New on the tube; No verdict yet on 'The Court'

'The Court' Airs: 9 tonight on ABC (Channel 9; don't worry, "Philly" is only taking a break). Stars: Sally Field, Craig Bierko, Christina Hendricks, Pat Hingle, Miguel Sandoval, Chris Sarandon, Diahann Carroll, Nicole DeHuff, Hill Harper, Josh Radnor. Who should watch: Legal analysts and speed freaks. Who knew the dowdy machinations of federal government would be so appealing to Hollywood screenwriters? So far in 2002 we've seen two shows, including this one, about life at the Supreme Court, another on foreign affairs (so to speak) at an American embassy - what's next, "The Postmaster"? So far, only "The West Wing" has connected with viewers. "First Monday" tried the steak approach, "American Embassy" went with sizzle. Both have been hard to chew. Now comes "The Court," from the shop that produces "The West Wing." After 30 minutes, I was ready to write it off. As this column was going to press, however, a second episode arrived - and was one of the better hours of drama I've seen this year. The problem, and it persists through the second episode, is that not even a two-time Oscar winner like Field is capable of sounding very High Court when she's forced to spew dialogue as if she were in a 1940s detective movie. It's as though the script came in a little long and, rather than cut for space, the producers just sped everything up. You may want to take notes, or better yet, watch the show with a court stenographer. About two-thirds of the way through tonight's episode, though, "The Court" takes a deep breath. We learn that Field's character, a surprise pick as the ninth justice, hasn't been on the bench in years. That everybody around her is trying to guess whether her stands on hot-button issues put her closer to, say, Norma Rae or That Girl. That her clerks are very smart and very unsure of themselves. That Field is plucky and resilient (wait, we knew that). So far, however, her fellow Supremes don't do much more than bicker. I like Diahann Carroll as the liberal justice, but her special-guest-star status suggests we won't see much of her. As they say in government, that's non-trivial. No one else really leaps off the screen (or page), except for the sexy TV reporters (Hendricks and Bierko) hunting for skeletons in Field's closet. Is it trite to say "the jury is out on this one"? In the case of "The Court," it's trite and true. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com @ART CAPTION:Christina Hendricks and Craig Bierko star in "The Court." @ART CREDIT:ABC @ART:Photo (color)