil Garcetti … Consulting Producer
- Steve Bogira … Inspired by the book by
- Joey Newman … Music by
- Simone Missick … Cast, Judge Lola Carmichael
- Wilson Bethel … Cast, Mark Callan
- Jessica Camacho … Cast, Emily Lopez
- J. Alex Brinson … Cast, Luke Watkins
- Ruthie Ann Miles … Cast, Sherri Kansky
- Lindsay Mendez … Cast, Sara Castillo
- Marg Helgenberger … Cast, Judge Lisa Benner
- Paul McCrane … Cast, Judge Jonas Laski
- Tony Denison … Cast, Victor Callan
- George Basil … Cast, Robbie Brooks
- Richard Brooks … Cast, Asst. Chief Jack Healy
- Erin Cummings … Cast, Detective Jackie Leyland
- Raquel Dominguez … Cast, Daphne Rivas
- Onahoua Rodriguez … Cast, Consuela Rivas
- Mitch Silpa … Cast, Deputy District Attorney Clayton Berger
- James C. Burns … Cast, Rex Scully
- Beau Drennan … Cast, Billy Smitt
- Ahmad Dugas … Cast, Burly Deputy
- Martin Garcia … Cast, Dev
- Bill Lewis … Cast, Elewyn White
- Autumn Teague … Cast, Lawyer
- Frank Alvarez … Cast, Scary-Looking Prisoner