ABC Buys Noah Hawley Legal Drama Courtroom 302

ABC has purchased a courtroom drama series from My Generation creator Noah Hawley, which promises to offer a very different look at the legal system than previous shows in the genre. Courtroom 302 would take viewers beyond the surface and behind the scenes of major legal cases, looking at them from a variety of angles.

It sounds like Courtroom 302 will have a lot in common with the mockumentary style of My Generation, although hopefully with better ratings than the former. My Generation followed a group of classmates across the years, introducing them in 2000 as they graduated from high school and then reuniting with them ten years later. Only two episodes of My Generation aired before ABC cancelled it due to the poor ratings; they must have high hopes that Mr. Hawley can come through this time around.

The new series is meant to be something different from what we are used to seeing in one-hour courtroom dramas. The Hollywood Reporter reported the sale of the series and described it as both “in depth” and “irreverent”, both words that are used just a little too often and rarely fulfill their promise. Courtroom 302 plans to take viewers inside the U.S. District Court in NYC, where the people, their lives, and their work will be explored from top to bottom. The series will explore everything from the jail cells to the judge’s chambers and everything in between.

Mark Gordon of Grey’s Anatomy is on board to executive produce alongside Hawley, who will also write the scripts for the project.