Murder One - Season 1 And 2 (Box Set) (DVD)

Murder One was first shown in 1995 and was televised around the same time as the OJ Simpson trial. Interestingly the programme deals with a celebrity accused of a violent murder and how the case develops.

Murder One was created by Steven Bocho, and therefore with credentials like this the you cannot go wrong. Bocho is vastly experienced at dealing with law and order issues having other shows like NYPD Blue, LA Law and Hill Street Blues ...
...accused of the rape and murder of his 15 year old girlfriend. Whilst the law firm deals wih other cases it is the Avedon case which is by far the biggest case.

The plot begins with the above murder and the first suspect is the sisters boyfriend Richard Cross who is promplty arrrested. Unfortuantly the suspect is also a prominent and wealthy businessman with links to very high places. Cross (Stanley Tucci) highs a top defence firm Hoffman ... more

Murder One was first shown in 1995 and was televised around the same time as the OJ Simpson trial. Interestingly the programme deals with a celebrity accused of a violent murder and how the case develops.

Murder One was created by Steven Bocho, and therefore with credentials like this the you cannot go wrong. Bocho is vastly experienced at dealing with law and order issues having other shows like NYPD Blue, LA Law and Hill Street Blues on his CV.

The programme is unlike most other shows in this genre for one simple reason namely the fact that the one case remains central to every episode. All 23 episodes follow the trial of Neil Avedon who is accused of the rape and murder of his 15 year old girlfriend. Whilst the law firm deals wih other cases it is the Avedon case which is by far the biggest case.

The plot begins with the above murder and the first suspect is the sisters boyfriend Richard Cross who is promplty arrrested. Unfortuantly the suspect is also a prominent and wealthy businessman with links to very high places. Cross (Stanley Tucci) highs a top defence firm Hoffman & Associates headed by Teddy Hoffman (Daniel Benzali). Cross is acquited and this is where the story really begins.

Further investigations into the murder implicate a famous Hollywood actor by the name of Neil Avedon, and when evidence shows that he had a relationship with the victim he is arrested and charged with the murder. Hoffman is already aware of Avedon, having already defended him against other charges. Despite Hoffmans dislike of Avedon, whose drink and drugs binges have made him a troublemaker he decides to represent him.

However the more the defence team investigate the murkier the case becomes. It soon becomes apparent that the victim was not as sweet and innocent as first thought. Several influential businessmen are implicated into the case and Teddy soon realises that no one can be trusted.

Richard Cross it appears may or may not have something to do with the murder, while he often acts as if he is trying to help Teddy (By bailing the murder suspect) he also seems to have some secrets which he is determined to keep that way.

Like the OJ Simpson trial this fictional cases then bursts into a media frenzy with everybody wanting the inside gossip. Hoffman, a dedicated family man, finds his personal life being destroyed by a case which he has no control over, as his marriage begins to crumble he has to make the choice whether to walk away from the case or to end his marriage.

You cannot help but get caught up in the murder case and you have to wait until the final episode before you find out whether Avedon is the killer. The programme is gripping and my girlfriend and I found ourselves watching it until the early hours of the morning promising ourselves "Just one more episode!". We got so hooked that we watched the whole season in just one week! Just as you think that the case is becoming clearer another twist occurs and the case becomes murkier again.

The acting from some of the cast is fantastic, Stanley Tucci plays Richard Cross in a way that is really chilling and you cannot help but be affected by Teddys dilema between his marriage and his career.

The Plot is kept moving along at a good pace and doesent ever drag or become boring, anyone who enjoyed LA Law will know that Bocho can handle court cases and therefore we don't get bogged down in too much detail.

I would strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed LA Law or NYPD Blue.

Murder One Case 2

The second season begins with Hoffman & Associates in disarray and the firm is in real financial difficulties. Teddy Hoffman has left as he tries to repair his marriage and the company appears to have lost its way. However just as things seem lost former prosecutor Jimmy Wyler (Anthony LaPagulia) arrives to take over the firm.

Unlike the first season there is no individual case which dominates, this time there are three cases.

We begin when the Governor of California and his mistress are brutally slain. A young woman is charged with the horrific crime and despite all of the evidence Wyler decides to take the case. However like the Avedon case it appears that there are lots of skeltetons in the Governors closet and the case might not be as simple as first thought.

The other cases include a murdered NBA Owner where the suspect is one of the teams superstars and also the trial of a serial killer whose victims were all vicious criminals.

The second season, whilst entertaining loses a little of its appeal due to the absence of Hoffman and Cross. Anthony LaPaglia is a fine actor (as seen in "Without a Trace"), however, the programme is not the same without Daniel Benzali. Like the first season I found myself watching several episodes at a time and therefore it is just as addictive.

The second season can be judged on it own merits and is a good show in its own right, you don't have to seen the first season in order to enjoy this.

With boxset DVD's getting cheaper all the time this is well worth a viewing.

 

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