"Rex Is Not Your Lawyer" Show Information

Got questions about "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer"?  Well, we have answers...

What was "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer"?  "Rex" was a pilot produced by BermanBraun / Universal Media / NBC-TV.  It starred Scottish actor David Tennant (a.k.a. the 10th Doctor on the popular BBC One science-fiction television series, "Doctor Who").  Tennant played Rex Alexander, a lawyer with anxiety issues who finds himself unable to speak in court after a series of panic attacks, and so he must coach his clients to defend themselves.  The pilot script was accepted by BermanBraun and bought by NBC in early 2007 in a "first-look" deal with the writers, David Lampson and Andrew Leeds.  It was delayed at least twice in pre-production (once by the Writers' Strike of 2007, and due to a rejection in 2008), and was finally shot in December 2009.  However, instead of airing "Rex" on the Fall 2010 lineup, NBC Universal opted for Jimmy Smits' "Outlaw"... a show which aired only three episodes before its cancellation.


Where can I watch "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer?"  You can't.  This 43-minute pilot is not available for viewing or purchase, nor is it online as a torrent.  BE WARNED: TORRENT SITES THAT SAY THEY HAVE IT ARE LYING.  (see "Torrent Warning" post).

Is the pilot anywhere online?  Not in its entirety, but if you would like to watch a 1:20 clip of "Rex," check out the clip on YouTube (above).  PLEASE bear in mind that this clip was originally uploaded to blip.tv by Lindsay Kraft's agent as an example of her acting skills, not one that particularly showcases those of David Tennant.  (Quite frankly, David has much better scenes elsewhere in the episode, such as the anxiety attack scenes.  After those scenes were shot, everyone on the set from the crew to the extras applauded his efforts, even though almost nobody had any idea who he was or knew that he wasn't an American.)
Isn't there anything else from the show out there?  Aside from a few seconds of the pilot that were included in Sam Carson's acting reel, no.  But I did recreate the golf course scene between the characters of Rex and Bruce, using the script as a guide and utilizing photos from Zimbio.com and audio from two audition tapes.  American actor Joe Mangianello ("How I Met Your Mother") and Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan ("Charlie Casanova," "The Phone") were two of the men who submitted audition tapes for the part of Rex in 2009, and they later posted their tapes online. The golf course scene was filmed in Palos Verdes, California at Trump Golf Course in mid-December 2009.  The first half of the scene between David Tennant and Jerry O'Connell was shot in a golf cart; the second half of the scene was edited out of the final version of the pilot altogether.

Where was the pilot shot?  In and around Los Angeles, California.  The setting of the show was intended to be Chicago, Illinois (according to the script), but in the "Rex" clip that is now online, the hotel where Rex lives reads "Wilshire Regal Hotel"which suggests that the show's setting had been changed to Los Angeles.  The Hilton Checkers was used as the Wilshire Regal setting, and its logo has been digitally removed and replaced by Stargate Studios.

When was (or is) the"Rex Is Not Your Lawyer" air date?  The pilot episode was never shown on television, and it may never air.  Pilots are merely prototypes, and random pilot episodes almost never see the light of day after a full series is rejected by a network.  Nor will "Rex" be made available for purchase as a download or a DVD; its only release was as a publicity DVD that was distributed to various media sources and critics (with a warning that it was not to be used for critical review).  A photo of other NBC publicity DVDs--for "Undercovers," "Outlaw," "Outsourced" and "Chase"--can be viewed here.  I've also seen DVDs for "The Biggest Loser" and "School Pride" that were created in the same "More Colorful" NBC-TV 2010 campaign style. 

What happened to the show?  NBC-TV decided to pass on "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer."  During the making of the pilot in December 2009, the production team at the time hinted that (with network approval) the show could have been up and running in a matter of weeks.  At the TCAs in January 2010, it was mentioned that "Rex" might be "fast-tracked" to appear as a mid-season replacement, then it was considered for the Fall... then silence.  There was never an official NBC rejection in a press release--only its absence from the network's schedule.  Media sources speculated that the show could have done well in a Thursday night time slot, however at the end of the pilot, the voiceover gave the date as "September 24, 2010," indicating that this was probably planned as a Friday night program by NBC.

Are you SURE "Rex" is not going to be produced?  Someone at Spoilertv.com posted a question on Fancast.com, asking if David Tennant said anything about "Rex" during the Emmy awards (he made an appearance on the red carpet and was an audience member).  The reply from Spoilertv.com was: "I did ask about ‘Rex’ – which last I heard was being eyed by USA Network after NBC opted not to order the series – and Tennant confirmed what we sorta knew: It’s truly and sincerely dead. Shame, too – in addition to the former Doctor Who, ‘Rex’ also starred ‘Mad Men’ schoolteach Abigail Spencer."

When were your YouTube video and photos taken?  Per an online request, and because I live less than ten minutes from downtown Los Angeles, I went to the Hope Street Base Camp on December 5, 2009.  About a week later, during another trip into the city to go ice skating at Pershing Square, I stopped across the street from the Hilton Checkers and got a few photos of production equipment (they were re-shooting a scene on the roof that had previously been rained out), and took a few shots of David Tennant leaving the hotel:





Are there official publicity photos anywhere?  Sadly, there are an untold number of "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer" publicity photos--like the ones used for the covers of the 2011 NBC Publicity DVDs--that are currently stored in the NBC Universal photo library.  They will never be made accessible to the general public.  I requested, but was not permitted to purchase, one of these photos for the "Rex Is Not Your TV Show" e-book cover... hence the reason I used one of my own photographs.