Close to Home (2005–2007) User Reviews

Jennifer Finnigan have no support

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 22 August 2013]

Annabeth Chase (Jennifer Finnigan) is a suburban wife and an aggressive prosecutor with a perfect record. She is a new mom returning to work. Maureen Scofield (Kimberly Elise) climbs over her to be her new boss. Her husband Jack Chase (Christian Kane) is killed off at the end of the first season.

This is a crime legal procedural. It started with an interesting secondary home life story. Jennifer Finnigan is likable and compelling. Maybe it didn't gel for the writers. There is a massive overhaul for season 2. The first season seems to work well but maybe there were problems behind the scenes. Sadly it never took off. The changeover did nothing but cause disruptions. Finnigan was left to struggle by herself and the show got canceled after 2 seasons.

Do yourself a favor and watch The Closer instead.

[kazaadude2000 · 6/10 · 9 July 2006]

The acting is very, very bad ... it's like they're reciting lines or performing ... posing. I don't know if it's because of the actors, the director, or the script. And the characters are cut-and-paste stereotypes that don't stand out from other shows with their own distinguishing traits. Very generic.

The stories are decent enough. But for a cop show with a strong female lead, with much more emphasis on the personalities of the show, as well as their interaction, you're better off watching The Closer. Also formula-ic, but a lot more fun to watch. By the fifth episode, you might catch yourself saying "Thaink yoouuuu". :D

It really hits Close To Home

[EvergreenPhoenix · 8/10 · 10 June 2006]

This isn't your average crime drama. When you watch CSI: or Cold Case and even Law & Order, all you see is the crime. The before and after.

To watch this show, you need to ask yourself: How much do you know about your neighbors? How well do you think you know your friends? Your lover? Your wife or husband? And even your child? This show centers itself around the lives of everyone involved, whether its the victim, the criminal, the families of those involved and even the prosecutor handling the case.

Very emotionally draining at some points, this show really does hit close to home.

the best prime time drama of the fall

[cool_imran89 · 16 October 2005]

Well... first when i heard of this show, i thought that this will be a mixture of CSI and Law and Order. When i heard that Jennifer Finnigan will be playing the lead in the series i thought that she will bring the "soap opera" acting in this show. But when i saw the show i was proved wrong. Jennifer Finnigan plays a brilliant lawyer and a mother of a child. When i saw her acting i realized that she has forgotten all about the soap acting and created a new taste in her acting. In the start of the show, she is taking care of her new baby and her career as a lawyer and struggling to maintain both jobs at a good position. Her husband is played by the former Angel's villain Christian Kane. He is a loving husband and is helping his wife to maintain her job and take care of their baby. CBS has done a great job of picking up this show and taking actors who are best for this show. This show should continue for many seasons and all of my friends loved it. I recommend it to everyone to watch it.

They made a big mistake....

[jmworacle-99025 · 6/10 · 18 August 2020]

The producers made a big mistake by killing off Annabeth's husband Jack at the end of the first season. Then introducing a new "love interest" really turned off a lot of viewers. Instead of having the setting in Los Angeles or New York City the show was based out of Indiana. You had your mid-west background which worked.

Close to home a winner! (May 15 2007 - Cancelled by CBS)

[picturetaker · 9/10 · 4 October 2005]

After just seeing the first episode of this new court/law drama "Close to home" I can see it becoming a hit! It reminds me of years ago after watching the first episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" the WOW factor was huge with this and that show! The opening scene was VERY impressive, the middle of the show was Great and the ending was perfect! The cinematography is very wonderful and keeps it fresh and the story is well done.

The characters are very likable. Starring Jennifer Finnigan (Commited) as Assistant DA, and John Carroll Lynch (Drew Careys brother on "The Drew Carey show") and Kimberly Elise (John Q). The cast is experienced and they act well in this show.

Close to Home is yet another great show from the CBS network and I will be watching it every chance I get! 5 Stars out of 5!

