Judging Amy

Fine drama, fine acting, fine story-lines… I am always surprised that the hour has gone by so quickly.

Amy is now a criminal court judge in Hartford, CT. I did like her when she was on the bench in juvenile court, so we’ll have to see how adult crime fares in her courtroom. Juvenile court was just as often about the crimes perpetrated against children as it was them doing wrong. Tyne Daly is a marvel. This is serious television done fine, just the right amount of serious issues, family-relationship soap, quips and pathos. Always lands in my moral comfort zone, even when I disapprove of some of the choices the characters make – but that’s drama. Bruce is like this one-man Greek chorus, and I can never forget the one episode where he brought in Bonhoeffer’s doctrine of “cheap grace.”

Judging Amy won a Catholics in Media Award in 2002 and Tyne Daly an Emmy. Barbara Hall and her sister Karen Hall as well as CBS are to be congratulated for knowing what makes good television.