Back in the 1960's PERRY MASON set the tone for the court room drama formula that was copied in other programs such as THE YOUNG LAWYERS and the 1970's reincarnation of PERRY MASON to little success...and then to a lot of success with the Perry Mason TV movies of the week in the 1980's. But, upon watching the lame court room drama of DYNASTY's first season it reminded me of the equally dull courtroom scenes that were used as a plot line TWICE in the first five years of DALLAS. (court room shenanigans were also parodied in kid's programming such as SILVER SPOONS and DIFF'RENT STROKES) Court room dramas where to protagonist is wrongly accused has been used over and over again in television and, honestly, it is putridly dull. It is convention and it is used in the absence of creativity. It does not invoke drama. It invokes tedium. But, as long as people tune in to this tired plot device it will be around forever. Considering how courtroom dramas have become a literal subgenre in the motion picture world it doesn't seem that its jr cousin in television will disappear any time soon either.