Murder One: The Sensational First Season

Daniel Benzali as Ted Hoffman.

When wealthy philanthropist Richard Cross is arrested for the murder of his mistress's 15-year-old sister, he secures the services of defense attorney Ted Hoffman. Within days, though, a mysterious woman comes forward to provide Cross (Stanley Tucci) with an alibi. He is released and the police quickly charge actor Neil Avedon with the homicide. When Cross pleads with Ted (Daniel Benzali) to defend Neil, the attorney accepts the case.

These events set into motion the tightly-woven web of deceit, blackmail, and more murder that comprises the superb first season of Steven Bochco's TV series Murder One. Having created mega-hits Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, ABC pretty much gave Bochco carte blanche to create a new lawyer TV series in 1995 (despite his flop Cop Rock). That gave Bochco the freedom to develop a series that focused on a single case for 23 episodes. This brilliant decision allowed Murder One to delve into the fascinating details of a murder trial, from the pre-trial motions to jury selection to the press coverage.

Stanley Tucci as Richard Cross.

The early episodes interweave other legal cases which are resolved within a single episode. Sometimes, these other cases relate directly or thematically with the Avedon trial. However, the majority of them just seem extraneous. Murder One becomes a better show once Neil Avedon's fate becomes the sole focal point.

Bochco's first-rate series is anchored by two stellar performances: Daniel Benzali as defense attorney Ted Hoffman and Stanley Tucci as the Machiavellian millionaire Richard Cross. Their frequent clashes crank up the drama with Cross's smug denials frequently earning Hoffman's stinging retorts. As befits some of television's finest villains, Cross masks his motives until a climatic revelation explains what really happened on the night of the murder.

Barbara Bosson as an assistant D.A.

Barbara Bosson is almost as compelling as Miriam Grasso, the dedicated deputy district attorney prosecuting Avedon. As her friend Ted points out, Miriam has accepted her place in the D.A.'s office and just wants to win her cases--but she's not one to take lightly. It's ironic that one of the subplots in Murder One involves a marriage that falls apart as part of the trial's collateral damage. Bosson was married to Steven Bochco for 27 years, appearing in several of his shows. However, they divorced during the second year of Murder One and she retired from acting.

Despite critical accolades, Murder One never found an audience. Part of the problem was that ABC scheduled it opposite the NBC juggernaut ER for its first two months. By the time its time slot was changed, viewers may have decided they were too far behind in the plot. (Remember, this was the era before on-demand programming was available.) There may have been a bit of Bochco backlash, too. While Bosson and Tucci earned Emmy nominations, neither won. And it's an outrage that neither Benzali nor the show were nominated. (On the plus side, Mike Post's dynamic theme did win an Emmy.)

Despite the low ratings, ABC commissioned a second season, though it came with big changes. There were three overlapping cases spread over 18 episodes. Bochco fired Benzali because, according to the producer, the actor was an hour late every day due to his bathroom habits. Anthony LaPaglia came on board as a disgruntled prosecutor who quits his job and takes over Hoffman & Associates. While LaPaglia is a fine actor, his character makes too many boneheaded decisions (e.g., he starts an affair with a key suspect during the trial). The faster pace and courtroom theatrics sadly transform Murder One into just another legal drama.

The final verdict for Murder One is to stick with the first season and enjoy binging one of the most entertaining, educational examinations of the American legal system.