Review by C.J. Bunce
If you ever thought Jewel Staite had the right stuff to lead her own television series, the proof can be found in four seasons of the Canada series Family Law, which just wrapped its final season on Prime Video and the CW network. Surprising, refreshing, different, and even insightful, the series chronicles the trials–personal and professional–of Staite’s character Abigail Bianchi, a recovering alcoholic stuck by the restrictions of the lawyer rules in Canada after arriving drunk to the courtroom. She loses not only her job but her kids, too, and a bad marriage is ready to dissolve for good. But it turns out her estranged father is a lawyer, too, with his his own firm, employing Abigail’s half-brother and half-sister who she barely knows. So the two words of the title share the stage–it’s both a drama about a dysfunctional family and a witty, lower key, Canada law version of Law and Order, swapping family law (divorces, adoptions, etc.) for criminal law. Staite’s performance is unflinching, pulling herself up by her bootstraps over four seasons, working cases in the courtroom, and stepping into the role as eldest daughter of the family for the first time. If you’ve only watched Staite as Kaylee in Firefly or Dr. Keller in Stargate: Atlantis, or as guest actor in every other pop culture series since, you’ll want to watch her dazzle in Family Law.
Abigail’s father Harry Svensson is played by Emmy Award winning actor Victor Garber (The Flash, The Orville, Alias). Over the long story arc of the series Harry is the villain of the family. He’s a cheat in his private life but not professionally, having left his first wife, Abigail’s mother, for another woman, and then left her for a third, only to date a distasteful political TV personality in the present. Abigail’s mother Joanne is played by Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, NCIS), an affluent, independent woman who has maintained a relationship with her daughter. Joanne has a major role in the story, providing a home for Abigail and her kids when the family has problems, and both hating and re-uniting and breaking up again with Harry.
From a second wife Harry’s only son is Daniel, played by Zach Smadu (The Expanse, Wild Cards). Uptight and competitive, Daniel seeks to be partner, or better yet, equity partner, with his father at the firm. His poor social skills are reflected in his inability to maintain relationships with women or anyone else aside from frequent courtroom adversary Yannick Krol, played by Birkett Turton (iZombie, Forever, The Dead Zone). Daniel and Yannick have what amounts to a bromance, one of the more humorous features of the series. When Harry brings Abigail into the firm it’s only conditional to meet interim requirements of Canada’s version of the Bar. At first he wants to relegate Abigail to menial work, but soon sees her additional 8 years of experience and talent make her an equal or better to Daniel.
But Abigail keeps making mistakes, usually from the heavy burden she carries at first trying to reunite with her husband who is also a cheat, Frank, played by Luke Camilleri (A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Magicians, the Percy Jackson series). Along with Harry, Frank is another one of the recurring villains, and the biggest frustration you’re likely to have is watching early efforts by Abigail to reunite with him for the sake of their son and daughter. But Abigail’s mistakes are pale compared to her siblings, especially Harry’s second daughter Lucy, played by Genelle Williams (Warehouse 13). Lucy is a psychologist with an office on her dad’s floor, the youngest of the three and the only one with a positive relationship with her father. Lucy is also a cheat, sleeping with women in bars early on in the series just as her wife has been implanted in vitro with their daughter. Is cheating in their genes? Daniel doesn’t think twice about sleeping with a woman engaged to another guy. Abigail is the only family member on the straight and narrow in this regard, and her management of romantic relationships is one of her strengths over the course of the series.
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings keep Abigail on the right path, meetings she frequently attends with office manager and longtime friend Jerri, played by Bobbi Charlton (The Magicians, A Million Little Things). The series writers revisit modern office politics and all sort of water cooler topics you’d find in any business. Everything has a Canadian twist, especially when it comes to the handling of courtroom procedures. It’s all very different from the expected roles of lawyers in a U.S. criminal court, and even the family law application is different, so with whatever knowledge you bring to the show, expect to learn more about how it all plays out up north.
For 40 episodes the series typically takes on a duo of cases, one usually run by Abigail, the other by Daniel, usually with a thread of commonality to tie the episode together. It’s good drama and the series is long enough that you’ll get to know judges and opposing counsel (including performances by Peter Bryant and B.J. Harrison). Brett Kelly and Ryan Lino add humor as two firm staff members. Other familiar genre actors pop up in guest roles, including Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black), Lochlyn Munro (Unforgiven), Yvonne Chapman (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Michelle Harrison (Continuum), and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (The Mandalorian).
Early on the series characters seem to be a tad flippant with politics, only to become more progressive over the course of the series, embracing gay and trans staff members, and advocating modern solutions to the myriad of legal issues encountered by the families retaining the Svensson law firm for help. They help a teenager find their way out of a gay conversion camp. They try to help a couple with Downs Syndrome deal with a child. Harry is all and only about bringing in revenue to the firm, and so each case comes with harassment on his part.
The biggest win is cheering on Abigail as she maneuvers each case, relationship, and opportunity to slide back to her old ways. Staite ensures this heroine isn’t someone to break down at every setback–she always keeps a stiff upper lip, never arrives with a deer-in-the-headlights stare, and usually dishes back whatever comes her way with equal power and sometimes even grace (vandalizing her ex-husband’s new girlfriend’s frontyard aside). Although Daniel saving a pug named Craig may be the best feature of the series. Daniel’s relationship with Craig continues for the entire series, ultimately factoring into his fate with his family and his father’s law firm. Despite Staite maintaining the lead of the show as Abigail, it’s Daniel who may have the best character development of the series.
Jeremy Fisher’s song “Uh Oh” provides a good opener with the credits, a catchy tune you’re likely to take with you. Fans of Staite’s pop culture catalog of shows will want to stick around for the very last minute of this final season for a humorous surprise. It’s a current series, with its final season arriving only this spring. Don’t miss Family Law, now streaming. Check your streaming services for availability, as the show has had some seasons streaming on Prime Video and others on the CW app.
