There is always a surplus of legal dramas on TV, but this is one that I’d actually watch: NBC is reportedly developing a television adaptation of THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, based on the the Taylor Hackford-directed horror-drama starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. Former “ER” producer John Wells and producer Arnold Kopelson are executive producing, while Matt Venne (MIRRORS 2, FRIGHT NIGHT 2) is penning the pilot.
Released in 1997, THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE was itself based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman. Here’s the synopsis of the book:
When Kevin Taylor joins the Manhattan criminal law firm of John Milton & Associates, he’s hit the big time. At last, he and his wife can enjoy the luxuries they’ve so desired — money, a chauffeur-driven limo, and a stunning home in a high-rise. Then Milton assigns Kevin one of the most notorious cases of the year, with a file that had been put together prior to the crime. Throwing himself into his work, Kevin begins to see a pattern of evil emerging from behind the firm’s plush facade. Acquittal after acquittal, every criminal client walks free, and Kevin’s suspicions slowly give way to terror. For Kevin has just become The Devil’s Advocate.
AM I crazy, or is this not a bad premise for a TV show. So many of the courtroom dramas on the boob tube are the same old thing; why not make one where the hotshot young lawyer’s boss is Satan himself? If nothing else, it would certainly make the weekly cases more interesting.
The real question will be, if this goes to series, just how long can the premise be sustained?