The wife and I have been watching the Damages TV show on Netflix, starting from episode 1. So far, we’re enjoying this show as much as anything we’ve enjoyed since we started watching Breaking Bad. I don’t think this show is as good as Breaking Bad, but the wife and I both love courtroom drama, and Damages is a fresh take on the genre.
Glenn Close steals the show as Patty Hewes, a morally-questionable (to say the least) attorney who’s acting as a mentor to a young attorney named Ellen, who’s portrayed by Rose Byrne. Ted Danson co-stars as the defendant in a case clearly inspired by the Enron scandal. Danson’s performances on Damages are surprisingly good. There’s clearly a lot more to his range as an actor than playing a bartender on Cheers.
Unlike other courtroom dramas like Boston Legal or Private Practice, Damages is spending an entire season on a single case. On those other shows, each case is usually wrapped up in a single episode, but there’s occasionally a two-parter. This is more realistic and more interesting.
The first three seasons of Damages are available on Netflix, so it’s worth taking a look at if you like courtroom drama. I understand that there will be two more seasons, and then Damages will wrap up at the end of the fifth season. If the show remains as good as this, then I’ll keep tuning in for more episodes.