Shark

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
"Your job is to win. ... Justice is God's problem."
Sebastian Stark

Shark is an American legal drama created by Ian Biederman that originally aired on CBS from September 21, 2006, to May 20, 2008. The show revolved around Sebastian Stark, played by James Woods. Stark is a notorious Los Angeles Amoral Attorney who becomes disillusioned with his career, and becomes a prosecutor at the mayor's suggestion. Stark's relationship with the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, his staff and his daughter, forms the central plot for the series.

Tropes used in Shark include:

Jessica: You know, I remember my first jury trial. I was up against a pretty decent attorney. Kind of pompous and arrogant, but he knew how nervous I was. So he called me while the jury was out.
Stark: Probably wanted to hit on you.
Jessica: Actually, I think that's the one time you didn't hit on me. You told me, that at the end of the day, you put your best cards on the table, then you put it in the jury's hands and you let it go.
Stark: If I remember correctly you lost that case.
Jessica: Not the point.

  • Asshole Victim: The best example would be a porn magnate whom Stark had refused to defend earlier.

Stark: Tyson Shaw, how do I know that name?
Madeleine: Internet porn. Guy's a zillionaire, and a major sleaze-bag. Beat raps on extortion, racketeering…
Stark: Right, he came to me for representation on an embezzlement charge a couple years ago.
Issac: You turned him down?
Stark: Guy made Larry Flynt look like Mary Poppins. Even I have standards.

Wayne Callison: Sebastian, we're not so different... you and I.
Stark: Let's just say I learned to channel my obsession in a more positive direction.

  • Overprotective Dad: Stark for his daughter, Julie.
  • Plea Bargain: The show has this happen regularly, or at least has attempts to plea bargain.
  • Ripped from the Headlines: Not often, but sometimes.
  • Shout-Out: The first season finale, "Wayne's World 2: Revenge of the Shark" has a lot of references to Moby Dick.
  • Team Dad: Stark, although he would be the first to deny it.
  • Vigilante Man: The defendant in the episode "Porn Free" says he killed a porn kingpin to benefit society. Stark isn't hearing it.

Raina: Maybe Gilroy really did kill Shaw to make the world a better place.
Stark: (A) That's God's job and (B) altruism is not a viable defense to murder.