@CBS Cancels Legal Drama Doubt After Two Episodes

CBS has cancelled one freshman legal drama, Doubt, after airing only two episodes, citing poor ratings. I liked this show at least as well as some of the law-related shows that have been on air lately, and I actually think it could have developed to be almost as interesting as The Good Fight. Doubt has at least one fresh new character, Cameron Wirth (played by Laverne Cox), and gives Dule Hill, whom we haven't seen since Psych, a chance to stretch a little bit, playing an experienced criminal defense attorney and law partner to Sadie Ellis (Katherine Heigl). Sadie herself is more complex than leading characters in these shows often are; she puts up a noncommittal and brave front, but has secrets, mostly centering on her mother, who is in prison for murder. Cameron's interactions with 1st year associate Tiffany Walker (Dreama Simon) are fun, and allow the show to investigate some of the stereotypes associated with lawyers and with New Yorkers. Indeed, the show's first two episodes seem to concentrate on pointing out stereotyping and bias, from Cameron's acceptance that some people don't want to deal with her because she's trans and her own stereotyping of Tiffany as a "girl from Iowa," to general assumptions that viewers have about lawyers.

I understand that there are an additional eleven unaired episodes of the show. I hope we get to see them, so that some of the story arcs get wrapped up. And I continue to wonder why the show Bull, which is going to fill in Doubt's time slot, is still on the air. But more about that another time.