One of the most under-appreciated programs ever to hit primetime, Trial by Jury was a unique approach to courtroom dramas. Featuring a powerhouse of strong leading ladies and "ripped from the headlines" cases, it allowed audiences a glimpse into the legal arm-wrestling that happens behind the scenes of trial cases.

Recently retired from the force, wisecracking homicide detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) has no intention of setting down the badge just yet. He joins the DA's investigative branch and is teamed up with Inspector Hector Salazar (Kirk Acevedo) to pull together an unsubstantial case. Two years after the disappearance of an aspiring Broadway actress, the police finally have enough evidence for an indictment against the man responsible. Kurt Lascher is a philandering Broadway director nown for sleeping around. He has a violent temper and propensity for demanding his way, whether it's facing a prosecutor across a courtroom or shouting down his actresses. The district attorney (Fred Dalton Thompson) doesn't want to tie up his Executive Assistant and hands the case over to equally competent Tracey Kibre (Bebe Neuwirth). Without a body and tainted evidence that their victim was a globe-trotter by nature, Kibre is forced to question the facts when it is revealed they might be prosecuting a murder that never happened.

Kibre and her assistant Kelly Gaffney (Amy Carlson) are pitted against one of the city's most formidable defense attorneys in a a battle of female ambition as they seek to put a sleazy egomaniac behind bars. While it is true that we never learn much about the characters' personal lives, we like them as prosecutors and individuals. Orbach's death was rapidly followed with the introduction of Detective Ravell (Scott Cohen), whose tough-guy approach is effective. Kibre is a definitive female version of McCoy, willing to stretch the law when she needs to in order to get a conviction, while Kelly is more socially conscious and sensitive. They go after cop killers, pedophiles, bank robbers, rapists, and homicidal husbands. It's solid storytelling with impacting plot twists. It's easy to believe these prosecutors work in the same offices as those on Law & Order. They even occasionally run into one another in conference rooms.

When this first aired, it was met with mixed feelings in my parent's house because the pilot episode contained fairly rough language and brief sexual content before the opening credits. It's not the norm. Language is an occasional problem, the most common term thrown around being b**ch. There is occasional sexual banter, and several cases revolve around sex-related crimes, in which the possibilities of rape are all explored in detail. The most brutal of these is the cross-over with The Special Victims Unit (entitled "Night," and "Day") in which the prosecutors follow up on a multiple rape trial. There's a great deal of exploration of disgusting details, and the attempt to imply the women "lead him on" because of his social disorder (claiming he was unable to tell between someone asking the time and a sexual come-on). "Boys Will Be Boys" involves the death of a transsexual, and the prosecution makes the daring decision to call "he" a "she" in the courtroom. That and another episode in which a gay man was sexually abused by the police ("Blue Wall") explore the gay club scene.

Since the focus is on the courtroom and trial proceedings, we are not forced to explore many crime scenes, only photographs and verbal descriptions of events, but a female prosecutor is brutally attacked and beaten half to death in her office. Adulterous affairs are uncovered in the course of interrogations and cross-examinations. There's a cross-over with the original Law & Order, but part one is not included in the set. The series has a commendable list of guest stars, including Candice Bergen, Carey Lowell, Dennis Farina, Jesse Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston, Chris Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Alfred Molina, Aidan Gillen, Angela Lansbury, and Bradley Cooper. 

One of the best cases in the season is "Vigilante," which questions what society is to do with convicted pedophiles. It's also interesting to see to what lengths defense attorneys go to prove their point. We get to see jury selection, trial runs, and hear strategies to earn juror sympathies. The show was not deemed marketable because of its female powerhouse (there are no leading male prosecutors) but the truth is that it's a very solid and gripping series. I have respect for Wolf's controversial, uncompromising approach to courtroom dramas. In a world of political correctness it's refreshing to see him challenge the standard.