FOX's Excellent JUSTICE May Be Facing An Early Dismissal

TV shows don't have to be bad to face ratings woes. Nothing proves this more than the sinking ratings for the very excellent FOX series JUSTICE. Last night it was replaced in the FOX Wednesday night schedule with a repeat of the proven quirky medical series HOUSE. For now JUSTICE is still on the November schedule for FOX after the baseball playoffs, but at the same time it is difficult toomagine how the ratings challenged HAPPY HOUR and JUSTICE are going to maje a return in the vital November sweeps ratings periid in which advertising rates are figured according to ratings. Lowly rated series will only tend to draw down a network's income, making it unlikely that real ratings drawdaowns will be given much of a second chance. Most likely both HAPPY HOUR and JUSTICE needed to prove themselves by now and both have seriously failed at that.

In the case of JUSTICE, this is especially sad. JUSTICE is an excellent courtroom law drama that shows how the mechanics of a defense work in the justice system. JUSTICE did borrow much of it's premise from the failed Spring 2005 replacement series, LAW & ORDER:TRIAL BY JURY, which did focus mainly on the prosecutions mechanics of a case construction. Even though this premise worked very well and both programs were excellent TV viewing, in both cases neither failed to attract much of a following for some reason while other courthouse dramas have succeeded very well over the years. JUSTICE also offers a CSI-like flashback at the end of each episode so that the viewer can compare the claimed courtroom testimony to the actual events. The total effect is an excellent courtroom drama that should certainly be given the second chance in November as FOX claims. JUSTICE is simply too good of a program to be removed from the FOX schedule. Few shows this good hit the airwaves, and just need a little time to attract the audience that they deserve.