'Franklin & Bash' Stars Maintain Fun on Set

12 Apr, 2012 By: Chris Tribbey

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SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — For Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), getting involved with the TNT courtroom series “Franklin & Bash” came down to two things: writing and numbers.

“I remember reading the pilot and thinking, ‘This is one of the better-written shows out there,’” McDowell said. “It’s a great show with a great pedigree. There’s not the pressure of churning [out episodes] like a sausage factory.”

And the smaller slate of episodes per season (10) appealed to McDowell, he said, because it allows for tighter writing and a better work environment for actors.

“I don’t know how some series do 24 shows in a year,” he said. “How do they remember any names?”

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases the 10 episodes of season one on DVD ($45.99) June 19, two weeks after the second season premieres on TNT. The series follows the antics of two less-than-professional lawyers (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer) who treat every new case in unconventional ways, often to the exasperation of their law firm, led by senior partner Stanton Infeld (McDowell).

“Here we have the ability to come up with things on the fly,” Gosselaar said of the show, speaking on the set of the series. “That makes it fun. We find little tweaks and nuances we want to throw in. And we’re just fans of the show. Sometimes we’ll rewind things and just giggle at it.”

The first season features a bevy of special guest appearances, including Beau Bridges, Tom Arnold, Jason Alexander, Tommy Chong, James Van Der Beek and Danny Trejo, and the second season, McDowell said, will include appearances by Fred Willard, Jane Seymour and others.

McDowell said the DVD of season one is loaded with “a lot of fun” bonus features, and he pointed fans of the series to the blooper reel first.

“I go spectacularly off script,” he said.

McDowell also poked fun at the fact that fans of the series in the United Kingdom have had the DVD since late 2011.

“That’s one thing where the U.K. is way ahead of the U.S.,” he said.

Besides the blooper reel, the three-DVD set includes seven behind-the-scenes featurettes covering everything from the characters’ friendships to McDowell doing an office tour, and three “Franklin & Bash” TV commercials, advertising their fictional services.

As for the second season, Gosselaar said fans should look for more development of the main characters.

“We’re a little further along, and we’re staying true to ourselves,” he said. “Our gravy was we fought for the underdogs. The people in the firm aren’t sure what to make of these guys. We could take the firm down with some of the antics we’re up to.”

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