Raising the Bar

Raising the Bar is a television drama that aired for two seasons on TNT. It stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar as public defender Jerry Kellerman. The supporting cast consists of Gloria Reuben, Jane Kaczmarek, Melissa Sagemiller, Jonathan Scarfe, J. August Richards, Currie Graham, Teddy Sears, and Natalia Cigliuti. Each episode runs for 45 minutes, and there are 25 episodes in the whole series.

Jerry Kellerman is a public defender who believes that there is good in everyone. For this reason, he uses his career to help defend people who do not have the money and the resources to buy their freedom. Jerry will defend people he feels are innocent, and he does whatever it takes for justice. The way he approaches his job often leads him to fighting with Judge Trudy.

Trudy is looking to become the next district attorney, and she wants all the courtroom proceedings to go as smoothly as possible to help make her resume look better. This isn't easy when Jerry is working a case. Another person Jerry argues with is Michelle Earnhardt. She is often Jerry's opponent in court, but they have also dated. This adds to the tension in and out of the courtroom.

In the opening of the show, Jerry is defending an innocent man. However, the focus on the story is Michelle realizing that a man was wrongfully accused and charged of rape. She fights to get the decision reversed, but it does not happen since it will embarrass the office.

In Jerry's next case, he defends a man who is accused of murder. He truly believes the man is innocent, but it becomes extremely difficult for him to prove it. The reason being, is the only witness to claim the man is innocent is out of the country for the time being. As the season progresses, Jerry must learn to accept that he cannot save every innocent person from being wrongfully accused. However, he will continue to fight in hopes of teaching is peers that they can provide justice, and still have successful careers.