Head Cases is an American comedy-drama television program that aired during 2005–06 season. It was broadcast by Fox and aired from September 14 to 21, 2005.

Premise

The program starred Chris O'Donnell as Jason Payne, who was a superstar attorney at a prestigious law firm until his career put a strain on his marriage. Eventually, Payne had a nervous breakdown and was sent to a "wellness center" where he recovered. Upon leaving the center, Payne's therapist "buddied him up" with another patient and lawyer, Russell Shultz (played by Adam Goldberg), who suffered from explosive disorder. As Payne's world continued to crumble around him, he found that his only friend seems to be Shultz. Ultimately, Payne and Shultz decided to open a law firm of their own. O'Donnell, who is best known for more of his film work, was quoted in a TV Guide article about his reasons for trying a television series: The program was created by Bill Chais, who along with Barry Josephson and Jeff Rake served as executive producers.

Cast

Rachael Leigh Cook was also a cast member, but her role was eliminated after the pilot.

Episodes

Reception

The show placed fourth in the ratings in its first week against an all-rerun competition. Its second week was even worse against season premieres on the other networks, including Lost and America's Next Top Model. It only outrated a rerun of the pilot episode for the since-cancelled Just Legal on The WB. Tom Shales of the Washington Post began his review of the pilot as follows: The USA Today review was less kind: