Mediation in prime time....I like it!

The much anticipated "Fairly Legal" made its debut last night. Although, many may of not been on the edge of your seat waiting for this program to air but it sure had a ton of media hype the last few weeks.

My email and email alerts were inundated with a steady stream of press releases, interviews with the stars, and even other people blogging about this show.

So, what was all the hype? Most of it was because the USA network does an amazing job (in my opinion) in advertising their shows. For me, it was because (for those who may of not heard) about a woman who is a mediator.

Mediation has gone prime time!

As I was watching, from a mediator's lens, I was thinking all the negatives I could pull from this show. Until I realized, this is television. Is every show about any one profession accurate? Law and Order, CSI, Gray's Anatomy? Royal Pains (another USA show)? No, we watch these shows for entertainment.

Here is why I liked the show. Simply, it mentions mediation. It mentioned "Alternative Dispute Resolution", "win-win" (maybe one too many times), and my favorite.."mediators build bridges". Not all bad in my opinion. It makes mention of a field that many people have never even heard of. The accuracy of it, the sensationalism of it, well that's T.V.

It may just do what I hope it does, make people hear the word mediation for the first time, create others to have a healthy interest about the field, and then it is up to us, the working professionals to show people what we are about.

http://www.usanetwork.com/series/fairlylegal/

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Comment by Nathan Law on January 22, 2011 at 3:51pm: I'm glad you wrote about the premiere. I too hope that it creates a lot of healthy interest in the field. It would be interesting to go back and count the number of times we hear the words "mediation" and "mediator." In addition to the exposure it gives people to mediation and its pure entertainment value, I think the show will provide a lot of examples and discussion points for mediation professors and professionals alike. I hope I can get past focusing on the "accuracy" or the potential negatives and enjoy it for what it is--mediation as entertainment!

Thanks for the post. -Nate

Comment by Matthew J Starman on January 26, 2011 at 10:01pm: I don't think we need to focus on the accuracy on the show but more the positives it brings to the field. I enjoy the focus on justice, and the way it paints the court.If anything, it lets other people know there is an option other than court and it isn't just something that happens in famous divorces or athlete negotiations. And besides if a show like Jersey Shore can insight an increase in "Jersey" culture and copy-cat shows, a mediation can only be helpful in creating awareness (and maybe other mediation shows, Im thinking a reality show of some sort) for the field

Comment by Jeff Thompson on January 27, 2011 at 8:46pm: Matthew,

Good point in that it brings awareness to other options besides court. That said, do you really want to make comparisons between mediation and the Jersey Shore?!? :)