Catch up TV

Series 1: 3. Mr Popular

Four-part series that follows the exploits of attorney at law Howard Greenberg, a man who practises criminal law like you have never seen before.\n\nAccording to Howard, no-one becomes a defence attorney to win a popularity contest. The truth behind that statement becomes all too apparent as he takes on a heavy, emotionally charged murder trial. The case of the 'Brooklyn Ripper' is big news across New York, with almost daily bulletins giving airtime to the victims' families as they fight for justice. In the eyes of the press, Howard's client is already a guilty man. Amidst this clamour, his feels like a lone voice speaking up for the defendant.\n\nBut is this the open-and-shut case painted in the media? As junior attorney Jonathan tells the programme, the prosecution's evidence is not quite as conclusive as they would like. When the trial opens, the prosecutor appears willing to play to emotion in front of the jury - something which Howard says is a strategy intended to mask the weaknesses in the case. But Howard himself has a few unconventional tricks up his sleeve that he hopes will sway the jury in his direction. Perhaps more than at any other point across the series, we see Howard fighting fire with fire - both inside the courtroom and in press conferences - in a case that really strikes to the heart of what it means to be a defence attorney in a big, controversial trial.\n\nIn the office, Lena admits that she struggles to reconcile the idea of Howard taking the case. And at their New Jersey home, Howard's wife Marie reveals that she worries about how the press will portray her husband and admits that she wishes Howard would not take on these controversial 'media trials'. With Howard staying away from home to fight his big trial, Marie takes time to reflect on Howard's background and reveals some insights into his past. The portrait she paints of Howard's childhood is a world away from the successful life they share - but it is one that explains much about Howard and his eccentricities.

Source: BBC 2