It's too bad, because this show has many of the ingredients for a warm-weather distraction, beginning with its two titular lawyers, who are young, handsome, talented and appear to be deeply, shall we say, protocol-challenged, especially in the sexual liaison department. Perhaps the premise would work better if the characters were more likable and the storylines weren't so tired. And to make matters worse, the show takes delight in more than its fair share of dumb, misogynistic punch lines: A co-worker is a "bitchy little barracuda." A debate is held over whether it would be worth it to get punched in the face by Mike Tyson in order to sleep with Scarlett Johansson. There are even multiple penis jokes. (Really.)

True, creator Bill Chais told the New York Post on Saturday that he "wanted to do a Judd Apatow movie in a law firm." The problem is that it's unbelievably hard to make sex-obsessed guys seem sweet and appealing, and there may only be one person can do it with his directorial finesse and casting savvy. Yep, his name is Judd Apatow.

Still, Franklin & Bash tries. The premiere episode begins like a post-Super Bowl episode, designed to capture as many eyeballs as possible. In fact, the very first shot is of a blonde in a bra. The plot moves forward as you might expect from there. Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) run their own firm. They're hip -- they play Wii while they work! -- and (to quote the show) they "make their own rules." Which brings me back to the blonde in the bra. Early in the show, Franklin and Bash are eating at a restaurant when they see a man crash his car right beneath a billboard featuring the cleavage in question. Dropping their food, they run outside, collar the poor guy and tell him he should sue the billboard company. It's their fault he was distracted, gosh darn it!

Fast forward to the trial, where our heroes put the blonde on the witness stand and ask her to display her assets. She does, the jury gasps, they win the case and the next thing you know, the opposing law firm hires them for their unconventional cunning. Next on the docket for Franklin and Bash? You guessed it. Two cases involving public figures and their torrid extramarital affairs.

By the time the hour was over, I was just about ready to give up on the show, but to be fair, there were some moments of potential in the pilot. Bash's complicated relationship with his ex-girlfriend gave the show heart, and Franklin's apparently strained relationship with his yet-to-be-seen father could add some emotional weight.

And then there's the possibility that this show is really and truly for someone I am not: a guy. Sure, there's a shot of Mark-Paul Gosselaar's bare behind, but it feels a little like a bribe for the female contingent. At the end of the day, Franklin and Bash are a duo of cads throwing a frat party. Decide for yourself if you want to attend. The dress code, needless to say, is anything but strict.

Our vlogger Sean Crespo wonders if the show would've been better if the guys were called Tango and Cash:

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