FX has ordered thirteen episodes of yet another, original drama, called Damages. The story seems a little used up by this point: A legal thriller set in the world of New York City, high-stakes litigation, FX’s Damages follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes, played by Glenn Close, the nation’s most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator and her bright, ambitious young protégée Ellen Parsons, whom is played by Rose Byrne. After Patty handpicks Ellen to be a first-year Associate at the high- profile law firm, ‘Hewes & Associates’, life will never be the same for either one of them. Ellen, newly-engaged to her boyfriend David Connor, is thrilled to join the ranks and be trained under Patty and Patty’s trusted Senior Associate, Tom Shayes. But Ellen soon realizes that the price of success may be much higher than what she’s willing to pay. Currently, the focus of ‘Hewes & Associates’ attention is a class action lawsuit targeting the allegedly corrupt Arthur Frobisher, played by Ted Danson, one of the country’s wealthiest CEOs. Patty, on behalf of her clients, is attempting to bankrupt and personally destroy Frobisher. As Patty battles with Frobisher and his attorney Ray Fiske, Ellen Parsons will be front and center witnessing just what it takes to win at all costs. Damages will premier on cable channel FX, this July 24th at 10 pm ET/PT time, or 9 pm for those of us who live in the middle of the country.
Before everybody starts crying, “Not another legal drama!”, remember that Damages is on the home for great dramas. FX has become the number one spot for great original dramas, which started with The Shield, which will be airing its final season in 2008, and, most recently, adding shows like The Riches. In between The Shield and Damages, FX has managed bonafide hits with every drama they have ever put on the air; most notably Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, and Dirt.
The thing that really makes FX’s Damages really standout is the casting choices. Let’s start with the star, Glenn Close. There is nothing I can say here that hasn’t already been said about Glenn Close’s unbelievable acting ability, so I’m not even going to try. What I do want to point out is the odd casting choice Glenn Close seems for an FX drama such as Damages. With all the roles she’s played over the years, I don’t recall her really being in too many roles that would make her casting in a gritty drama like Damages seem like an obvious fit. That is, until I realized why she was cast in the FX drama in the first place. Many of you avid television fans, and especially FX fans, will undoubtedly remember Glenn Close’s turn as Captain Monica Rawling on FX’s, The Shield. Watching Glenn Close battle it out for a whole season with Michael Chiklis’ Detective Vic Mackey for an entire season, proved that she has what it takes to star in an FX’s Damages.
The other casting choice in Damages that is drawing some attention, and still has me a little worried, is casting Ted Danson as Damages‘ corrupt, wealthy CEO Arthur Frobisher. It’s not that anybody really has anything against Ted Danson, but considering his most recent television show – a very short-lived sitcom about a therapist who is as much in need of a therapist as his patients entitled Help Me, Help You – the fit for this kind of a role is almost absurd. Even taking into account Ted Danson’s acting history, there are no roles that really seem to jump out and show that he is ready to tackle a role in a drama such as Damages. It is very possible that I may be wrong about Ted Danson’s fit for an FX drama, and if FX’s drama history is any indicator, I probably am wrong.
When all is said and done, the previews for Damges, which are airing on the FX network currently, look very promising. I would be surprised if Damages didn’t turn out to be the next hit drama for the FX network.
Reference:
- FX Network’s Official Site: fxnetwork.com/
