"Rex is Not Your Lawyer" Information Page
MEDIA REPORTS
2 October 2013 - Radio Times (UK)
Hear David Tennant's American accent - With the news that the Broadchurch star and his transatlantic accent are set to grace the US remake, here's a taste of what to expect...
- "So we hear David Tennant is not only set to join the cast of the US remake of Broadchurchbut also that he'll be playing an American detective – transatlantic accent and all. If you're wondering what that might sound like, allow us to help you out. Here's a clip from legal drama Rex is Not Your Lawyer, Tennant's first attempt to break the US, which sadly only made it to the pilot stage. Have a listen and see what you think..."
17 June 2012 - Radio Times
"David Tennant on Leaving Doctor Who, True Love and Living in the Public Eye," by Andrew Duncan.
"Expectations increase, too, so it's difficult when they're not fulfilled. He went to Los Angeles in 2009 to make a pilot for a legal drama series, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, in which he played a brilliant litigator who suffers panic attacks. 'I thought, "Why not?'" and it was a wonderful experience even though it didn't limp to a series. I'd feel better equipped if I tried again.'"
Late 2010 - "The Richard Bacon Show" - BBC Radio 5
RB: Just very quickly, David. Before you go. You've made a pilot in America, didn't you? For, I think, it's called "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer," which didn't get picked up. I saw an interview in the Radio Times where you're talking about that. Most pilots don't get picked up in America. It's a strange and expensive system that they have. Do you want to make it in America? Is that, is that your plan? Do you want to make a TV series in America?
DT: Em, well... when that didn't happen, I made some films there instead. So I, I, I... you know... I don't really, I don't really think that tactic. I just kind of go wherever the next interesting project comes from.
RB: It's not put you off making, say, another pilot for another American television series?
DT: I think it was interesting to see how that network television situation in America works, and I would go into any other situation with the knowledge I... gained.
[At this point, David Morrissey, seated beside him in the studio, gave him the "thumbs up"]
DT: I have to be very, you know, I have to be very careful (laughing) of what you say!
RB: Do you think they promised you a lot and gave you an impression of what might happen and so--
DT: No, no, no. No, it's just, it's a funny world. It's a funny world.
RB: Okay, I understand why you're being careful and diplomatic.
Saturday, 9 October 2010 - "The Graham Norton Show" - BBC Radio 2
Graham Norton: [We've got emails from] People who saw your pilot, "Rex"--
David Tennant: Really?!?
GN: All going, "Tell him it was really good--"
DT: Ah!
GN: "There were just too many law shows on, and..."
DT: Oh, well. Yea!
GN: Very kind of industry, kind of--
DT: Very industry. Very insider.
GN: Yea!
DT: You're not supposed to see that. I'm sure it's in a safe at NBC somewhere. I think you get shot if you try and get that out.
GN: Well, maybe that's why they're anonymous. Here's one's called "Joanne." Start looking for her now, NBC.
DT: (laughs)
GN: You could do, you could do another show about looking for people who've seen the pilot.
DT: Yes! Yes, like "Bounty Hunter" for pilot leaks.
In 2010, although the NBC Boards once had a thread for "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer" under "Fall Preview and Upcoming Shows," all mention of the show been wiped clean from both that thread and from the site's search engines. Sadly, and rather oddly, there is no "Rex" thread even in the NBC Primetime Vault.
The only area at NBC.com where "Rex" exists is on the NBC Help Desk, which has left a few posts up in the myNBC Community section. The few fan comments that remain from 2010 run along the lines of, "To hell with this, I'm back to watching UK television. The TV execs in my own country are far too frustrating" and "I really was hoping that it would get picked up. I love David Tennant, and would have watched it. There is not much I really watch on NBC anymore."
Admittedly, there is growing public frustration with the techniques used by network television--not just at NBC, but towards all the major networks. As one viewer remarked, "How long is a season now? Four months? It seems reruns start earlier every year. Most shows get canceled, regardless if we like it or not. The plug is pulled sooner than in years past. I honestly see no reason to get hooked on a show anymore. Networks spend endless hours running promos and for what? It usually does no good. If those all important "Nielsen" numbers don't do it, the execs ax the shows. They say advertising revenue is down, so in the past 10 years, we have seen an increase in commercials per hour. This does little but frustrate viewers. I don't understand how the network bosses think. What do they expect? They want huge ratings, but are also destroying the prime time experience with too many commercials, not to mention all the promos we have to sit through for other shows. Can't forget the [network] logo on our screens all the time, too, reminding us of other shows coming on. It's just plain bad, execs, and it's not getting any better."
7 May 2011 - "Belfast Telegraph"
American actor Jerry O'Connell ["Stand By Me," "Sliders"] complimented his co-star David Tennant: "Man, he is great. He's just really good at what he does. It's funny, we both played lawyers in the show that we did. To be honest I stole a lot of stuff that I'm doing in my show ["The Defenders" on CBS-TV] from watching him." However, the article mistakenly labeled Tennant as a co-star in the current CBS show, which he is not. Roger Crow remarked on Twitter, "I wrote the original piece. They interpreted it wrong. O'Connell was inspired by Tennant's work on Rex."
American comedian Chris Hardwick conducted an interview with actor David Tennant in December 2011 for BBC America, and released a one-hour interview between them on his website, Nerdist.com. In the interview, Tennant made brief mentions of the 2010 NBC Universal/BermanBraun pilot, "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer." Tennant explained how he missed the opportunity to be in the 2010 John Landis film, "Burke & Hare," with actor Simon Pegg as William Burke (Andy Serkis replaced Tennant in the role of William Hare):
[49:50 in] - "We were due to do a film together, but I... because of that pilot we were talking about earlier, I got-- the dates got all messed up and we never got to work together, which was a real disappointment."
A quick bit on "Rex" came up in "A LITTLE CHAT WITH DAVID TENNANT" from Electric! Magazine in 2009: "He’s vacated the TARDIS and is heading for LA: the tenth Doctor discusses life after Gallifrey and what successor Matt Smith has ahead of him…" (Words: Johnny Davis)
JD: You’re starring in US comedy-drama Rex Is Not Your Lawyer next.
DT: I will be doing an American accent too! Or at least trying. You might find he comes from Bathgate, after all.
JD: So you’ll be another Brit-actor-in-LA like Dominic West, Hugh Laurie, Anna Friel, Ian McShane…
DT There’s certainly an acceptance of British people over there. So I’m happy to jump on that bandwagon for a bit. Perhaps we can all find a nice Irish pub in LA and meet up there.
