Život a doba soudce A. K.

In ancient times of socialist Czechoslovakia, TV series were a showcase of television production and created a phenomenon that determined the satisfaction of viewers. Since then, there has been an effort by television managers to succeed in the field of original television series production, and with The Life and Times of Judge A. K., it is evident how ambitious the goal was to create a series that would please both the audience and critics hungry for artistic reflection of today's morally divided era. Through its protagonist, the series aims to raise questions and delve into painful moral dilemmas. I cannot assess the professional aspect of the project, that is, to what extent the discussed legal cases correspond to existing legislation. As for everything else, David Švehlík excels and portrays a charismatic protagonist, with whom viewers will likely have no trouble identifying given his human judgments and professional rulings. The series functions quite decently based on individual court cases – typologically characteristic cases that, although lacking depth or rather pretending to have depth, are still considered solidly above average compared to commercial series of competing television stations within the framework of the game in the small country. However, I am accustomed to comparing Czech productions with unconventional works from world television, and the gap is still enormous. The series does not captivate and is up to his ears in entrenched schemes and conventions. The character's inner monologues are somewhat literary and pedagogical, his personal life and problems bore me, and when I skipped two episodes, nothing attracted me to watch them online. It is not a fundamental series for me, although some of the problems and topics are serious. Overall impression: 55%. (04/11/2014)

I absolutely hate reviews after one, two, three episodes of a series, not to mention twenty minutes. I really don't understand those currently 482 reviewers. I will rate only after the final credits of the last episode. 1st episode - excellent start, David Švehlík has gained great sympathy from me with his performance and I would say it is one of his key roles. His inner voice, often biting, satirical, and sarcastic, appropriately lightens the seriousness of the situation. The character of Judge Adam is very close to me. From my own experience, I can declare that being a judge is not very suitable for sensitive and delicate souls. The plot line with therapy, Adam's family (non) background, and criminal intrigue, everything suits me. An excellent series for Monday evening. 2nd episode - I didn't really enjoy the lawsuit over Melichar, even though leading Czech theater actors showcase themselves in a small space. On the other hand, the side plots are becoming more and more interesting. 3rd episode - Bareš versus Uhlířová, Patka versus Kolářová with Švehlík's inner monologues are easily enough for the entire third episode. I am curious how many more theater actors will appear in the roles of defenders, prosecutors, and defendants. Already the 4th episode will offer us more of the acting aces of Dejvice and the Drama Theater. It maintained the high standard of previous episodes. On the contrary, the 5th episode did not bring anything new under the sun, the topic of the intrusion of the tabloids into the lives of celebrities and pseudo-celebrities is already quite worn out and more or less boring. The 6th episode pitted more theater stars against each other, Liška against Noha, and it was definitely an interesting episode posing a moral-legal question, which is resolved quite radically in some states - if someone steals on my property, do I have the right to use a weapon and not hesitate to harm them. The criminal and psychological-relationship plot slowly but surely escalates. (15/09/2014)