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Raising the Bar (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Raising the Bar is an American legal drama
, which ran on TNT
network from September 1, 2008 to December 24, 2009. The series revolves around a group of lawyer friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the criminal law.
and the assistant district attorney
s (ADAs) such as Michelle Ernhardt, the beautiful and occasionally devious attorney with whom he has had a turbulent secret fling.
's launch of The 4400
which opened with an average of 7.4 million viewers; runner-up was TNT
's The Closer
, which recorded 7 million viewers when it was unveiled in 2005.
Following the premiere, ratings evened out to around 5.5 million viewers per episode. For calendar-year 2008 on a first-run basis, the series delivered 1.37 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic, garnering mixed reviews.
marathon style on Christmas Eve
night.
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
, which ran on TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
network from September 1, 2008 to December 24, 2009. The series revolves around a group of lawyer friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the criminal law.
Production
Raising the Bar was originally announced to be joining TNT as a new series in January 2008. It came to TNT through ABC Studios and Steven Bochco served as executive producer, with Jesse Bochco as co-executive producer and David Feige as supervising producer. After completing its first season of 10 hour-long episodes in November 2008, the series was renewed for a 15-episode second season, which premiered on Monday June 8, 2009 at 10p.m ET/ 9 p.m. CT.. The show was canceled after season 2.Plot summary
Idealistic public defender Jerry Kellerman does whatever it takes to assist the helpless and disenfranchised, which often leads to clashes in the courtroom presided over by Judge Trudy Kessler, a hard-liner hoping to become the city's next district attorney. Jerry has many clashes with both law enforcementLaw enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
and the assistant district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
s (ADAs) such as Michelle Ernhardt, the beautiful and occasionally devious attorney with whom he has had a turbulent secret fling.
Cast and characters
- Mark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
as Jerry Kellerman - Gloria ReubenGloria ReubenGloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.-Life and career:...
as Rosalind Whitman - Jane KaczmarekJane KaczmarekJane Frances Kaczmarek is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character of Lois on the television series Malcolm in the Middle. Kaczmarek is a three-time Golden Globe and seven-time Emmy Award nominee...
as Trudy Kessler - Melissa SagemillerMelissa SagemillerMelissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress.-Early life and education:Sagemiller was born in Washington, D.C. to a political activist mother and a professional American football player father, who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. She attended...
as Michelle Earnhardt - Jonathan ScarfeJonathan ScarfeJonathan Scarfe is a Canadian actor. He is married to actress Suki Kaiser and is the son of actors Alan Scarfe and Sara Botsford....
as Charlie Sagansky - J. August RichardsJ. August RichardsJaime Augusto Richards III is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of vampire hunter Charles Gunn on the WB cult television series Angel.-Early life and education:...
as Marcus McGrath - Currie GrahamCurrie GrahamCurrie Graham is a Canadian stage, film and television actor. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City....
as Nick Balco - Teddy SearsTeddy SearsEdward M. "Teddy" Sears is an American television actor, best known for his roles on One Life to Live and the TNT series Raising the Bar.- Early life :...
as Richard Patrick Woolsley - Natalia CigliutiNatalia CigliutiNatalia Cigliuti is an American actress. She best known for her role as Lindsay Warner on Saved by the Bell: The New Class and as Anita Santos Warner on the soap opera All My Children.-Career:...
as Roberta "Bobbi" Gilardi
Reception
The series debut garnered 7.7 million viewers. It was the biggest audience ever for a new-series launch on basic cable. It beat the record set in 2004 by USA NetworkUSA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
's launch of The 4400
The 4400
The 4400 is a science fiction TV series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with Sky Television, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network. The show was created and written by Scott Peters and René Echevarria, and it stars Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie...
which opened with an average of 7.4 million viewers; runner-up was TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
's The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
, which recorded 7 million viewers when it was unveiled in 2005.
Following the premiere, ratings evened out to around 5.5 million viewers per episode. For calendar-year 2008 on a first-run basis, the series delivered 1.37 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic, garnering mixed reviews.
Cancellation
TNT confirmed to E! Online on November 30, 2009 that the series would not be renewed for a third season. The final three episodes were burned offBurning off (television)
Burning off is the low-profile airing of otherwise-abandoned unaired television programs, usually by scheduling in far less important time slots or on less important sister stations...
marathon style on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
night.
International distribution
| Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly schedule (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner... |
September 11, 2008 | Monday 22:00 |
 Arab League |
Fox Series Fox Series The Fox Series Channel or simply Fox was a Middle Eastern version of the American Fox Channel. It launched in 2008. The channel was relaunched as Fox on March 1, 2011.-Reception:The channel gained a positive following at the start... |
2010 | |
 Turkey |
DiziMax DiziMax DiziMax is a series of Satellite television channels available on Turkish satellite television provider Digiturk. It consists of DiziMax, DiziMax HD, and DiziMaxMore and is available on Sinema Paketi .... |
October 17, 2008 | Friday 22:00 |
 South Africa |
M-Net M-Net M-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by Naspers.... |
December 2008 | Tuesday 21:00 |
 Kingdom of Bulgaria |
TV7 TV7 (Bulgarian TV channel) TV7 is a Bulgarian television channel, owned by NEW BG Media Group. It airs entertainment programs, TV series an films, and is also the first Bulgarian station to broadcast in widescreen PAL... |
December, 2009 | 20:00 |
 Canada |
CTV CTV television network CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival... |
January 9, 2009 | Friday 22:00 |
 Spain |
TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner... |
March 2, 2009 | Thursday 22:15 |
 Italy |
Fox Crime Fox Crime Fox Crime is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which airs across several countries of Europe and Asia, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria... & La5 La5 La5 is an Italian entertainment television channel, launched on May 12, 2010 and owned by the media company Mediaset. It is available on digital terrestrial television and digital satellite television through Tivù Sat... |
March 18, 2009 | Wednesday 22:50 |
 Portugal |
AXN AXN AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America... & Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television (Portugal) Sony Entertainment Television in Portugal is a television channel operated by Sony Pictures Television International Networks Iberia. Its programming is basically focused on television series and movies. The channel was launched in Portugal on April 14, 2008, as part of the meo and Optimus Clix TV... |
April 8, 2009 | Wednesday 21:30 |
 Norway |
TV2 TV 2 (Norway) TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway.... |
June 23, 2009 | Tuesday 21:45 |
 Singapore |
Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television Asia For the version in India, see Sony Entertainment Television .Not to be confused with Sony Entertainment Television , the SET version in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Fiji.... |
August 26, 2009 | Wednesday 21:00 |
 Hong Kong |
Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television Asia For the version in India, see Sony Entertainment Television .Not to be confused with Sony Entertainment Television , the SET version in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Fiji.... |
August 26, 2009 | Wednesday 21:00 |
 Greece |
Fox Life Fox Life Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions... |
December 5, 2009 | Fridays 21:00 |
 New Zealand |
TV2 | July 27, 2009 | Tuesday 00:30 |
 Uruguay Argentina |
AXN AXN AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America... |
September 8, 2009 | Monday 21:00 |
 Brazil |
AXN AXN AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America... |
October 5, 2009 | Monday 21:00 |
 Early Modern France |
Jimmy | October 1, 2009 | Thursday 20:40 |
 Mexico |
AXN AXN AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America... |
October 5, 2009 | Monday 22:00 |
 Israel |
yes stars Base / HOT family | November 14, 2009 | Saturday 17:15 |
DVD release
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | June 2, 2009 | 10 |
| The Complete Second Season | May, 2010 | 15 |