Criminal Justice A Family Matter Review: Pankaj Tripathi's Legal Drama Is Too Formulaic To Take New Risks

The genial but crafty lawyer Madhav Mishra, played by Pankaj Tripathi, is back for yet another legal conundrum that doesn't test much of his intelligence. Instead, this new murder involving a couple and a mistress has many confounding twists that don't leave the desired impact. Directed by Rohan Sippy, the crime thriller Criminal Justice - A Family Matter will keep you interested in the final outcome, but the excitement levels have dimmed with the formulaic treatment of the show.

Criminal Justice A Family Matter: Plot

The fourth season is focused on the Nagpals, a separated husband and wife couple, Raj (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) and Anju (Surveen Chawla). Raj is accused of murdering Roshni Saluja (Asha Negi), the caretaker of their 13-year-old daughter Ira (Khushi Bhardwaj), and later Anju is roped in as a potential suspect. It's up to Madhav Mishra and his ace team to stop his client from spending their life in jail. Will the defence be able to prove their case over the police and prosecutor's evidence? The answers seem pretty obvious.

Criminal Justice A Family Matter: Writing And Direction

The first two seasons were taken from the BBC series of the same name by Peter Moffat, while the last two seasons of the Indian version have found their own identity. By doing so, they've stuck to what has worked before in previous seasons. One could almost take a checklist to see how the formula has stayed the same. A new angle or spanner in the legal drama could have rejuvenated the whole franchise.

Instead, the writing team and director Rohan Sippy stay safe. The big revelations remain in the courtroom while Madhav and his team are used for light comic relief to relieve the tension occasionally. In this fourth instalment, the show has almost become sitcom-ish. The introduction of Barkha Singh to Madhav's core team, hoping to be a foil to Mandira Mathur (Mita Vashisht), also fizzles out eventually.

Criminal Justice A Family Matter: Performances

The long-running series once again relies on Tripathi to save the day. The actor's interactions with on-screen wife Ratna (Khushboo Atre), brother-in-law Deep (Aatm Prakash Mishra) are amusing; Barkha Singh also becomes the fourth member of this amateur legal team. Other returning characters include Vashisht's Mandira, Shweta Basu Prasad as Lekha, and Kalyanee Mulay as the investigating officer. Like previous seasons, they go through familiar beats.

In the Nagpal family, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub's Raj holds things close to his vest, while Surveen Chawla gives a notable performance as the wronged woman Anju. While we hear a lot of talk about the broken marriage, we don't get to glimpse much of it. Khushi Bhardwaj puts in a child-like performance as young Ira, who also has Asperger's, and Asha Negi as the murder victim unfortunately fades away by the end of the eight-episode season.

Criminal Justice A Family Matter: Final Verdict

If you like your legal dramas to have the requisite twists with the big reveal in the finale, Criminal Justice - A Family Matter will be right up your alley. However, in this fourth season, the makers could have really aimed to go big and renew excitement for another season. Instead, it favours sentiment over vigour. Madhav Mishra seems to have mellowed over time, and it's disappointing.