"Rex is Not Your Lawyer" Information Page

What was "Rex is Not Your Lawyer"?  

 

"Rex" was an American television pilot produced by BermanBraun / Universal Media / NBC-TV in 2009/2010.

It starred Scottish actor  David Tennant (a.k.a. the 10th Doctor on the popular BBC One science-fiction

television series "Doctor Who").

 

Tennant played Rex Alexander, a lawyer with anxiety issues who finds himself unable to speak in court without

passing out from panic attacks. To overcome this career-endangering tendency, Rex must coach his clients to

defend themselves in court.

 

The pilot script was accepted by BermanBraun, then bought by NBC in early 2007 in a "first-look" deal with

the writers, David Lampson and Andrew Leeds. The pilot was delayed at least twice in pre-production--once

by the Writers' Strike of 2007, and then due to a network rejection in 2008. The episode was finally shot in Los

Angeles, California in December 2009. However, instead of choosing "Rex" for the Fall 2010 lineup, NBC

Universal opted for the Jimmy Smits' series "Outlaw"... a show which aired only three episodes before its

cancellation.

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Where can I watch "Rex is Not Your Lawyer"? Can I buy it anywhere?

 

Although there are locations online to see it, this 43-minute pilot is protected by copyright and is not available for purchase. (See the "TORRENT WARNINGS" page for more information). The pilot and all photographs associated with it are the property of NBC Universal.

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Are there any photographs or posters or postcards... any images available?

 

As far as publicity photos go, there ARE an unknown number of "Rex is Not Your Lawyer" publicity photos that are currently archived in the NBC Universal digital photo library. In 2023, some of these images were made public through various outlets.

 

 

 

Who was in the pilot--and who wasn't?  

 

American actor Joe Mangianello ("True Blood," "How I Met Your Mother") and Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan ("Charlie Casanova," "The Phone") were two of the men who auditioned for the part of Rex in 2009. The title role went to Scottish actor David Tennant (born David MacDonald), best known for his role of The Doctor in the long-running BBC "Doctor Who" series. "Heroes" actor Sendhil Ramamurthy was up for the part of Bruce Sweet,but was replaced at the last minute by actor Jerry O'Connell. Abigail Spencer ("Mad Men") was cast as Rex's colleague and fiancée, Lindsey Steers. His psychiatrist Dr. Barry Cohen was portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor, and Jane Curtin was cast as Rex's mother. Rex's assistant Sophia Kraft was portrayed by Lindsey Kraft.

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Where was the pilot shot?  

 

In and around Los Angeles, California--for the curious, there is a partial list of the various locations included in the Amazon e-book, "Rex is Not Your TV Show." The setting of the show was intended to be Chicago, Illinois (according to the script), but this was changed to Los Angeles. The hotel where Rex lives is the "Wilshire Regal Hotel," which is actually the Hilton Checkers; the Checkers logo on the roof was digitally removed and the hotel was renamed by the special effects department at Stargate Studios in Burbank.

 

 

 

When was (or is) the "Rex is Not Your Lawyer" air date? 

 

The pilot episode was never shown on television, and it is unlikely to ever air. Pilots are merely prototypes, and random pilot episodes almost never see the light of day after a full series is rejected by a network.  "Rex" was distributed to various media sources and critics (with a warning that it was not to be used for critical review, hence the scarcity of comments online), but was never a "For Your Consideration" DVD like other shows of that season.

 

 

 

What happened to the show, exactly?  Why wasn't it ever a series?

 

NBC-TV decided to pass on "Rex is Not Your Lawyer." During the making of the pilot in December 2009, the production team at the time hinted that (with network approval) the show could have been up and running in a matter of weeks. At the TCAs in January 2010, it was mentioned that "Rex" might be "fast-tracked" to appear as a mid-season replacement, then it was considered for the Fall 2010 season... then silence. There was never an official NBC rejection in a press release--only its absence from the network's schedule. Media sources speculated that the show could have done well in a Thursday night time slot, however at the end of the pilot, the voiceover gave the date as "September 24, 2010," indicating that this was probably planned as a Friday night program by NBC. Incidentally, the uncertain scheduling of the show cost David Tennant his role in the John Landis film, "Burke and Hare" with Simon Pegg; Andy Serkis took over that part.

 

 

 

Are you SURE "Rex" is not going to be produced? Isn't there ANY hope for it?

 

Someone at Spoilertv.com posted a question on Fancast.com, asking if David Tennant said anything about "Rex" during the 2010 Emmy awards (he made an appearance on the red carpet and was an audience member). The reply was: "I did ask about ‘Rex’ – which last I heard was being eyed by USA Network after NBC opted not to order the series – and Tennant confirmed what we sorta knew: It’s truly and sincerely dead. Shame, too – in addition to the former Doctor Who, ‘Rex’ also starred ‘Mad Men’ schoolteacher Abigail Spencer."

 

 

 

When were your YouTube video and photos taken?  

 

Per an online request from a David Tennant fan in the U.K., and because I lived less than ten minutes from downtown Los Angeles, I went to the Hope Street Base Camp on December 5, 2009 to take some video and photographs--truth be told, I didn't know who David Tennant was and had to have the paparazzi point him out to me. About a week later, during another trip in to the city in which I found myself a block from filming, I stopped across the street from the Hilton Checkers and got a few photos of production equipment (they were re-shooting a scene on the roof that had previously been rained out), and snapped a few quick shots of Tennant leaving the hotel.

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Do you have any more information?

 

No. While writing the Amazon.com book, I was basically stonewalled by the NBC Universal Legal Department; I could not secure any interviews wth anyone inside or outside of the studio due to confidentiality agreements signed by all those involved. As a result, all the data within the e-book "Rex Is Not Your TV Show" and on this site was taken from public records and internet sources, and was limited by what was little data has been made available / released to the public. The title "Rex Is Not Your TV Show" was used in the "subject" line of an email that I received from a university professor in Southern California (my apologies to the man, but I don't remember his name).