If you’re excited by ITV’s new York-based series about angels who are lawyers, from the makers of Life on Mars, you may want to brush up on the things that inspired it.
In 2008, Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham came up with the idea for Eternal Law after discussing the movie A Matter of Life and Death. In the press pack, Matthew describes it as “a terrific film full to the brim with wonder, romance, imagination and shot through with a sly and cheeky humour”, quoting the script line “There were some who would think it Heaven to be a clerk”.
A Matter of Life and Death is a 1946 British WW2 romantic fantasy by Powell and Pressburger, known in the States as “Stairway to Heaven”. Total Film’s 2004 film critic poll named it the second greatest British film ever made. If the angels among us side of Eternal Law concept appeals, you should pick it up on DVD. It’s not exactly dear.
Certainly, the angels are going to be closer to that movie than other, more serious portrayals, as Matthew Graham says:
We agreed that a serious, portentous take on guardian angels would draw unfavourable comparisons to Wim Wenders’ masterpiece Wings Of Desire. We wanted something that tried to emulate the wit and cheek of the Powell and Pressburger picture. That showed us angels not as luminous, pious beings, disconnected from Human life but as fallible strangers in a strange land. Baffled by this troubled world yet embracing its treats – the food, the drink, the crackling hearth. Struggling with big decisions and challenged by unwanted emotions. In other words, we wanted them to be more like Us.
And what of the lawyer side of things?
We realised that we could let [the characters] loose in a recognisable TV drama format – that of the law show. This would hopefully help the audience find purchase with a new concept. But Eternal Law cannot operate as a regular legal drama. Nor did we want it to. The law stories serve as a mechanism to deliver the characters and put them into conflict. We needed to dispense with policemen and drawn out courtroom scenes. This had to be an ANGEL show, not a law show.
US TV series BOSTON LEGAL proved helpful in this respect. Ash and I loved the way writer David Kelley cut to the chase. Client walks in with a problem and BANG we’re in court a scene later. He knew where the meat of the action was going to lie. Realistic? Nope, not remotely. Exciting? Yes, very much so. And for those who know it, Boston Legal ends each week with the two main characters sitting on a balcony – cigars and brandies in hand. And yes we borrowed that wonderful epilogue. Yes we did. Guilty as charged m’lud.
Except that being angels, Zak and Tom find themselves perched on the top of the York Minster tower, feet dangling fearlessly over the edge as they marvel and fret at a world in terrible danger yet still sparkling with love and joy.
So clearly our other Further Watching suggestion is the complete box set of Seasons 1-5 of Boston Legal.
Eternal Law: it’s A Matter of Life and Death meets Boston Legal. Love it, buy them.