John Lithgow shines in ‘Trial & Error’

John Lithgow’s amazing range as an actor receives a zany showcase in “Trial & Error,” debuting Tuesday on NBC.

If you loved Lithgow in “3rd Rock From the Sun,” you’ll probably like him as Larry Henderson, a daffy poetry professor accused of murdering his wife.

That sounds like odd sitcom material, but “Trial & Error” spoofs true-crime documentaries with wit and insight.

The show’s style may remind you of “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation.” The stakes are higher in “Trial & Error” because Larry’s life is in jeopardy.

Representing Larry is a bubbly New York lawyer, Josh Segal (Nicholas D’Agosto), who’s handling his first major case. Josh is unprepared for small-town life in South Carolina, oddball assistants on his team and Larry’s whoppers of secrets. The camera repeatedly captures unnerving setbacks for the defense.

Josh would seem to have little help from lead investigator Dwayne Reed (Steven Boyer), who is breathtakingly incompetent, and assistant Anne Flatch (Sherri Shepherd), who cannot recognize faces. The wacky factor is turned up because the team works in a taxidermist’s office filled with stuffed animals.

The lawyer must contend with an ambitious prosecutor (Jayma Mays of “Glee”) who wants death for Henderson. She also wants sex from Josh.

Another regular who’s a delight: Krysta Rodriguez as an observer whose entrance is one of the premiere’s best jokes.

Executive producers Jeff Astrof and Matt Miller have established a sturdy premise in the first three episodes. The entire cast is firstrate, but Shepherd works wonders by sweetly playing Anne, whose sundry troubles produce guffaws.

Lithgow is the main reason to watch, whether he’s performing wacky physical comedy, shedding tears about Larry’s late wife or obsessing over “rollercizing.” The actor brings a charming vulnerability to Larry’s confusion, selfabsorption and frequent distractions. Then Lithgow shifts to poignant moments with astonishing ease.

In “3rd Rock From the Sun,” Lithgow was an alien trying to get by. In “Trial & Error,” he’s a human trying to get by. His brilliance gives “Trial & Error” a good chance of succeeding.

TYLER GOLDEN/ NBC Nicholas D’Agosto as Josh, left, and John Lithgow as Larry in “Trial and Error.”