The new Fox comedy series, “The Grinder,” revolves around an actor known for playing a lawyer on a popular television show.
When his show is canceled, he returns to his hometown of Boise, Idaho, and tries to become a lawyer for real, despite the fact that he has no legal training.
Although the series, starring Rob Lowe and Fred Savage, is filmed in Los Angeles, the show”s setting presented an interesting opportunity for the University of Idaho College of Law.
Associate Dean of Students and Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Jeffery Dodge, said when he first read about the series, which airs Tuesday nights on Fox, he immediately saw an opportunity for the University of Idaho College of Law.
“I saw the announcement in The Idaho Statesman in an article about the show,” Dodge said. “I wrote to Fox that day.”
Dodge said he got in contact with a Fox publicist and provided them with information about the UI College of Law.
“If (the characters on the show) were a family from Idaho, they likely went to the University of Idaho College of Law,” Dodge said. “A vast majority of members of the Idaho state law are alums of the College of Law.”
Dodge said he offered to provide sweatshirts and other items from the UI College of Law to use on the show. “I did get a response back from the publicist of the show, who told me that the information I gave them was great and really helped the character development,” Dodge said. “If they needed more, they [said they] would reach out to me.”
Dodge said he is excited about the impact the show could potentially have on the university and the state of Idaho.
“I think just the combination of a show being set in Boise, Idaho, is novel unto itself,” Dodge said. “I think it has the potential to show as a whole some more about Idaho. Boise and Idaho aren”t necessarily on everyone”s radar.”
Bradley Burgess can be reached at [email protected]