The Whole Truth: Which Side Are You On?

When I was a little girl, there were two careers I wanted to be when I grew up, a teacher or a lawyer.  I would line up all my dolls, stuffed animals, and figurines in a row and I would pretend to teach a class full of students or present a case that would sway the minds of the jury panel in my favor.  In both my “jobs”, my playthings could be found lined up outside of my room because they had misbehaved and needed to be sent to the principal’s office or I was conveniently kicking out jury members who I held in contempt of court. (I often simultaneously played judge, lawyer, and executioner at my mock trials.)  Needless to say, I have taught students and I have a legal educational background.  I do have the heart and persona of “fighting for justice” within me so I enjoy reading and watching legal thrillers.

As a fan of legal shows, ABC’s new legal series, “The Whole Truth“, did not disappoint me and also added a different element to the show.  This show has a unique approach to the procedural court room drama because it provides the viewer with ALL angles of the story and despite the Jury’s verdict, the ‘whole truth’ about the case is revealed at the end.  Viewers can watch a case from the prosecution with the focus on Kathryn Peale (Maura Tierney) as the Deputy Bureau Chief in the New York State District Attorney’s office and from the standpoint of one of the leading criminal defense attorneys in New York, Jimmy Brogan (Rob Morrow). 

Watching the case unfold, the audience gets a behind-the-scenes look, as if they were part of both the defense and prosecution teams.  When featuring the prosecution side, viewers see all meticulous details the prosecution has to uncover to try to secure a conviction.  While watching the defense team, viewers can see how the defense is rapidly digging for strategies to defend their client.  The same criminal case is shown in all vantage points, including the jury’s verdict.  At the end, the entire “whole truth” about the case is revealed, regardless if the jury’s verdict was actually right or wrong.



Kathryn and Jimmy’s “frenemies” relationship reminded me of my earlier days when working as a public relations executive on behalf of the federal government and clients. As a young women in a highly visible role, I was usually surrounded by older men and women.  However, working for another federal government agency, was a young public relations executive, like myself.  She and I often had to coordinate the same events and create similar promotional material for our respective agencies.  We were always the company spokespersons at national shows for our agencies so we truly were each other’s corporate equivalent.  Personality wise we very much like and always had wonderful personal interactions.  Yet, there was always a professional rivalry between us and neither wanted to be outdone by the other.  If I knew she was going to be at an event at a certain day, I would make sure to arrive earlier than her to prepare and meet with clients.  If she knew I was going to be an event until a certain time, she would stay longer than me and “work” the room.  Although, we were no threat to each other in the sense that we did not work for the same agency and were not direct co-workers, I could safely say we kept each other sharp and intact.  Because of our working relationship, we eventually became very good friends.  Kathryn and Jimmy are absolutely each other’s opposition and rivals but they have an underlying mutual respect, admiration, and friendship.

“The Whole Truth” is produced by the uber-talented, Jerry Bruckheimer, (Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon) and is on ABC every Wednesday at 10PM EST/9PM CT.  I can appreciate the sense of being a part of the case and finding out the entire truth about an incident because it helps my crime fighter spirit inside. (HA!)