Jane Kaczmarek (Lois) Stars in 'Raising The Bar' on TNT [Watch Episode 1]

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Ryebeach

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lois.jpg


Jane Kaczmarek has booked her first acting role after last season's Help Me Help You, in which she guest starred in four episodes.

This new role is in a potential series for cable network TNT. The untitled legal drama, from Steven Bochco, the Executive Producer of NYPD Blue, co-stars Mark Paul Gosselear (NYPD Blue, Saved by the Bell) and Gloria Reuben (ER).

The pilot will focus on law-school friends who now work on opposite sides of a case. Said case is set to be presided over by Jane Kaczmarek, who will play a judge.

An Emmy nominee for each of her seven seasons on Fox's comedy "Malcolm in the Middle," Kaczmarek is making a dramatic turn with the TNT project, playing a stylish, imperious and a bit crazy judge who runs her courtroom like her own private fiefdom.

Kaczmarek has experience playing a judge as she voices occasional "Simpsons" character Judge Constance Harm. She is repped by Endeavor and Greenlight Entertainment.
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Source: Hollywood Reporter

I can't wait! :) This sounds like a perfect role for Jane, with her experience at both comedy and drama. :cool:

UPDATE

It has now been named: Raising The Bar.
 
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Tyno

Tyno

Malcolm-France
Jane Kaczmarek to star on a new TNT drama

Jane Kaczmarek, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gloria Reuben lead the cast of Steven Bochco's new legal drama for TNT.

Written by Bochco and lawyer-writer David Feige, author of the 2006 book "Indefensible," the untitled project revolves around young lawyers who have been friends since law school but now work on opposing sides.


An Emmy nominee for each of her seven seasons on Fox's comedy "Malcolm in the Middle," Kaczmarek is making a dramatic turn with the TNT project, playing a stylish, imperious and slightly crazy judge who runs her courtroom like her own private fiefdom.


Kaczmarek has experience playing a judge as she voices occasional "Simpsons" character Judge Constance Harm.


In his third starring turn with Bochco after ABC's "NYPD Blue" and "Commander in Chief," Gosselaar will play a charismatic and fiercely idealistic public defender who frequently finds himself pitted against the vicissitudes and injustices of an unwieldy bureaucracy. Gosselaar also appeared on Bochco's Iraq War drama "Over There" for FX.


Reuben, a two-time Emmy nominee for her supporting role as a physician's assistant on "ER," will play the funny, bright and savvy head of the public defender's office who monitors the other public defenders' case loads and lives.


Also cast were Melissa Sagemiller (Showtime's "Sleeper Cell"); Currie Graham ("NYPD Blue"); Teddy Sears ("Firehouse Dog"); J. August Richards (WB Network's "Angel"); and Jonathan Scarfe (TNT's "Into the West").
 
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yardgames

Retired Administrator
I agree, this sounds like a perfect role for Jane! Is this going to be full-time or guest-starring, and what ever happened with Help Me Help You? The Futon Critic said it was canned; did it do poorly?
 
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PBUNDY

New member
I'm thinking that this is going to be a full-time role for her. Help Me Help You was pulled off the air back in December and was officially cancelled when ABC announced their fall schedule back in May.
 
R

Ryebeach

Moderator
yardgames said:
I agree, this sounds like a perfect role for Jane! Is this going to be full-time or guest-starring, and what ever happened with Help Me Help You? The Futon Critic said it was canned; did it do poorly?
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Yeah, as PBUNDY said, unfortunately Help Me Help You was pulled from the schedule last December and subsequently canceled. :sad: There was at least one episode featuring Jane (and directed by Linwood Boomer!) that never aired.
 
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Ryebeach

Moderator
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tjpeople said:
UPDATE

As we reported previously Jane Kaczmarek will be starring in a new legal drama, see here for more details. However it has now been named: Raising The Bar.
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I like that title. :cool: Thanks for the update, TJ.
yardgames said:
Do we know when this is airing yet?
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I'm not sure. We don't know if it will be picked up by TNT yet so they will likely make their decision after the first of the year. If they order the pilot to series, probably late spring/early summer is the soonest we'd see the series.
 
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Ryebeach

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Variety is reporting that TNT has picked up the Jane Kaczmarek starring, Stephen Bochco (NYPD Blue) produced pilot, Raising the Bar, for a 10 episode order.

TNT has given a 10-episode go-ahead to a legal drama from Steven Bochco called “Raising the Bar” for scheduling later this year.

