Familiar Franklin & Bash series with Friendly Faces

Cast of Franklin & Bash enjoying the dramedy on TNT

There’s a new series on TNT called Franklin & Bash which has a familiar look to it. The dramedy follows two young street lawyers who join a legendary, button-down law firm and turn that office upside-down with their fearless fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants legal style. It’s the basic “fish out of water” and in the courtroom premise.

The stars of the show are also familiar looking. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Raising the Bar), Breckin Meyer (Road Trip), Garcelle Beauvais (NYPD Blue), and veteran performer Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange).

Meyer plays Jared Franklin, who has a knack for connecting with the jury and judge. Gosselaar is Steven Bash, a champion of the underdog, who loves to butt heads with authority every chance he gets. Malcolm McDowell plays the patriarch of Infeld Daniels, an old school law firm. And Beauvais is Hanna Linden, an idealistic member of the firm’s legal team who actually believe that justice must be served.

The show is dramatic, but there’s comedy relief thanks to the Franklin and Bash “bromance” relationship and their humorous exchanges. Plus, conflict with the uptight authority figures they encounter always seems to be good for a laugh.

Gosselaar has really grown up since his teen idol days on Saved By the Bell. He has proven himself as a fine actor over the years in shows such as NYPD Blue as a cop, and more recently as a lawyer in the TNT series Raising the Bar. Now his fans can see his “legal briefs” again.

The new show is much fresher and lighter for Gosselaar. “This feels like a completely different show than what we did on Raising the Bar. That character was so righteous all the time, although I miss the nobility of playing a public defender. But the stories we had were so heavy all the time. I like that this is a drama, but with the comedic element that we bring to the relationship. I’m having a much better time doing this. It’s nice to be on a show that’s a little lighter and more entertaining in a way,” he says.

When Meyer is asked to describe the show, he jokes that “it’s Ally McBeal meets Godzilla, meets Sex Games Cancun.” He also adds that “it’s pretty hip and up with what’s current” thanks to executive producers Bill Chais and Kevin Falls. But what Meyer loves most about the show is that his character gets into a relationship with Beauvais. “We have some good times together.”

Also happy with her character is the Garcelle Beauvais. She says she fell in love with her Hanna Linden character as soon as she read the script. “Hanna takes no prisoners and doesn’t apologize for who she is. And I think it’s great that what I like about her is that she can be strong and still be sexy. One doesn’t negate the other,” says the stunning actress.

Beauvais, a former model, is glad she can portray a smart, accomplished woman, and still look like a million bucks. The guys keep her laughing between scenes, and reveals the atmosphere on the set is “a blast” on Franklin & Bash.