Mitch Grinder is more than just a really cool name for an incomparably cool guy. A shrewd lawyer with a spotless record in the courtroom, he’s regarded by all who encounter him as the West Coast’s leading attorney-at-law. A preeminent expert in smooth-talking, he can command a room with nothing but the captivating power of his voice and an unmistakable swagger that seems to say “Let me handle this, I know exactly what I’m doing.” Grinder is successful, he’s intelligent, and he truly is one hell of an American. When it comes to making sure justice reigns supreme from sea to shining sea, he’s the best man for the job.
Or maybe he’s the worst.
A washed-up actor who played America’s most outstanding attorney until his fast-paced legal drama fell out of favor and was cancelled, Dean Sanderson (played by Rob Lowe) begrudgingly goes back to Boise, Idaho. Despite sporting a demeanor that’s calm, cool, and always contemplative onscreen as Grinder—his brow forever furrowed in that “I’m just on the verge of solving hunger, homelessness, and the oil crisis” kind of way—Dean is actually utterly clueless when it comes to actually being a lawyer.
When his beloved character, aptly named the Grinder, is swept away in the ever-changing tides of the television industry, Dean struggles with the stark reality that he has overstayed his 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately, not even a super-cool celebrity name can save him now.
Having traded a glitzy Hollywood lifestyle for one in his significantly less glamorous hometown, Dean assumes his stint as a savvy TV lawyer qualifies him to run the family law firm—a small practice owned and operated by his father, Dean Sr., and younger brother, Stewart (played by the always funny Fred Savage).
In the fourteenth episode of The Grinder, Dean moves into his brother’s house and makes himself comfortable—much too comfortable for Stewart’s liking. Despite having been out of the acting industry for a long while now, Dean is still just as dramatic as ever. Seemingly stuck in the realm of simulated courtroom reality, unable to escape the theatrics of an overly-produced, primetime TV drama, Dean just doesn’t know how to function in the real world. So, Stewart sends his brother to a therapist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mybEO-Hb0Y
The hilarious Maya Rudolph guest stars as Jillian, a therapist Stewart has been seeing ever since his superstar brother waltzed right back into his life. Spouting advice like, “Take control of the steering wheel that is your life,” Rudolph’s comically cliched portrayal of a metaphor-making shrink is the perfect addition to an already stellar cast of characters.
Soon after his first therapy session, Dean is swept into the dramatics of it all, as he gets some sort of high from reconstructing his life and helping others to do the same. A TV-lawyer-turned-life guru, Dean tries to counsel Stewart’s family members, close friends, and important clients. Having developed a knack for pushing his easily irascible brother’s buttons over the course of the show’s first season, Dean finds yet another way to drive Stewart to insanity with his newfound wisdom in episode 14.
Simply stated, The Grinder is just great. Charming, satirical, and ingeniously self-aware, the new show rivals the likes of New Girl and Samberg’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine in the realm of incredibly smart Fox comedies. It focuses often on the show within the show, as Dean’s real-life persona is almost indistinguishable from his TV character’s. Creators Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul have put together a modern courtroom comedy that makes fun of those stiff, have-to-roll-your-eyes episodes of long-running legal series Law & Order. Perfectly-timed dramatic pauses and intense background music abound in this clever, satirical spin on the courtroom genre.
It’s early evening, and the conference room is bathed in a warm afternoon light that seeps through the slits of the window blinds. While staring wistfully out the window, a contemplative Dean Sanderson interjects at the perfect moment, as always, and the room goes silent. Despite his comment having no pertinent connection to the discussion at hand, his low-toned mumbling of legal jargon he doesn’t understand sure does sound really cool. Noticing his brother’s agitation, Dean explains.
“It’s a stage whisper, it makes whatever I say sound more dramatic,” he reassures Stewart. At that exact moment—one that comes well into Rob Lowe’s first season of The Grinder—it is abundantly clear that Lowe is really good in this role. As if reading the minds of his faithful viewers, he glares at his on-screen brother and proclaims confidently, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
Featured Image By 20th Century Fox Television
