History Series / Shark

* EveryoneHasStandards: Sebastian Stark is a hard-core AmoralAttorney, but even back when he was okay representing scumbags, he shows at least two examples: one is a porn baron that, in Stark's own words, "made Larry Flint look like Mary Poppins" and the second is the series' IncitingIncident -- an abusive husband who killed his wife the very day Stark got him off from an abuse charge (Stark arrived to the house, took one look at the cadaver being picked up, and made the dude eat his [[SmugSnake smugness]] by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere walking away]]).

* EveryoneHasStandards: Sebastian Stark is a hard-core AmoralAttorney, but even back when he was okay representing scumbags, he shows at least two examples: one is a porn baron that, in Stark's own words, "made Larry Flint look like Mary Poppins" and the second is the series' Inciting incident -- an abusive husband who killed his wife the very day Stark got him off from an abuse charge (Stark arrived to the house, took one look at the cadaver being picked up, and made the dude eat his [[SmugSnake smugness]] by [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere walking away]]).

* AbusiveParents: A defendant charged with kidnapping claimed the kid's parents were this. It didn't help the parents the boy ran away before the trial and the defendant's lawyer brought up evidence they had previously hid an injury the kid suffered to avoid rumors.
* AFoolForAClient: Wayne Callison represents himself and does ''quite'' well the first time, winning an acquittal. The second time around, he's convicted, though that's only because [[spoiler: Stark [[FramingTheGuiltyParty framed]] him]]. He also represents himself at his appeal, but loses. [[spoiler: It turns out he expected to lose, and it's just a ploy to get into the courthouse, where he can escape.]]

* AmoralAttorney: Stark himself. He keeps trying to teach his team to use his methods so they can win their cases. Many of Stark's opponents in court come close to this.

* AsYouKnow: Justified in the first episode when the team, all clearly friends for a while, are together when Stark enters. Stark rattles out who each one of them is and their history to show how he has a file on every prosecutor in the building and ready to face any one of them at any time.

-->'''Stark:''' Tyson Shaw, how do I know that name?
-->'''Madeleine:''' Internet porn. Guy's a zillionaire, and a major sleaze-bag. Beat raps on extortion, racketeering…
-->'''Stark:''' Right, he came to me for representation on an embezzlement charge a couple years ago.
-->'''Isaac:''' You turned him down?
-->'''Stark:''' Guy made Larry Flynt look like Film/MaryPoppins. [[EveryoneHasStandards Even I have standards]].

* BaitAndSwitch: An episode opens with Julie having been arrested for a DUI. It shows Sebastian awakened by a phone call and saying "yeah, I'll be there soon." Cut to Julie in jail as it's expected her dad is waiting for her...and instead it's Isaac as Julie was too scared to call her dad. Stark had been called by an old friend who needs help with a woman found dead at one of his parties.

* BittersweetEnding: In "In the Grasp", the main perpetrators are convicted, but [[spoiler:the guy who stood watch for them not only gets off scot free, but comes out looking like the hero]].

* TheCoroner: An episode has Jessica's old medical examiner friend pointing them to a suspect with sure evidence. However, when the suspect has an ironclad alibi, another examiner says this entire autopsy was wrong. It turns out the woman has been faking evidence for years on the idea of "they're guilty anyway." At first, Jessica is sympathetic...until her "friend" claims Jessica had been not only in on this but encouraging her to fake the results to win cases.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: When they start sleeping together, Casey and Madeline try to keep it quiet, worried they'll get fired if Stark finds out. During an argument, Stark makes a crack about their "pillow talk" and when they stare, he basically scoffs on the two actually thinking every single person in the office hasn't known about them from the start.

* ScareEmStraight: Stark does this after Julie gets arrested for a DUI by bringing her to prison to meet a guy who, at her age, got drunk, ran over two people and is now in jail for manslaughter.

-->'''Delgato:''' Truth is, I'm sick of the poor going to jail for jaywalking while millionaires kill each other without missing a massage. We're starting a high profile crime unit in the DA's office to nail rich folk with fancy lawyers like you.

* StartOfDarkness: Flashbacks in "Partners in Crime" show this for Stark in 1995. He became the lawyer for an oil man named Normandy, and stood by when Normandy buried his dead lover in an oil field.

* TemptingFate: Stark has a very bad habit of this. Anytime he (or someone on his team) talks of how good a case looks, you can bet the very next scene has a huge wrinkle entering it.

* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: In the pilot episode, Mayor Delgato explains the high profile crime unit to Stark.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Stark and Jessica. Stark finds her attractive and keeps hitting on her, but Jessica always turns him down. Although as the time goes, they've grown to develop a friendly relationship.

* OverprotectiveDad: Stark for his daughter, Julie.
** PapaWolf: Wayne Callison threatening Julie proved to be a ''huge'' mistake, as it led Stark [[spoiler: to frame him for another murder to get him convicted.]]

* CourtroomAntics: {{Played straight}} and {{played with}}. In the pilot episode, Stark shows he is able to get someone to lose their cool on the witness stand with a "mock questioning" of Raina. She loses her cool.

* NothingPersonal: Stark says his cases against the state were just business-LAPD officers quite often disagree.

** "Sebastian Stark lecturing me on ethics. RodSerling should be popping up any time."

-->'''Stark:''' [[CompletelyMissingThePoint If I remember correctly you lost that case.]]

* NotSoDifferent: Wayne Callison attempts this with Stark. [[ShutUpHannibal Stark disagrees.]]

* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Shark.
** TheLancer: Jessica.
** TheSmartGuy: Madeline. [[spoiler:Also Casey, until his departure.]]
** TheBigGuy: Danny/Isaac.
** TheHeart: Raina. [[spoiler: Also Martin, until his death.]]

* HideYourPregnancy: Jeri Ryan was expecting when season two began so it becomes clearer midway through how many close-ups there are of Jessica from the waist up and her behind furniture. As it happened, the four-month delay due to the 2007-08 writer's strike was a break for the show as when new episodes returned, Ryan had given birth so Jessica was explained as being out of town to care for her sick father. Ryan returned for the second (and series) finale.

* FromBadToWorse: Just what's worse than Stark agreeing to cover up the accidental death of a woman at a party thrown by a friend? When the girl's body is found in a park, Stark discover her father just happens to be a known ''mob enforcer'' who naturally wants revenge on whoever killed his daughter.

-->'''Stark:''' I'm not a big one for loose ends, Wayne. There's not a single scrap of paper, not one e-mail to confirm what I just told you. Hanna Morton's remains have been cremated. None of my lawyers knows a thing. And the people who do aren't saying a word. All that's left... are the raving of a convicted psychopath.

''Shark'' is an American legal drama created by Ian Biederman that originally aired on Creator/{{CBS}} from September 21, 2006, to May 20, 2008. The show revolved around Sebastian Stark, played by James Woods. Stark is a notorious Los Angeles [[AmoralAttorney amoral defense attorney]] who grows disillusioned with his career and becomes a prosecutor at the mayor's suggestion. Stark's relationship with the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, his staff, and his daughter forms the central plot for the series.