Five young adults straight out of graduate school enter one of the toughest careers imaginable, in which the fates of others rest upon their knowledge, skill and determination. You can watch them Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
For any Grey's Anatomy fans out there, the premise of The Deep End probably sounds familiar - or almost identical - to the struggles of the hospital interns.
The two shows also share the same writers. This time, however, the protagonists are young lawyers embarking on their career paths at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm, Sterling, Huddle, Oppenheim & Craft.
As a huge Grey's Anatomy fan, I thought The Deep End would be the perfect show for me: a little drama, a little comic relief and a lot of interesting twists in the world of corporate law. Thus far, though, I have been disappointed by the lack of depth in the plot.
The show seems to focus on character Dylan Hewitt (Matt Long) - the nice guy trying to make it in corporate law - but it does not emphasize his importance in the series. Grey's Anatomy, on the other hand, includes the lovable narration of Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), which allows viewers to grow attached to her emotions and needs. The Deep End does not contain any of that inspiration.
Instead, there are slightly overdramatized court cases and lots of sexual tension between new coworkers in the firm. Boss Cliff Huddle (Billy Zane) and his assistant have an affair, while Huddle works alongside his wife, Susan Oppenheim (Nicole Ari Parker), a subplot that strongly resembles the Derek-Addison-Meredith love triangle seen on Grey's.
The actors try. It is not that audiences cannot sympathize with the plight of being an overworked, newly hired employee, or the disappointment of making a mistake in an important job. Zane pulls out a fair performance as an abomination in the world of bosses: an adulterous, miserly, power-hungry lawyer. Long plays his part well with a puppy-dog face and sweet smile. It is to no fault of the actors that the show appears redundant and repetitive; that blame lies on the writers' shoulders.
Apart from the emotional standpoint of the characters, the concentration on law cannot provide any personal connection for viewers. It is difficult to become emotionally involved in a case where the result only dictates who gets how much money and when he gets it.
True, ABC still knows how to pull out a few tearjerker moments. During the pilot episode, Hewitt wins a custody case so that a young boy may live with his mother and not be taken by his grandmother. There were some shocking twists, but I was a little distracted by the fact that Kate Burton, who played the grandmother, also starred as Ellis Grey in episodes of Grey's Anatomy. It could just be a coincidence, but there are just too many similarities between The Deep End and Grey's that the whole motivation behind the story is overshadowed. There may be potential, and the acting is certainly there, but for now, The Deep End is just plain shallow.
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