EDIT & UPDATE: Unfortunately since I wrote this review on October 4th 2005, Close to Home has gone down the toilet. Mainly with a bad time slot that usually competed with other shows people watch. Effect May 15 2007 it seems that CBS has pulled the plug on this show. Too bad, it was pretty good, the episodes I did watch anyway.

Great Suspense Show

[pwj27214 · 10/10 · 21 May 2006]

I watch this show every time it comes on. I look forward to it every week. It always has a surprise close to the end of the show. When you think you know who did it and why; you get surprised by who really did it or why they did it. It has a great lineup of great stars. The actors in the district attorney's office and the police department are great. They do such a great job of acting that you think you are actually there with them. If you are looking for a show that shows police work, district attorney's office and a jury trial this is the show for you. I would recommend this show to everyone. GREAT SHOW AND A GREAT LINEUP OF STARS.

Good o very good actors and actresses with very poor writers

[chrismcreynolds · 4/10 · 9 June 2006]

I really wanted to like this series. I normally would since there is quite a bit to like about it. At first when I found so many problems, I kept thinking that it was me who was not paying close enough attention. Within a few weeks (of giving it another shot each week after watching the pilot) I finally decided that its weak writing was not from my missing something or that they ran out of creative ideas. The whole style of this show is intentionally written for a demographic that knows very little about the technical and legal issues in "th real world" and unfortunately this also includes anyone that has made it through more than a few CSI and or Law and Order shows. In short, this show is for viewers weaning off of daytime soaps and it perhaps watching this series in preparation for understanding Law and Order, SVU (the least realistic L & O variant).

It really is sad because the cast is really excellent. They also get some strong (some times too strong, or strong in the wrong areas) to play defense attorneys).

The show seems to intentionally open with the 1) The same suburban setting with a small town DA that works closely with the staff of 2 gorgeous young ADAs. On the other hand, there seems to be a huge detective division for such a small DAs office. That is complete knit picking to show how forgiving I am. The stories always start out with outrageous "Urban" crimes happening "Close to (Suburban) Home(s)" Get it? OK, so the case always looks like a "cakewalk" for the ADA staff in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the show. After that the case falls apart because of one unrealistic "problem with the case" or another. These problems are always stupid and seen from a thousand miles away. This goes back and forth for the about next 30 minutes.

By the time the clock gets close to 45 or 50 past the hour, the resolution can be seen easily and the show always concludes with several minutes of the young ADA at home in the 'burbs with her new baby and young husband contemplating the lesson.

The worst part is that at the end of the first season (a few weeks ago) the star of the show arrived home to find her husband (and I think her baby too) killed from a car wreck or a fire. Normally I would not be so uncaring about the details but I had already given up on the series. I really like the cast though and there is nothing else on TV at the time so I watch it while surfing the web some times.

If you have also seen this show and wondered what it was that was bothering you, it is not you. It is the show's writers. They suck intentionally.

Quite a good show

[cahorn · 9/10 · 13 April 2007]

I really enjoy this show. It is the perfect lead into Numb3rs because they are both crime/justice shows taken from a different angle. I love how this show is set in Indianapolis. Im sick and tired of NY and LA shows. There are so many other great cities to set the show in. I have been a big fan of Jennifer Finnigan after seeing her on the short lived show Committed.

I don't see why people are criticizing it so much. Of course this show isn't Law and Order, but what is. Its a very enjoyable show with good acting and fun plot lines. I like how they use takeoffs of story lines that actually happen in Indianapolis.

I recommend this show to everyone.

Possibly the worst Court room drama in the last few years

[iterativeend · 3/10 · 12 May 2009]

"Close to home" follows the trials of a Public attorney who seems to have a near perfect record. That is true for all court room drams on TV, but one aspect that i felt that could differentiate between this and others like LA Law or Boston legal is that the star does not have an ivy league education to shove in our face. No, they decided to differentiate this show by making the attorney win even when she is awful at her job.

