The following review contains moderate spoilers of the pilot episode of "Century City."

One of my favorite non-science-fiction shows growing up was, by far, "L.A. Law."

That's right. One of my dreams was to become a lawyer, and even my good friend -- who is a lawyer -- still thinks I should go back to school to become a lawyer. Who knows ... maybe by the time I do go to law school and pass the bar exam, I can become a member of the law firm of Crane, Constable, McNeil and Montero. Hell, it'd probably be 2030 by the time I ever did it anyway.

But there you have it. Los Angeles, some 25 years in the future. And it's a law firm dealing with issues that are just starting to come together today.

The pilot episode was very choppy, as expected for most pilot episodes, as the writers do their best to introduce their characters. We meet Lukas Gold (Ioan Gruffudd), a lawyer who still seems to be a little wet behind the ears, but feels he can make a difference. Then there's Tom Montero (Nestor Carbonell) who was once a congressman, and now is practicing law.

Darwin McNeill (Eric Shaeffer) seems to have a constant erection while walking around the law offices, and is even willing to take drastic steps to revive his more youthful days.

And then there's one of my quiet favorites already, senior partner Hannah Crane (Viola Davis), who is trying to get her small law firm up and running.

Hector Elizondo of "Chicago Hope" fame plays partner Martin Constable ... a somewhat limited role, but key to some of the early storylines.

Finally, we have Lee May Bristol (Kristen Lehman), who seems to have a Khan Noonien Singh complex ... she was bred specifically to practice law. Wow ... talk about genetic manipulation.

One of the things that used to make science-fiction so great was the fact that they found ways to tackle complex issues that were almost taboo. Later on, lawyer shows like "L.A. Law" and even "Ally McBeal" did the same thing. Now, you have them both combined into a single show.

The pilot, while trying a bit hard to convince the audience that it's 25 years in the future with a little too much emphasis on gadgetry and such, tackled issues such as cloning, the value of life (and when life starts), growing old, and even genetic manipulation (with the Bristol character).

A man gets arrested coming off a plane after it's discovered that he's carrying a vial with an embryo. Apparently, the embryo is a clone of his 7-year-old son, and he went to Singapore to get the clone made (since it's illegal in the United States). The clone is needed to give his son a new liver, which he'll die without.

Of course, the government would be willing to give the vial back to the man, if it were property. But a court battle ensues on what is property and what is not ... and a bunch of twists and turns that could only be done in science-fiction take place.

I thought it was quite interesting having a pre-trial hearing right from the law office using holographic technology. Bringing in the district attorney upside down was slightly funny, but I really had to have a laugh when the judge had to confirm with both sides that she was not appearing upside down.

It's good to know that outside of that, clothing and courtrooms are not going to change much in the future. Everyone was wearing suits as if it just came off the rack today, and outside of the cool-looking computers and some of the other pseudo gadgets, it was hard to tell we were actually in the future.

Seriously, 25 years ago was what, 1979? Would you wear a suit from 1979 in a law office? I think not. I seriously doubt that the fashion of 2004 will still be the fasion of 2030.

It was good to see Anthony Zerbe again. I missed him since seeing him in the last two "Matrix" movies, and in "Star Trek: Insurrection," even if it was a sucky-ass movie. But here, I had to enjoy the humor involving his character.

These three real hot guys from a rock band want to separate with their lead singer, because he didn't keep up his contractual obligation to be hot. So, Zerbe walks in with another younger guy who has a beard and is fat. McNeill tells Zerbe that his client definitely is violating their agreement ... but Zerbe reveals that it is HE who is the client, and the younger guys is his attorney.

That creates some confusion until we learn that the band members are actually in their 70s, but just had a lot of work done to make them look like they are in their 20s. Zerbe's character refuses to undergo the risky procedures to look as young as them, and wants to look and act his age.

The conclusion of that story was a bit cheesy, but they at least get a B for effort.

I think I could really start to enjoy this show. I think it's worth giving it a chance during its limited run this year, and if it does get better, I would love to see it return in the fall.

"Century City" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. It will air a special episode Saturday at 10 p.m. on the network, so if you have yet to see the series, you might want to check it out.

Pilot
Century City

Writing: B-
Story: B
Acting: C
Directing: C

Overall: C+

Michael Hinman is the founder and news editor of Airlock Alpha. He is based in Tampa, Fla., and can be reached at michael@airlockalpha.com.

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