The Lyon's Den
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''The Lyon's Den'' is a 2003 American
legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
. Set in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, it stars
Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...
as a lawyer named Jack Turner, who has been newly appointed as partner of a long-established law firm that, as the plot revealed, harbored some dark secrets. The cast also included Matt Craven, Elizabeth Mitchell, Kyle Chandler,
Frances Fisher Frances Louise Fisher (born May 11, 1952) is an American actress. She began her career in theater and later starred as Detective Deborah Saxon in the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Edge of Night'' (1976–1981). In film, she is known for her rol ...
, and David Krumholtz. Both the series' title and firm's name are allusions to the surname of Lowe, who also served as executive producer. Much of the plot is centered on the firm's internal politics and on Turner's attempts to uncover information on some of the firm's conspiracies while acting as the defense of its higher-profile clients in a different case each episode. The series premiered on the American television network NBC on September 28, 2003, but although thirteen episodes were ordered and produced, only six aired before NBC cancelled the series on November 30, 2003, due to low ratings. When the UK's channel Five bought the United Kingdom terrestrial TV rights to the series in 2004, it aired all thirteen episodes. Rob Lowe has stated that after finding out about the show's cancellation he and the show's producers decided to make the last episodes —which they were contractually obligated to make— as absurd as possible, including an "off the wall" and freakish ending.


Characters

Character descriptions courtesy of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' and '' The Blade'' * John "Jack" Turner (
Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...
), "the most principled lawyer" working for the corrupt firm Lyons, Lacrosse, and Levine longtime friend * Grant Rashton ( Kyle Chandler), one of "amoral lawyers" * Brit Hanley (
Frances Fisher Frances Louise Fisher (born May 11, 1952) is an American actress. She began her career in theater and later starred as Detective Deborah Saxon in the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Edge of Night'' (1976–1981). In film, she is known for her rol ...
), Rashton's "evil secretary" * Ariel Saxon ( Elizabeth Mitchell), a lawyer recovering from
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
, hired by her lover Rashton to "discredit Jack" * Jeff Fineman ( David Krumholtz), Ariel Saxon's
paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant or paralegal specialist, is a legal professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with an admission to practice law. The market for p ...
, who is attracted to her * Terrance Christianson ( James Pickens Jr.), one of "amoral lawyers" * Harlan M. Turner ( Rip Torn), the
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
senator and Jack's father


Episodes


Production


Singer Jewel's casting

In his memoir, ''Love Life'', Lowe stated that he lobbied for singer-actress Jewel to be cast as his love interest in the show after seeing her performance in
Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...
's
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
'' Ride With The Devil''. However, when she arrived on set there was no chemistry between the two and Jewel brought her then-boyfriend, rodeo star
Ty Murray Ty Monroe Murray (born October 11, 1969), is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He competed in the three "roughstock" events; bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. He won nine world championships in the Profe ...
, to the set with her on the day the actors were to film a love scene. According to Lowe, Jewel appeared uncomfortable at having to kiss Lowe, and unsuccessfully asked if the scene could be removed. Finally relenting by stating, "Let's just do this", Lowe said Jewel agreed to do the scene. Lowe stated: "But as we approached the kissing moment it became strained and it's never good when you can't trust that your fellow actor is on the same page... I pecked her on the lips; her mouth scrunched closed like you would do if someone was going to stick something unwanted into it, which I was not intending. I sort of moved my head from side to side to make it look real, like there was at least a dollop of energy or passion. 'Cut', said the director. Jewel looked at me and wiped the back of her hand across her lips like an American Sign Language version of 'Yuck'". Jewel was one of the celebrities chosen to roast Rob Lowe in 2015. She joked that she had asked to write out the kiss with Lowe "because I knew where that mouth had been."


Cancellation and improvised ending

Lowe said, in a May 9, 2014 appearance on the NPR radio gameshow '' Wait Wait Don't Tell Me'', that he and the show's producers purposefully made all 13 episodes – which they were contractually obligated to make for possible DVD distribution – as absurd as possible. The last episode ended with Lowe's character, John Turner, being exposed as a
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
and confronted by Grant Rushton (Kyle Chandler), whom he then kills with a hidden knife. After murdering Grant, Turner stands on the ledge of the law firm's building apparently intent on jumping, but he instead uses his cellphone to call an unrevealed person, only saying: "Yeah, there's been another accident" before the screen fades to black and the series end.The Final Scene of The Lyon's Den (2003 TV Series)
Uploaded January 23, 2019 on
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References


External links

* * ''Wait Wait'' Rob Lowe appearance and interview: https://www.npr.org/2015/04/11/398798395/brat-pack-member-rob-lowe-gets-quizzed-on-bratwurst {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon's Den 2003 American television series debuts 2003 American television series endings 2000s American legal drama television series Television shows set in Washington, D.C. Television series by 20th Century Fox Television NBC television dramas