‘D.A.’ looks at politics in justice system

Shakespeare was clearly a prophet when it came to foreseeing the TV landscape.

All those years ago, ol’ Bill wrote, in “King Henry VI, Part II,” “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”

Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but TV is overstuffed with lawyers. That’s because the courtroom is a natural setting for drama, with its life-and-death decisions and clamors for justice and revenge (with a thin line separating those two).

So it’s natural that another legal drama takes its bow tonight. “The D.A.,” debuting at 10 on ABC, goes a step further than most of its ilk, spotlighting the politics that wind through the corridors of the criminal-justice system.

Steven Weber (“Wings”) is the titular character, Los Angeles District Attorney David Franks. He’s running for re-election, which colors many of his choices. He’s also a man under fire, from his political enemies and even those within his own office.

Drafted into this viper’s nest is Deputy District Attorney Mark Camacho (Bruno Campos), the idealistic son of an assassinated congressman. He quickly finds that his standards and the real world of politics clash, big time.

The series, which is getting a four-episode tryout, features a strong supporting cast, including Sarah Paulson (“Leap of Faith”) and J.K. Simmons (“Oz”) as deputy district attorneys and Michaela Conlin as Franks’ campaign manager. It deftly combines a case each week with the continuing storyline of Franks’ re-election effort.

“The D.A.,” from the producing team of “Nip/Tuck,” is a well-done, meaty procedural drama, and fourth-place ABC could do worse than give it a longer look in the fall.

“Deadwood,” premiering at 10 p.m. Sunday on HBO, deals with a different kind of justice – frontier justice.

The 12-episode series is exactly what you would expect an HBO Western conceived by David Milch (“NYPD Blue,” “Hill Street Blues”) to be – profane and violent and yet poignant as well.

The drama is set in Deadwood camp, in the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1876, where gold has drawn all variety of fortune seekers despite the presence of the Sioux Nation, who weeks earlier slaughtered Custer and his troops at nearby Little Big Horn.

It’s a place people go to reinvent themselves. That’s what Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), a former marshal in Montana, aims to do. He and his Jewish partner, Sol Star (John Hawkes), have hauled in the supplies to start a hardware store in the fledgling settlement.

He makes the mistake of crossing his landlord, Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the brutal saloon and brothel owner who runs the town like a feudal lord. Complicating matters is the appearance of gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine), down on his luck but living off his reputation.

Playing a mix of historical and fictional characters, the talented cast is rife with familiar faces, if not names, and includes William Sanderson, Powers Boothe, Jeffrey Jones and Brad Dourif.

“Deadwood” is harsh, to the point of making its predecessor on the HBO Sunday lineup, “The Sopranos,” look light-hearted in comparison. Still, it brings a much-needed boost to a dormant form, the TV western. It’s not for everyone, but for many, it will hit the target.

Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 or dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.