I haven't seen all the episodes but in almost all the episodes I've watched, she does a horrible job proving her case even when she has all the evidence to back her up. Great court-room dramas have lawyers brilliantly winning their cases with little evidence. The good ones try to make us believe that with luck, what was shown could actually happen. But in this show, even when the opposing attorney was great and does a great job, the public attorney always wins.

Passionate, convincing...a potential hit!

[shikinluv · 18 October 2005]

After watching the pilot of this TV show, I'm convinced that CBS have a winner on their hands. The lead character, Annabeth Chase, played by the talented Jennifer Finnigan, is portrayed as a realistic working mum. On her first day back at work, she has to deal with a difficult case and also her emotions regarding her baby whom she misses. She's also unyielding in her resolve to bring the perpetrator of a heinous crime to justice and Finnigan plays Annabeth with a wealth of fiery passion that is lacking in most other shows on air at the moment.

Though it feels at times that it might be bordering on melodrama, it never crosses the line. The writing for this pilot was top-notch and though there is always room for improvement, it was a delight and a breath of fresh air. I hope this series will be picked up for a full season by CBS because it would be a waste should it be cancelled.

First time to watch - I liked it a lot!

[wolfepaw · 9/10 · 25 September 2006]

I watched this show for the first time with the premier episode of the 2006-2007 season. I watched it to see David James Elliott (of JAG fame) as the new character, ADA Jimmy Conlon. He played a very different type of character and it took me a little while to get over the fact that he was not playing Harmon Rabb, Jr. However, I really enjoyed the show and the characters and it had an unexpected twist to the ending. I never saw it coming. I like it when TV surprises me. And it's great to have DJE back on TV again. I wonder what other people think about his new character and if they think he has a long future in this show. I think he does, although I hope his character shows a bit more heart and warmth in the future. I'll watch "Close To Home" on a regular basis. It's a very good show.

Close to Home with Lenny Schmidy

[jmcmanus10 · 9/10 · 1 August 2006]

Wasn't the scene where the garbage man was talking to the detective great? The garbage man, played by none other than the infamous Lenny Schmidt, gave a great rendition of his account of how he ran across the suspect earlier that day. He explains to the detective that in no uncertain terms if he runs by that guy again he would most likely clock him a good one since he cut off his truck earlier that morning. He also explained to the officer that as a garbageman he is very busy and doesn't have much time to watch TV and other stuff. So hence, and I quote, "I read books". Books? A garbageman reads books? Good stuff. I'll keep watching.

Boring !

[thegreatswan · 3/10 · 17 November 2008]

I love made-in-US-legal-dramas, that's a fact. Law and Order, CSI, even Crossing Jordan... I use to watch them while writing my criminal stories, it kinda makes me in the right mood. But this one ? Oh dear. And I can't say I didn't give it a try. I saw about a dozen episodes, but when the credits rolled, it was always the same thought going through my mind : "I should have watch something else." And then, one night, after two minutes of this show, I switched channels, making up my mind on a DVD instead.

The stories are quite decent, actually, but the main characters ? Come on ! Usually, in such dramas, defense lawyers are "les emmerdeurs" (roughly translate : "Pain in the a**"), but here, it's quite the opposite. I can't find even one of the prosecutors nice and friendly. Okay, that's not their job to be nice and friendly, but only with the criminal, alright ? Annabeth has "un je ne sais quoi", a little something which bores me a lot : to be frank, I'd like to shush her anytime she opens her mouth. And about Maureen, it's even worse. Two real big ice queens, both as warm as winter in the North Pole !

So, if you're a fan, good for you. But Bruckheimer's productions have way better shows than this one.

Good So Far!

