I like The Practice and Law & Order, and I love just about anything futuristic. So when I heard about Century City, CBS's new legal drama set in Los Angeles in 2030, I cleared my calendar and prepared to be entertained. I've watched every episode so far (well, I think there have only been two), but as much as it sucks, I'm not ready to give up yet. So, please CBS! Go back in time and make the craptacular Century City worthy of its innovative premise:

1. Get better gadgets. Yeah, I saw the clear laptop. It's not enough. I know we're only 26 years in the future, but can't something cool have happened technology-wise?

2. Get a more adventurous wardrobe person. I'm not saying the show needs to look all Buck Rogers (that takes place in the 25th century, after all), but I just can't get excited over business suits, even if the ties have a metallic tinge.

3. Hire a writer or script consultant who creates believable sci-fi. Experience writing for the West Wing is admirable, but it doesn't mean you're qualified to do a legal drama from the future.

4. Have more fun. I understand that you don't want Century City to turn campy, but this show will only work if you relax once in a while. C'mon… it's the future! Isn't anything wacky going on?

5. Cut the clichés. The overly dramatic emotional scenes aren't making me cry -- they're making me cringe. That moment where a child star, afraid of growing older, confesses to his lawyer that he has never learned to ride a bike? I tend to cry at everything, even sad commercials, but this conversation made me want to throw a brick at my TV.

6. Add a cranky robot to the cast. I know it's a long shot, but seriously -- I'd be a fan for life.

--Lisa Beebe
3/23/04