It may seem like a stretch, and it probably is, to find a common thread between FOX’s new comedy/drama series “Rake” and the Starz cable channel’s pirate adventure “Black Sails.”
Of course, the legal profession, when it is being subverted or even twisted into something illogical, just might not be too far indistinguishable from the amoral compass that guides the lawbreakers on the high seas.
What might really bind “Rake,” the story of a criminal defense lawyer with dubious judgment, and “Black Sails,” centered on a feared pirate captain of his day, is simply interesting character-driven entertainment.
Then again, the mutual bond of these two new series is rooted in the launching of fresh, original television programming after the holidays when the entertainment alternative of excellent new movies is almost as rare as a snow day in Hollywood.
“Rake” may not be as original as it appears, owing to the fact that it is an American adaptation of an Australian television series of the same name, both of which are created by Peter Duncan.
I am no more familiar with Australian television than the next guy, and so to me, “Rake” is wholly original, even if in some quarters the show invites comparisons to “House,” though the oddly loveable star Greg Kinnear won’t be mistaken anytime soon for the cranky Hugh Laurie.
Greg Kinnear has just the right amount of wacky charisma to play defense lawyer Keegan Deane, a person deemed “unreliable” by his ex-wife Maddy (Miranda Otto) and an “outrage to the legal system” by most judges and prosecutors.
Keegan is also deemed “unreliable” by tough guy creditor Roy (Omar J. Dorsey), to whom Keegan owes an incredible sum due to gambling debts incurred by a series of really bad decisions.
Life for the defense attorney is complicated. His ex-wife is a therapist who still provides him free counseling sessions. But his girlfriend (Bojana Novakovic), a prostitute, doesn’t give him a free pass.
Divorced and homeless, Keegan crashes on the couch of his best friend, Ben Leon (John Ortiz), a fellow lawyer, whose wife Scarlet (Necar Zadegan) is an Assistant District Attorney and frequent courtroom adversary for Keegan.
Oh, and there’s even more. His underpaid assistant Leanne (Tara Summers) may be deported for overstaying her visa. Another predicament looms with the government breathing down his neck, as David Harbour’s IRS tax attorney David Potter pokes into his business affairs.
It’s not uncommon for TV series to focus on the antihero type, but in the case of “Rake” the character played by Greg Kinnear is unorthodox in a more pleasing fashion, and it’s almost a guilty pleasure to see how he may escape his recurring tight spots.
The pirate adventure “Black Sails” also focuses on debatable characters, ones from a bygone era when fierce and violent criminals roamed the high seas in search of bounty to plunder.
Like “Rake,” there is character-driven development in the tale of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens), the most brilliant and feared pirate captain of his day, and the fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name of John Silver (Luke Arnold).
The interesting thing to keep in mind about “Black Sails” is the piracy takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island.” As a result, there is insight into the formative years of the pirate to become Long John Silver.
For the most part, one would objectively have to say that “Black Sails” is what one would expect from a Michael Bay production, the producer and director famous for splashy action pictures like “Pearl Harbor” and the “Transformers” franchise.
The opening scene of the first episode involves an epic battle at sea when Captain Flint’s band of marauders takes control of another ship in a pitched battle. The visual appeal of ensuing pirate violence is rooted in realism and excellent production values.
The pirate bands face ongoing threats, seeking refuge in the scenic New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers.
To be sure, there are plenty of fights of all kinds, with fists flying, swords flailing and guns firing. On the other hand, “Black Sails” requires a degree of patience to discover the motivations of the central characters. This is not a series given to quick and easy resolutions.
Nevertheless, fitting for a cable series that dwells on sex and violence, similar in certain ways to “Spartacus” or “Game of Thrones,” nudity and sex scenes are not in short supply.
Speaking of sex and nudity, one criminal is informed that he will be meeting with a famous pirate, and what happens next gives new meaning to the name of Blackbeard. Viewers expecting titillation may find “Black Sails” on par with other period pieces in the same vein.
As expected in most pirate adventures, the female characters here are not just wenches and prostitutes. For one, Hannah New brings tough-minded skills to the role of savvy businesswoman Eleanor Guthrie, who underwrites many pirate excursions.
“Black Sails,” with an initial run of eight episodes, is worth a look while shows of a similar genre in the action department remain on hiatus or waiting in the wings.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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