[lthes81 · 10/10 · 18 July 2021]

Admittedly I found this series online 15 years late and am enjoying it very much. The first episode had me glued to my seat. I admit I'm a Kaniac and watched it solely for Christian Kane's performance, but after just the pilot episode I'm hooked. I like the performances of all the actors, if the storylines are anything like the first one, I'll be ecstatic and Christian Kane's part isn't big enough - that's my only beef. LOL! I can relate to a woman with a stressful job and a newborn who must pump at work and store her milk in the fridge - as it was for me, I was forced to pack the milk in a portable ice chest. I relate to this series more than any other. I think it's great, I'm just sorry I missed it when it first came around.

awful

[doragigja · 1/10 · 13 March 2007]

This show is one of the most boring shows on TV. There is never any point to the story but still all scenes are filled with dramatic acting, where everyone act extremely adult and serious.

Annabeth chase or whatever she's called, is the most boring face on this earth. It's like she's wearing a stone-mask. Nothing charming about her at all. And she's a single mum.. oh yes, that's such a lame way to show sensitive site, "she's not just a tough woman out there in a mans world! she's also a mum, and a single mum! She has it all!" Well I'm not buying it!

it's horrible.

In a reality all its own

[slider-9 · 31 January 2006]

I watched an episode of this last night, the only episode I will be watching and from the beginning it didn't flow right. The lead-in to the case was good, but from there it took a swan-dive and did a delightful belly-flop.

I think it extremely unlikely that a prosecutor with a supposedly strong case would throw the entire case away by questioning a suspect after a request for an attorney has been made. Everything from there on became what is referred to as "Fruit from the Poisoned tree". Her whole case was based on this evidence, which when it came to arraignment was thrown out, except for ONE single piece of evidence which they obtained through a "seperate investigation". The last time I looked a single piece of evidence which proves intent, doesn't necessarily go beyond reasonable doubt.

The main character Annabeth, appears to be written as a smartly intuitive prosecutor, who can clearly tell when a suspect wants to confess, but it appeared that once the writers got that far, they didn't know what to do next.

The dialogue in it was wooden, certainly the supervisor in the Prosecutor's office appeared so wooden, he either grew on the spot or was poured from a concrete mould.

It's certainly not the edgy drama with an aggressive lawyer that it was touted as, it's a lightweight trying to punch well-above its weight and it's leading with its chin.

One more good show that got canceled too soon

[smallrage1 · 9/10 · 29 August 2009]

Working 4 to midnight I don't get to watch too many shows and this show was one of them, I'm into police and legal dramas such as this one. Being able to watch prime time shows online that I might of missed when I was at work has been a great plus. Personally I am very disappointed when good shows such as this one get canceled, I wished networks would visit this site and read peoples feedback on shows.

Maybe then networks would have a change of heart when canceling shows that have a cult following and that networks listen to what people like and don't like. They don't and to me its a shame, I know that networks bases for canceling shows is advertising and I fully understand that but sometimes they pull the plug on a show when it's barely has time to develop That said this was one fine show a hidden pearl among a sea of trash, yet it got pulled when it was just had started to get interesting. I would of welcomed watching another season of this show,the reason why it got axed in my opinion it's because the violence was toned down. I see no other reason why anyone in their right frame of mind cancel it other than the fact that they centered the show on the investigations, rather than showing the usual blood and gore.

I really liked this show the beginning of the first season was rather slow but it picked up nicely at the end. What I did find odd who knows maybe it why it got canceled is the addition of new characters and removing others with no explanation what so ever as to why they weren't there. So the beginning of season 2 started a little weird but hang in there because once again the characters develop nicely.

Which is why I find it odd it got yanked, people tend to have loyalties to actors and when they were missing they might have dropped the show. I'm sure had they explained why the characters suddenly vanished people would of warmed up the the show once more.

I rate this show a 9 only because of the relationships that developed and I found Jennifer Finnigan/Annabeth Chase played a very convincing prosecutor. Yet she hasn't had many roles since then

What a joke

[msgt-44260 · 1/10 · 4 October 2019]

It took less than three episodes for me to give up on this show. It was clear the producers had no idea about Indianapolis and the legal system in Indiana because they used California terms. As one who was born and raised in Indianapolis I found this to be absurd.

