TVSquad

I think people are generally apprehensive when they see a well-known film star make the jump to the small screen. It often seems interpreted as a step down. But numerous screen giants have had success in the world of episodic drama. Glenn Close already had a taste when she starred along side Michael Chiklis in season four of The Shield. That season? Arguably the best the show has had. Well, FX has done it again and it's no surprise that Close is involved. Damages has everything you want in a legal drama and upon my initial viewing of the pilot episode, I have to say that I'm disappointed that it's getting a summer bow. Why's that you ask? Because not enough people will watch it.

Hopefully FX's massive ad campaign will help the numbers since far more people will be working on their tans rather than fiddling with their TV remotes when Damages premieres. Think John Grisham on crack. Think Law & Order back when Dick Wolf and Co. were still creative and everything wasn't just "ripped from the headlines." Think of how different and innovative L.A. Law was back when it premiered in the mid-80s. Catch my drift?

In case I wasn't clear in those last few sentences, let me swing the sledgehammer a little harder. Damages is the next great television legal drama. A top-notch cast, more twists than a bag of Twizzlers, and enough "Oh my god" moments that you feel like you're watching a movie-theatre thriller. God bless FX for picking up this show because I can guarantee that it would not be as good had one of the networks taken a shot with it.

Close stars as Patty Hewes, a relentless litigator who we quickly find out always gets what she wants. That begins with her newest associate, Ellen Parsons. Played by Rose Byrne, most will recognize her from the recent zombie flick 28 Weeks Later. Parsons soon finds out that working for Patty Hewes is not what it seems.

On paper, the show seems like your classic battle between good and evil. Hewes, the upstanding lawyer, is trying to take down the evil Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson gives a great performance), a man who financially crippled every employee in his organization. However, minutes in it quickly becomes apparent that those lines are blurred beyond distinction and by the end of the hour I still wasn't sure who I wanted to root for. There are things to love and hate about all parties involved.

In keeping with FX's tradition, the show challenges you, the viewer, by bending the hell outta the needle on your moral compass. Patty Hewes fits right in with the rest of FX's anti-hero line-up: Vic Mackey, Tommy Gavin, and more recently, Lucy Spiller.

As one would expect from someone in that list of names, Hewes does whatever it takes. Expect lies. Expect deceit. Not just from Patty though. The supporting cast gets in on the game too. Look for a couple of great turns from veterans Tate Donovan and Zeljko Ivanek. Naturally, it's more fun when everyone gets to play in the mud.

I think, for the most part, people are going to be drawn to this show if only because Glenn Close stars in it. When it comes to a legal thriller, we've been conditioned to expect the case to be wrapped up in sixty minutes. This is not that show. FX has greenlit a 13 episode first season, and if the writing stays as sharp as it was in the pilot, I'd be surprised if it didn't get renewed. Damages premieres on Tuesday, July 24 at 10PM on FX. In the meantime, you can check out this exclusive video over at AOL TV.