The Partner (2004 TV series)

The Partner is an unaired American reality television series planned for broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series was set to premiere on November 7, 2004, for a ten-episode run, although it was cancelled by the network less than a month before its planned broadcast. The Partner depicted a series of mock trial competitions between two teams of attorneys for a position at a prestigious law firm. One team was composed of attorneys who graduated from Ivy League schools while the other team was composed of attorneys who graduated from less prestigious schools. The mock trials, which were based on real-life cases, were argued in front of a jury of laypersons. Following these arguments, the jury deliberated over which attorney to eliminate from the competition.

The Partner was a part of Fox's intent to capitalize on the longtime success of arbitration-based reality court programs. The series, however, faced criticism from many attorneys who believed it would promote a negative portrayal of the legal field. Shortly after Fox announced The Partner, the network decided to delay the series until early 2005; the network delayed the series in favor of broadcasting the reality television series My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss. In October 2004, the network announced that they had shelved the series due to an influx of legal-themed unscripted series on air.