Wanted to like it but..

[waydzzy · 3/10 · 26 March 2023]

The overall premise had promise as a unique sort of crime drama. But every character was completely unlikable and the scenes were scrambled with ridiculous incongruities from political causes to mental illness and drug addiction to family conflicts. But literally none of those subplots were anything that viewers could even care about.

There is only one character that comes across as interesting and sellable but he's confounded at every turn by other police and the criminal surroundings. It's too bad because I wanted to like the show.

It's still just a painful watch at episode 3. I don't think I can continue.

The Worst Crime Show Ever!

[nscullsr · 21 April 2006]

This show is the most poorly produced/directed program to show up on a major network in years! All the hollow actors speak in monotones and appear to be reading their lines. The script is so dumb as to make you question whether this is not a satire from a certain late Saturday night program.

Our group, who watched it for the first time, endured 30 minutes before deciding it was indeed a serious attempt at entertainment but absolutely unwatchable. Click! How has Close to Home survived this long?

How can a program this bad survive this long? The American public may soon discover that reading books is preferable to this garbage.

SVU 2.0 with headlines ripped the news, etc.

[xhidden99 · 3/10 · 12 August 2021]

Two angry women prosecutors switch sides to defend women from the evil men in the world. Every ep they yell and scream and fight with their bosses over how they don't do their jobs. In the meantime EVERY man in their office demands they purjure themselves EVERY ep.

A pastime activity type of show

[worlddominationwillbemine · 5/10 · 5 October 2015]

John Carroll Lynch,Jennifer Finnigan and Kimberly Elise give very good performances making this show watchable. However,the show failed to capture my attention.The way every case unraveled was somewhat mundane. I do recall some episodes that had me quite glued to the screen but overall most of them didn't intrigue me as much as I had hoped.

Most importantly there are some major flaws in terms of law.It doesn't represent a realistic way of how the justice system works and that makes the show feel like a soap opera.If you can move past this I believe you will like watching it.

Also,I believe that they could have used some better actors in some cases. Especially when it had to do with roles of the bad guys.

I would recommend this show to anyone who is into crime related shows because after all it's a nice show to watch but I would feel obligated to inform them that it is nothing special.It's that type of show that you watch while you wait for better shows you like to release new episodes.Sort of like a pastime activity.

Ridiculously Inaccurate

[Fo_Shizzle · 5 October 2005]

The fatal flaw in this show is that it does not even come close to accurately representing the criminal justice process. "Law & Order" remains the most accurate representation (though not perfect) of the procedural aspects of a criminal investigation and prosecution, albeit abbreviated. The first (and last) episode of "Close to Home" I watched last night (abusive husband who locks family in house) was ridiculously inaccurate.

1. Mom can't refuse to testify; 2. Mom can't prevent kids from testifying; 3. Recalcitrant witness (Mom) would be forced to testify and impeached with her original statements to police and D.A.; 4. Depositions are not taken in criminal proceedings; 5. Witness testimony is not excluded for failure to take deposition (see No. 3 above); 6. Prosecutors do not have perfect records, unless they cherry pick their cases, and even then, not likely; 7. Prosecutors with THAT solid of a case (such as last night's episode) do not plea bargain on threat of appeal by defense attorney; 8. Defense attorneys do not get to decide on whether to accept the plea deal. The defendant is the ONLY party that can accept or reject. Defense attorney is required to relay the offer (whether he/she agrees with it or not) and let the client decide. Last night's episode implied that defendant (husband) was convicted on his attorney's decision.

Yes, I realize it's a television show, but to wholly make up procedures and processes for the sake of drama is not necessary. The story last night was a great idea, and "Law & Order" would have done it justice without all of the fantasy. If this were a fantasy show, then I could accept the premise. However when the premise is "real life," then it falls flat.

Watchable

[jacquelinesandra-34671 · 4/10 · 9 September 2021]

Not the best show but if you don't want to focus too much or do sthg at the same time, This show is the one.