Made in Jersey: New CBS TV Series; Is It Worth Watching?

CBS is unveiling a new legal drama tonight, Made in Jersey. Will it get high ratings or be cancelled after just a few episodes? Is it even worth your time?

Made in Jersey follows a young female lawyer (Janet Montgomery) from a working-class New Jersey household. She uses her street smarts at an upscale New York law firm and ends up taking her bosses and co-workers by surprise. The cast also includes Kyle MacLachlan, Felix Solis, Stephanie March, Toni Trucks, Donna Murphy, Erin Cummings, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Drew Beasley, and Alexandra Socha.

Is Made in Jersey worth watching? Here’s what some critics say:

NY Daily News: “Considering the reputation of TV characters from New Jersey, it’s ironic that the opening episode of Made in Jersey conspicuously lacks a bad guy… Sure, there will be bad guys in the crime of the week that she will cleverly solve. But we need something else — a bad seed in the family, a wild card from her past, a coworker whose conniving goes beyond snarky remarks. Until then, Made In Jersey feels curiously half-dressed.”

Salt Lake Tribune: “This is a good legal/crime drama with one big thing going for it — Montgomery. She’s great as Martina. It isn’t easy to carry an hourlong network show, but it sure looks like she’s up to the task.”

Boston Herald: “Here we are, with Made in Jersey, which you might want to write off as Snooki Law. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as much fun… Oddly, it’s not Martina’s legal smarts or her alleged brashness that saves the day here — it’s most often her knowledge of hair and makeup that leads to cases unraveling against her clients. That’s an odd message to send viewers, but then, Made in Jersey looks like a shoddy product.”

Boston Globe: “Put Working Girl, The Nanny, and Ugly Betty in a blender and you’ll have… No, wait, put them on a cement platter and drop a piano on them, and then drop another cement platter on top of it all, and you’ll have Made in Jersey. In other words, this new CBS series is pretty flat.”

LA Times: “As schematic and derivative as it is, as invested in piling on the feel-good moments past the point even of suspended disbelief, there is something quite likable about Made in Jersey, a light new legal drama — ‘dramette,’ if you will — that premieres Friday on CBS.”

Newsday: “Made in Jersey does the legal thing, all right. It telegraphs what it’s gonna say, then it says it, then it tells you what it said. The pat pilot overflows with exposition and obvious moments, all pointing straight at That Girl, forever underestimated and invariably triumphant.”

San Francisco Chronicle: “If Made in Jersey were a better show, it would be a perfect candidate for USA Network. As it is, it’s an occasionally entertaining odd duck on the CBS schedule and premieres Friday night… Montgomery makes the show mildly enjoyable and will survive its probable short life span.”

What do you think? Have you watched Made in Jersey on CBS? If so, will you watch again? Would you recommend it to a friend?

More about: Made in Jersey, Made in Jersey: canceled or renewed?, Made in Jersey: ratings

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