It seemed doomed from the start.
Shaggy, out-of-regulation haircuts, incorrectly ordered ribbon stacks that blossomed new rows from one episode to the next, nonsensical military court proceedings, Marines referred to as “soldiers,” uniform violations, uniform violations, and worst of all, more uniform violations.
No matter how many codes or standards the directors, writers, or actors of CBS’ highly-touted courtroom drama attempted to adhere to, elementary level research to ensure accuracy was never one.
As a result, the show, which CBS once hailed as a journey through “the professional and personal lives of some of the military’s brightest legal minds in the courtroom, where each attorney is trained as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, an investigator — and a Marine,” has been canceled, an announcement that came just one day after the show’s inaugural season concluded.
Dana Delany, who played Col. Glenn Turnbull on the one-and-done courtroom drama, confirmed the announcement Tuesday, tweeting, “Thank you to all you wonderful people who watched @TheCodeCBS. Last night was our finale and sadly, no more. I’ll never make General. But I loved this cast of stellar actors & know we’ll meet again. Semper Fidelis.”
Col. Turnbull may never make general, but at least her uniforms were generally terrible. What. Are. Those. Sleeves?
This looks like one of those slip-ups when a uniform is taken, in last minute desperation, to a clueless tailor with no military uniform experience, a sad soul who is then asked to accurately place chevrons. It’s impossible.
Did Col. Turnbull find a service “Bravo” shirt and try to turn it into a “Charlie” shirt? Why are all the sleeves in this photo set at different lengths? Why are none of her Marines pointing out this flaw? Why is Col. Turnbull’s shirt on its way to becoming a three-quarter sleeve baseball shirt? Why am I yelling?
So heinous and routine were the show’s gaffes that the popular military podcast “Zero Blog Thirty” traveled to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington to protest the show’s content, some of which was being received less favorably than select war crimes.
If the rapidly soaring laundry list of inaccuracies was not already triggering enough veteran skeptics, the show’s occasional promotional tweets were here to seal the deal.
Leading up to one of the dismal episodes, a tweet from the show’s official Twitter account riled the masses for what seemed to be questioning the rudimentary capabilities of women in the Corps.
“Can Lt. Harper Li balance her duties to the Corps with planning her wedding?” the tweet read. “Find out in the latest episode of #TheCode.”
The tweet, screenshot below, was subsequently deleted following intense ridicule.
Blatantly obvious ethical issues aside, how dare the show question a Marine’s ability to get married.
Marriages (and subsequent separations), after all, are one of the vertebral sections that make up the backbone of the Marine Corps.
Is not every Marine who has ever pinned on the coveted eagle, globe, and anchor, instilled with the core values of honor, courage, and (about a six-to-nine-month) commitment?
Never in the field of human companionship was so much settlement money owed by so many to so few unsatisfied ex-spouses.
Rough winds and terrible seas, “The Code.”
Enjoy the dishonorable discharge from CBS’ lineup.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
