letterten 2003-04 fall preview

debuts Sunday, Sep 28, 10:00pm

premise from	Another Washington-based drama starring Rob Lowe as Jack Turner, the idealistic son of a political dynasty who handles cases and navigates the inner workings of a 150-year-old law firm that is potentially harboring some dark secrets. Also working at Lyon, Lacrosse and Levine, is Jack's practical friend Riley who is being forced to take a promotion he doesn't want; Grant, the competitive, cynical one; and Ariel, the alcoholic. [NBC link]
stars	Rob Lowe ("The West Wing"), Matt Craven, Elizabeth Mitchell ("Frequency," "ER"), Kyle Chandler ("Early Edition"), James Pickens Jr., Frances Fisher ("Glory Days," "Titanic"), David Krumholtz
producers	Remi Aubuchon, Rob Lowe, Brad Grey, Bernie Brillstein, Rod Holcomb
studio	20th Century Fox and Brillstein-Grey Television

opinions
	The show that Rob Lowe left "The West Wing" for. It's got a good cast and a good slot (forget "Jake 2.0," it's against "The Practice 2.0"), but they have a high bar to get over. Especially since it's set in D.C., Lowe will need to prove that he's not the same character at a new location -- and not get preachy in the process. This is one of the only shows on any sked that I'm actually looking forward to. Good supporting cast as well.
	Clips make it look very much like "The Guardian," but Rob Lowe is in ultra-earnest mode here. The supporting cast is extremely strong, but having Lowe play up his WASP-ish blandness can't be a good idea. Perhaps some of those nifty background character actors will step forward to provide some edge or comic relief, because "The Lyon's Den" could drown in self-seriousness.

my thoughts on "The Lyon's Den"
	Full season. One of the few bright spots anywhere: one of two near sure things of the year.