Raising the Bar: Mark-Paul Gosselaar Talks Season Two

"You look like a dirty hippie."

Yes, Ladies, the trademark hair is getting cut in the first episode of the second season of Mark-Paul Gossealaar's legal drama, Raising the Bar, from the creative mind of Steven Bochco, which premiers Monday, June 8, at 10/9 Central on TNT.

Why?  In the first episode, Gossealaar's character, Jerry Kellerman, questions a potential juror about the reason he does not trust him as the public defender, and gets the aforementioned response.  So begins season two and a turn towards Jerry, "working the system a little bit better".  Don't worry, the maverick we grew to love in the first season's ten episode run is still there; he is just learning how to play the game, on the surface, the way his counterparts do.

What new viewers need to know about this legal drama, is it is not one we have seen before.  It is told from the view of the public defenders,the defense attorneys, and the judges and their legal staff.  The show centers around Gossealaar's public defender, and what he wants you to know about what sets this show apart from other legal dramas is this:

You don’t hear too much about public defenders and their clients.  So it’s, you know, these – the stories that they’re coming up with – and a lot of them are true because our co-creator is David Feige, who was a public defender for 15 years.  They’re extremely challenging.  You find yourself as, you know, as an individual going, this really happens?  I mean this isn’t something that you guys completely made up in left field?  And that’s what challenges us to find the compassion in these people, these clients.  These are human beings.

But you know the amazing thing that I found from – that I learned from preparing from this role, is that Jerry isn’t unusual.  There are thousands of passionate, dedicated public defenders out there every day who are fighting against a system that they think is terribly stacked against the poor and the powerless.  So you know this isn’t – we just don’t hear from them because it’s really not a sexy thing to hear about public defenders and their clients.

Later in the interview, Gosselaar wants to expand on the aspect of the show that sets it apart from all the procedurals jam packing out television screens.  He adds:

Well you know the show is not your typical – well, I shouldn’t say it’s not your typical, but it’s unlike the legal dramas that we’ve seen in the past.  You know, we deal – we’re not a 'how' show, and we’re a 'why'.  Why did this person do that?  You know the truth about most crimes is they’re really driven by really basic things; poverty, jealousy, desperation.  You know, and you sort of stick a label on people for their crime.

But what this show does so effectively is tell the story behind the case, you know, allowing the audience, allowing you to see the clients the way their lawyers do, and when that happens, guilty or innocent becomes, you know, much more muddy and less clear.  So that’s basically our show in a nutshell is that it’s allowing you to see the gray in criminal justice system.  And it makes it unlike other legal dramas.

Gosselaar's, Jerry, has an ongoing, complex relationship with Natalia Cigliuti's, Bobbi Gilardi.  Regarding the continuation of the relationship, and how it is going to continue to grow in season two, Gossealaar has this to say:

I mean she still has the divorce as something that she needs to clear up first.  There definitely is a slow boil.  We’re working on episode 6 right now, and it’s still, nothing has you know, it’s just been that – we’re just rolling along.  We ebb and flow just like a relationship, you know, would.

But yes, she has to take care of the divorce first and as of yet, it’s, you know, something that we’re using.  I (do) think it’s very interesting, you know, her relationship with her ex-husband, or wanting-to-be ex-husband, but that makes for some great drama for her character as well as mine.  And it’s (just such) an added bonus for the – for the relationship.  But you know we have 15 episodes, so we’re going to – I think we’re taking our time, which is good.

The second season of Raising the Bar premieres, Monday, June 8, at 10/9 Central on TNT.