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Season 1 – First Monday

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – First Monday 2002 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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21% Tomatometer 19 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
A newly appointed Associate Justice (Joe Mantegna) finds the evenly divided court courting his favor - and opinion. A conservative Chief Justice (James Garner) is the first to the party to see if he can make a new ally. The short-lived series also starred Charles Durning and Linda Purl.
First Monday — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

First Monday brings justice to neither its subject matter nor its star-powered cast.

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Critics Reviews

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Dahlia Lithwick Slate There is no subtlety or nuance in any character and even less subtlety or nuance in any position or argument they might espouse. There is only the shouting. Jan 3, 2020 Full Review Joel Stein TIME Magazine It's a waste of a great cast, including the always welcome Garner, the always reliable Charles Durning and Joe Mantegna, who plays the new swing vote on a split court. Jan 3, 2020 Full Review Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel The excellent sets provide an authenticity missing in the plots of First Monday. Maybe the carpenters should have written the scripts. Jan 3, 2020 Full Review Terry Kelleher People Magazine It could be a series of substance and intelligence, a judicial West Wing. But co-creator and executive producer Donald Bellisario goes overboard trying to make the show accessible and entertaining. Jan 3, 2020 Full Review M.S. Mason Christian Science Monitor First Monday is a welcome addition to intelligent TV drama. Jan 3, 2020 Full Review Robert Lloyd L.A. Weekly [James] Garner and [Joe] Mantegna and fellow justice Charles Durning are bigger than their parts; not for a minute do you believe they're who they're pretending to be, or a single thing they have to say. Jan 3, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews
First Monday — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jan 15, 2002 Pilot The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court make legal decisions that affect the nation; Joe Mantegna, James Garner and Charles Durning star. Details Episode 2 Aired Jan 18, 2002 Age of Consent Chief Justice Branklin and Justice Hoskins ask Justice Novelli for support in the case of a 16-year-old who wants an abortion against her parent's wishes. Details Episode 3 Aired Jan 25, 2002 The Price of Liberty The life of a witness is at stake when the court mulls whether she should be allowed to testify anonymously against a drug lord. Details Episode 4 Aired Feb 1, 2002 Crime and Punishment Justice Novelli becomes the swing vote as the court mulls whether to uphold California's "three strikes" law. Details Episode 5 Aired Feb 8, 2002 Family Affairs A vindictive senator hoping to get Novelli dismissed from the bench gives a reporter evidence indicating the justice's family has Mafia ties. Details Episode 6 Aired Mar 1, 2002 Dangerous Words When a doctor is murdered after being profiled on an anti-abortion Web site, the justices decide whether the First Amendment protects the site's owners or if they share responsibility for the man's death. Details Episode 7 Aired Mar 8, 2002 Right to Die The justices decide if a woman can take her comatose husband off life support against their daughter's wishes. Details Episode 8 Aired Mar 29, 2002 Court Date The justices decide whether or not a gifted 16-year-old can drop out of high school to enter the NBA draft. Details Episode 9 Aired Apr 5, 2002 Secrets & Lies Justice Novelli fights for a majority vote to support a law requiring convicted sex offenders to register with local authorities when they move into new neighborhoods. Details Episode 10 Aired Apr 12, 2002 Unprotected Speech An audiotape circulates in which Justice Snow criticizes the court; the court decides if a 17-year-old boy's doctoring of a pornographic video to include his classmates constitutes a violation of the Child Pornography Protection Act. Details Episode 11 Aired Apr 19, 2002 Strip Search The court decides if a doctor violated clients' Fourth Amendment rights when he allowed police to test their blood for DNA evidence without their consent. Details Episode 12 Aired Apr 22, 2002 Showdown Justice Novelli comes under fire when news spreads that a gun he once owned was used in a drive-by shooting. Details Episode 13 Aired May 3, 2002 Family Secrets The justices decide whether a woman's First Amendment rights compromise national security when she wants to publish the memoirs of her father, a dead CIA agent. Details
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Season Info

Director
Bradford May, Alan J. Levi, Michael Zinberg, Terrence O'Hara, James Whitmore Jr., Lou Antonio, Donald P. Bellisario
Executive Producer
Donald P. Bellisario
Screenwriter
Randy Anderson, Paul J. Levine, Alfredo Barrios Jr., Larry Moskowitz, Lyn Greene, Philip DeGuere Jr., Lawrence O'Donnell, Donald P. Bellisario
Network
CBS
Rating
TV-PG (L)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jan 15, 2002