Franklin & Bash : Season 1

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Ratings

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7.1

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7.1	Your Score
7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

TNT | Season Premiere Date: June 1, 2011

Starring: Reed Diamond, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon

Summary: Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) are two unorthodox lawyers who join an old-fashioned law firm headed up by Stanton Innfeld (Malcolm McDowell).

Creator: Kevin Falls and Bill Chais

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E10. Go Tell It on the Mountain
Air Date: August 3, 2011
tbd
S1:E9. Bachelor Party
Air Date: July 27, 2011
tbd
S1:E8. The Bangover
Air Date: July 20, 2011

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Uncle Barky Ed Bark

Jun 1, 2011

Franklin & Bash sometimes tries too hard to be edgy, suffering some paper cuts in the process. It's otherwise a good deal of fun delivered with an abundance of energy. Read full review

Tom Gliatto

May 26, 2011

The show works on its own undemanding terms. [6 Jun 2011, p.45]

Brian Lowry

May 31, 2011

Nobody will confuse this with "L.A. Law" in its prime, but the vibe is similar to that show's more whimsical side--a breezy tone that carries through the handful of episodes previewed. Read full review

Mark A. Perigard

Jun 1, 2011

TNT bills Franklin & Bash as a dramedy, but it is more accurately a comedic bromance laced with pop-culture jokes and a dash of legal jargon to trick you into thinking you spent an hour on something of substance. Read full review

Mike Hale

Jun 1, 2011

Franklin & Bash has some of the ingredients of perfectly adequate summer filler: it's handsomely shot; the writing, line by line, is as good as or better than that of most of the cable competition; and there are appealing actors like Malcolm McDowell, Reed Diamond and Ms. Davis in supporting roles. The problem is that Franklin and Bash themselves are resolutely uninteresting. Read full review

David Wiegand

Jun 1, 2011

F&B will rise or fall almost entirely on the basis of how likable you find Gosselaar and Meyer, not to mention the wisecrack-stuffed dialogue. Read full review

Matthew Gilbert

May 31, 2011

Franklin & Bash is not a guilty pleasure, because there's no pleasure here to regret, just strained, sexist, frat-boy self-love. Read full review

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User Score

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7.1

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User Reviews

TVTX

Jun 6, 2011

I wanted to like this show, since I like the actors in it, but I thought it was poorly written and too juvenile for a successful show. There was too much silliness and quirkiness in all the characters. Why can't they get a better attorney show on TNT? I thought Raising the Bar was muchI wanted to like this show, since I like the actors in it, but I thought it was poorly written and too juvenile for a successful show. There was too much silliness and quirkiness in all the characters. Why can't they get a better attorney show on TNT? I thought Raising the Bar was much better, but it was cancelled.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

rranger

Aug 7, 2011

This is a fun, lawyer team show, that is good entertainment. The duo uses unorthodox methods to help them win cases, with a supporting cast that seems to have fun doing the show.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MvpAndMv3

Jun 24, 2011

I'm all for a show not taking itself and it's plot lines too seriously but the set-up is a bit silly, nevertheless I am hooked on this summer bromance series with these two great actors the good supporting cast TNT has assembled around them. I don't take my law shows too seriously and expectI'm all for a show not taking itself and it's plot lines too seriously but the set-up is a bit silly, nevertheless I am hooked on this summer bromance series with these two great actors the good supporting cast TNT has assembled around them. I don't take my law shows too seriously and expect this show to offer a lot more laughter than heartfelt moments and efforts to intrigue me with fake science. Light, airy, funny, and involving.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Derpicus

Aug 26, 2011

If you like a show with wholesome family values, good clean fun, and a mature law-themed show, then Franklin & Bash is not for you. Franklin & Bash is a simple show about two lawyers who use their antics to win their (admittedly contrived) court cases, with plenty of humor along the way.If you like a show with wholesome family values, good clean fun, and a mature law-themed show, then Franklin & Bash is not for you. Franklin & Bash is a simple show about two lawyers who use their antics to win their (admittedly contrived) court cases, with plenty of humor along the way.

One thing to keep in mind about Franklin & Bash though, is that if you don't like humor obviously directed at young adult males, you probably won't like it very much. The plots and character development take a backseat to the various bits of immature (in a good way) comedy- which is a very fine line to tread, but Franklin & Bash keeps its balance as it unicycles across that line of depth and humor.

Surprisingly, for a show that airs on a station whose motto is "We know drama", it certainly isn't very dramatic. And believe me, that's a good thing. The character depth and plot still exists, but isn't the star of the show in any sense. It's all fairly well balanced, allowing for a very fun, enjoyable time through each episode.

As pointed out earlier however, the court cases can be a little too contrived at times. They're certainly not meant to be taken seriously, but there's still that sense of "Oh, come on, that would never work" if you think it over. Lucky for Franklin & Bash, you usually have to look past the humor and charm of the show to actually think it over. Another good aspect of Franklin & Bash is that you can re-watch some of the episodes, and catch humorous bits that you may not have caught before- making each episode worth re-watching; a rarity in many TV shows.

Ultimately, Franklin & Bash is a show that stars immature, college-level humor, with a supporting cast of charming characters, well placed development, and unusually charming dialogue. It's not the best show ever made, but it's definitely worth the watch if you want a relaxing change from the usual, overly dramatic law shows.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

YorkMan

Mar 3, 2016

F&B was a great show, for the first and second seasons. After that the main premise had run out of legs, and what was a decent 'buddy comedy' became very contrived and lost its sparkle.
By the time the fourth season came around, you just knew it would be the last. When one of theF&B was a great show, for the first and second seasons. After that the main premise had run out of legs, and what was a decent 'buddy comedy' became very contrived and lost its sparkle.
By the time the fourth season came around, you just knew it would be the last. When one of the established characters fails to return for the third season, and then two more are written out for the fourth.... Well, you're getting to the 'Great Gazoo' stage, when the writers/producers know their original idea can't carry on much longer, and need to bring in some even more wacky and meaningless characters/storyline in an attempt to prop up the ratings

As with most attempts in that vein..... It failed.

My '6' rating is based on an average across the four seasons (oh what a night).

Season One - 9/10
Season Two - 8/10
Season Three - 5/10
Season Four - 2/10… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

sonjo18

Aug 4, 2012

This show is good summer fun. The stories are a lot more interesting than I thought they would be, and the show is decently funny. It certainly has its flaws, but they are worth looking past because overall this show is pretty darn good.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

dani

Feb 9, 2014

I have tried very hard to like this show. I love all the actors in it and wish them the best, but the story lines make no sense, the writing is terrible, there seems to be no logic or continuity behind the characters actions and decisions. I can only hope the actors start working soon onI have tried very hard to like this show. I love all the actors in it and wish them the best, but the story lines make no sense, the writing is terrible, there seems to be no logic or continuity behind the characters actions and decisions. I can only hope the actors start working soon on something watchable.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 15 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

58

Series Overview
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: August 13, 2014
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: June 19, 2013
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: June 5, 2012
Season 1

56
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 1, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E10. Go Tell It on the Mountain
  Air Date: August 3, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E9. Bachelor Party
  Air Date: July 27, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E8. The Bangover
  Air Date: July 20, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E7. Franklin vs. Bash
  Air Date: July 13, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E6. Big Fish
  Air Date: July 6, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E5. You Can't Take it With You
  Air Date: June 29, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E4. Bro-Bono
  Air Date: June 22, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E3. Jennifer of Troy
  Air Date: June 15, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E2. She Came Upstairs to Kill Me
  Air Date: June 8, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E1. Pilot
  Air Date: June 1, 2011