Produced by ABC Studios and Bochco Media, the series stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a public defender with a mission to help the down-and-out and Gloria Reuben as his protective boss. Jane Kaczmarek plays a forceful but erratic judge.

Also in the cast are Currie Graham, Melissa Sagemiller and J. August Richards.

The writer-executive producers are Bochco and David Feige; Jesse Bochco directed the pilot.

Michael Wright, senior VP and head of TNT’s content-creation group, calls the series a “smart, highly charged legal drama.”

The series fits in with TNT’s focus on criminal justice with the current scripted original dramas “The Closer” and “Saving Grace” and the rerun hours “Law & Order,” “Without a Trace” and “Cold Case.”
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As the writers strike is still underway, scripts cannot begin to be written until it is resolved and then production can get underway. As I predicted in previous posts, I believe it will be late summer, early fall before we see this show on the air. Once the writers strike is resolved, we should be able to get more information on the production schedule and a premiere time frame.
 
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PBUNDY

New member
Thanks for all of the continuous updates! I'm really excited that Jane's new show has gotten the green light. I hope this series will last longer than Help Me Help You did in the fall of '06.
 
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Ryebeach

Moderator
PBUNDY said:
Thanks for all of the continuous updates! I'm really excited that Jane's new show has gotten the green light. I hope this series will last longer than Help Me Help You did in the fall of '06.
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You're welcome!

I hope so too. I liked Help Me Help You and Jane's character in the series. We now have a little more info regarding her new show's plot outline as well as her character, Judge Trudy Kessler.

Front Page Post

From TheFutonCritic:

TNT has given the greenlight to RAISING THE BAR (working title), the latest series from the mastermind of legal dramas, Emmy-winner Steven Bochco. The series, which stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), follows the lives and cases of young lawyers who have been friends since law school, but who now work on opposing sides.

In RAISING THE BAR, Gosselaar stars as Jerry Kellerman, an idealistic public defender who will stop at nothing to help those who cannot help themselves. Reuben plays Rosalind Whitman, his passionate and protective boss. Teddy Sears (Ugly Betty) is Richard Patrick Woolsley, who foregoes a cushy job in his father's firm to work for the public defender's office. On the opposite side, Melissa Sagemiller (Sleeper Cell) plays Michelle Ernhardt, an attorney in the DA's office with an unassailable morality and a burning desire to see justice done. She works for assistant DA Nick Balco, played by Currie Graham (Boston Legal), a bit of a lecher who, nevertheless, has a razor-sharp knowledge of the law. They are joined by J. August Richards (Conviction) as Marcus McGrath, who will stop at nothing to put criminals behind bars. The courtroom arena in which they face off belongs to Judge Trudy Kessler, played by Kaczmarek. She is imperious and known throughout legal circles to be a little crazy, treating the courtroom as her own private fiefdom. Working for her is law clerk Charlie Sagansky, played by Jonathan Scarfe (Into the West), a man with a wealth of secrets.
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yardgames

Retired Administrator
That sounds like the perfect role for Jane! I sure wish I got TNT in college. When does it start airing?
 
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Ryebeach

Moderator
yardgames said:
That sounds like the perfect role for Jane! I sure wish I got TNT in college. When does it start airing?
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Nothing firmed up as of yet. TNT tends to begin new shows in the summer months or late fall. If the strike is resolved in the near future, I would guess late summer for a premiere.
 
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Ryebeach

Moderator
Word is TNT is aiming for a fall 2008 premiere for Jane's new show, "Raising the Bar."

Here's a promo pic of Jane from the pilot, in character as Judge Trudy Kessler:

p_Bochco13_JaneKaczmarek_Ph-Richard.jpg
 
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Ryebeach

Moderator
Filming began on "Raising the Bar" back in mid-to-late April. TNT is still aiming for a Fall 2008 premiere. Exact dates will be firmed up in the coming months.
 
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yardgames

Retired Administrator
I've heard of this somewhere before here...it sounds familiar. Sounds good.

Oh wait....I just figured out where I heard it before here: It was Cingular's slogan before they merged with AT&T. Ooops, my bad. :D
 
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Ryebeach

Moderator
The premiere of "Rasing the Bar" will be in September. Exact date will be firmed up later in July.

You can check out, below, Jane Kaczmarek's appearance from earlier this month on the Craig Ferguson show, where she discusses her role and the show. A clip from the pilot is also included in the segment, in which we get to see just what sort of person Jane's character, Judge Kessler, will be.

The show looks good! :thumbup1:

 
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