It's never a good sign when one of the first jokes in a show is the done to death set-up of the hero talking bad about a person, the person being behind them, and the hero saying, "She's right behind me, isn't she." It's an even worse sign when that gimmick is one of the funnier bits of the show.

USA's latest show "Fairly Legal" stars one of my favorite actresses, Sarah Shahi who was last seen on "Life". That NBC show had a great first season and then fell off; "Fairly Legal" seems to have skipped straight to the fall off. Besides Shahi, it's hard to really point out much good in the show. The premise, following a mediator as she tries to help save her recently deceased father's law firm, isn't that strong. The cases and scenarios are weak. In the pilot, they also tried to add a kind of Law and Order twist but it played more as an nonsensical deus ex machina. But perhaps that most troubling aspect of the show is the visual style. At times you feel like you're watching a music video, other times a long form commercial, and then sometimes the writing and pointless camera moves/rack focus just make it feel like a student film. The show often cuts to hand held cameras, especially in active moments, but those moments are usually supposed to be comical so they don't mesh - it's feel like a slapstick comedy directed by someone aping Michael Mann. Director Bronwen Hughes's style worked well in the underrated Forces of Nature but it is just distracting in this. (Although it's hard to blame the style for bring distracting since the writing isn't engaging to begin with.)

And, as always, I have to note that pilot episodes are tough and they are often the worst episode of a series but I'm just not sure if this show has room to grow. In fact, it would probably be better off as a half hour show; the stories could be more focused and the show definitely felt loose and could use some major tightening.

Also, it should be noted that I don't seem to be a fan of USA's brand. I was a huge fan of Psych and Burn Notice but the most recent shows haven't really worked for me. I had a little run of interest in White Collar but I feel like watching one season of it is enough. Royal Pains and Covert Affairs did nothing for me but at least they felt like decent shows. "Fairly Legal" just feels like a miss. If you like USA's brand, maybe it'll work for you better than it did me but I really can't imagine it being must see TV for anybody else. Hopefully Shahi's next project will be the one to make her a star.