SHARK: SEASON ONE
(not rated)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5)
STARRING
James Woods as SEBASTIAN STARK
Sophina Brown as RAINA TROY
Sarah Carter as MADELINE POE
Jeri Ryan as JESSICA DEVLIN
Danielle Panabaker as JULIE STARK
Samuel Page as CASEY WOODLAND
Henry Simmons as ISAAC WRIGHT
Studio: FOX
BY KEVIN CARR
Apparently I wasn’t the only one pissed off at the O.J. verdict a dozen years ago. Fortunately, it seems that we might get a second crack at that guy, but that has nothing to do with the television series “Shark,” the first season of which hit the streets this week.
“Shark” tells the story of a high-powered defense lawyer named Sebastian Stark (James Woods) who is lured into the L.A. prosecutor’s office. And suddenly, we have one of the sharks working on the side of justice. Of course, Stark isn’t the nicest guy around, and he has to deal with tension in the office as well as tension at home when his teenage daughter (Danielle Panabaker) decides to live with him and not her mother.
When “Shark” is boiled down to its basic parts, it’s just another courtroom drama. However, it rises out of obscurity with a strong cast, led by veteran actor James Woods. In fact, it’s Woods’ passion in the project that carries the show.
Like any Hollywood courtroom drama, the legal world is twisted for dramatic effect, and things run a lot faster than in the real world. However, using the premise of a cutthroat corporate attorney doing some good for a change lends to its freshness. The only thing left to see is whether the Shark keeps his teeth in the coming seasons.
The DVD comes with a few special features on the sixth disc, including a gag reel, oodles of deleted scenes and a featurette explaining the creation of the series.