DO NOT RAISE THE BAR:

"The truth should never be a disappointment to this office."

These are the kind of lines you can expect from Raising the Bar, a new show premiering September 1 on TNT. Led by Mark-Paul Gosselaar the cast is rounded out by faces you recognize but names you can't remember and unfortunately the show leaves you feeling the same way. Steven Bochco tries his hand one more time after successful series such as L.A. Law and NYPD Blue by giving a ficticious behind the scenes look at the New York City legal life.

Gosselaar plays the underdog just fine but the character is really no different from every other scrappy 'the truth is all that matters' lawyer you've seen time and time again. Despite the wins his character achieves during the pilot the story is so lacking that you can't bring yourself to be a passenger on his righteous journey.

And what about J. August Richards? When his character in Angel became a lawyer the show was canceled. When he took a role on the new Law and Order franchise show, Conviction, the show was short lived and unwatched. Maybe it's time for Richards to consider playing a doctor or a maintenance worker, his choosing to play a lawyer seems to be a curse. But perhaps he's not even worth focusing on due to the fact that if you blink you'll miss him.

Many of the characters were flies that should have been swatted rather than given lines and plot points. The so-called tension seemed worthless and uninteresting, leaving the option to turn the channel wide open. But if you do make it to the end of the show you'll be treated to a screen kiss as contemporary music blares in the background, more reminiscent of a Cameron Diaz romantic comedy rather than a serious courtroom drama.

Don't be surprised if at some point you find out that all of the characters were former Seattle Grace employees that decided to move to New York City to persue their love of the law. Except if that really were the case the show might actually be worth watching. It's a soapy drama that lacks both credibility and potential and watching that rerun of Law and Order that you've seen 20 times already would be a better use of your time.