
When I saw
this press release on the Internet, it took me a few billion reads to understand the connection between TNT paying road tolls for the lovely people of Atlanta, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Chicago and the network's new legal drama
Raising the Bar. That's right, over this Labor Day weekend TNT is going to spring for two hours of free tolls, and they're also premiering a new show. The connection eluded me, but finally, I found this helpful quote in the release:
"With so many people on the roads Labor Day weekend, it's a perfect time to get our message out about the premiere of this outstanding new drama series," said Tricia Melton, senior vice president of marketing for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

I'm curious about
Raising the Bar, TNT's newest drama series, for a variety of reasons. One is that it comes from Steven Bochco, the legendary executive producer of LA Law and NYPD Blue who knows his way around a legal drama. Another is that it's yet another TNT show with
strong female characters, including Jane Kaczmarek as a tough, no-nonsense judge.

I got a promotional e-mail today touting the Summer programming lineups on TNT and TBS. As I scrolled through looking for a return date for
The Closer (July) and a start date for
Raising the Bar (September), a banner at the bottom caught my eye:
"Kyra Sedgwick, Holly Hunter, Laura San Giacomo, Jordana Spiro, Nancy Travis, Jane Kaczmarek, and Gloria Reuben are just a few of the strong women coming to TNT and TBS this summer."
And they have good reason to spotlight that: Of the five series featured in the e-mail, only one (The Bill Engvall Show on TBS) has a male character in the lead.

With
The Closer and
Saving Grace, TNT already has two cop dramas in its stable of series. Now, it's adding some lawyers.
The network has picked up
Steven Bochco's Raising the Bar, the newest drama from the producer of NYPD Blue, LA Law, and numerous other legal series.