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First Review: The Code

* Note: Review based on Segment One preview only.

Nine has noticed the success of shows like Border Security and and produced The Force and produced The Code: Crime and Justice, which launches next Monday night at 7:30pm.

This factual series has been produced in conjunction with Victoria Police (The Force is in WA). Most significantly it takes cameras into the Magistrate’s Court where Ian Gray will dish out some decisions to law-breakers.

Narrated by William McInnes, it is slickly packaged and wrapped up in high-tech graphics. McInnes is the perfect voice-over, authoritative, observing without histrionics from an arms-length distance.

What will be a key attraction to viewers is the court-room procedures. How do our judges deal with cases? Are they too lenient or is there a human touch to sentencing we overlook?

The first segment is all about set-up. A guy in court with a bad record. A crisis siege in the suburbs. An irate taxi passenger.

Clearly the magistrates here don’t have a Judge Judy melodrama about them. But producers will need to wring out the drama for television, and not leave us thinking courtrooms are boring. That requires selective cases, snappy editing, mood music and similar tricks. I have confidence these producers can rise to that challenge.

The Monday timeslot it ideal. An array of formats and genres have reaped huge figures at the start of the week. But I’m disappointed to see Motorway Patrol will follow. NZ accents… stupid NZ drivers. Who cares? Hopefully The Code isn’t dragged down by a poor pairing.

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