David E Kelley's The Practice (World, 10pm) returns to local television for its third season, having earned itself another slew of Emmy Awards, including best drama series.
Kelley penned a strong episode to lead the season, focusing not only on the personalities but the ethics of the legal profession.
In the opening moments, attorney Ellenor compromises herself by advising a drink-driving client who knocked down a pedestrian to hide how much alcohol he had in his blood by drinking more. She even expresses disappointment when the victim regains consciousness so that he can act as a witness to the incident. It is the ultimate case of career before humanity that drives the decisions some will make.
To her remorse, the fallen man turns out to be her colleague and series star, Bobby, a convenient coincidence for the plot. Lawyers, she later reminds us, will stop at nothing to win victory for their clients, even if they have murdered or raped.
Justice is also seen not to be done in a murder trial involving two accused. After the verdict, no one is sure which man killed a 15-year-old girl, but one has lost his freedom, and it is likely that it is the wrong one.
Dylan McDermott confirms that justice was also not done in the Emmy Awards. He may be a smooth hunk of a lawyer, but his performance does not match that of James Gandolfini's wicked and warm Tony Soprano of the The Sopranos.