At last, 'Bluff City Law' debuts

After close to seven months of public anticipation, media speculation and national network and social media hype, "Bluff City Law" debuted Monday night with 42 minutes and 30 seconds of expertly and conscientiously crafted legal drama that cast, crew and boosters hope will spin out into many years' worth of Memphis-based courtroom dynamics.

The pilot episode, broadcast at 9 p.m. CT, opened with co-star Caitlin McGee looking into a courthouse bathroom mirror and letting out a long, bloodcurdling scream. It was a moment of catharsis after a tense but triumphant trial sequence that perhaps captured something of the relief felt by the show's creators and its local backers.

For months, this alliance of artists and influencers had worked to give birth to this particular hybrid, an old-school Jimmy Smits-on-NBC tradition-of-quality drama (see also: "L.A. Law," "The West Wing") shot in its namesake city, Memphis, with a new-school diverse cast of characters and an activist mantra of a mission statement: "Change the World!"