IMDb > "L.A. Law" (1986) > IMDb user comments

IMDb user comments for
"L.A. Law" (1986) More at IMDbPro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 2:[1] [2] [Next]
Index 16 comments in total 

43 out of 53 people found the following comment useful :-
Steven Eckholdt/ Yes I will marry you!!!!!, 22 May 2005
Author: edwinalarren from United States

Tall gorgeous handsome sexy six figure prominent attorney with an incredibly great personality and a command on the world that respects him as well as loves the fact that he is young and good looking!! Let's face it girls, where are we going to find a guy this perfect? Steven Eckhold plays the gorgeous hunk attorney who is just too good to be true...This is why he is a television character, and not a real guy just walking around in downtown Los Angeles somewhere!! I love Steven Eckholdt...I loved him in a great number of things, but I really loved him in L.A. Law,,,he is so incredibly handsome and I just go crazy thinking about dating a guy like that...He was the true hunk on L.A. Law and some of the other guys were OK!! Nothing really all that special...Television is of course supposed to be entertainment, and looking at a hunk like Steven Eckholdt is very entertaining to me.. As a matter of fact, Steven Eckholdt would be the perfect blind date...upon feasting my eyes on him and then finding out that he is L.A.'s most prominent attorneys, the first thing I would say to him would be, yes I will marry you!!!

Was the above comment useful to you?

9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
David Kelley's warmup to his true writing genius, 23 January 2001
Author: (schuchat@hotmail.com) from Miami, FL.

L.A.Law was a standout drama from '86-'94. At the end, as many drama's have happen, it became somewhat stale and may cause many to forget the gripping storylines Bochco, Kelley etc. created. The acting was superlative from the mainstays Dysart, Rachins, Tucker, Eikenberry, Ruttan, Bernsen, Hamlin etc. As the show expanded Law brought forth additional characters played by Dey, Smits, Greene, Underwood, Donohoe, Spencer, Drake, Muldaur etc. These actors made their roles and characters as unforgettable as the originals made there's.

Probably the best thing that can be said about this show is that no one player was the focal point. No one character had to be the "lightning rod" for the show to be great. In an interview for the 100th show Richard Dysart, who played Leland McKenzie, the paternal "glue" of McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney, Kuzack, and Becker, told Jane Pauley that the actors weren't the genius of the show...the writers were. Awful high praise from an actor at a very candid moment.

Catch it in syndication on A&E each Monday thru Friday. You'll love it the second time around.

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Steve Eckholdt and so many others!!, 29 June 2007
Author: dataconflossmoor from United States

This show was so good when it premiered, several seasons later, it diminished in quality... Much of the cast contributed significantly to the success of this series, Tom Verica and Steve Eckholdt were very enlightening and auspicious factors to making "L.A. Law" popular in the latter years of the show's existence!! By then, those two were about the only stellar characters in this series!! Dialog in programs today is far more intellectual and acrimonious than it was in the past!! "L.A. Law" was the harbinger of things to come in terms of relevant and legally germane script writing which was pertinent to the authenticity of a law office in the 1980's!! The original made for T.V. movie signified a revelation in television law shows!! Candor about legal settlements, and situations involving ethics with relation to salaries and status quo behavior, became a staple to the modus operandi of L.A. Law!! The poignant jeremiads which articulated the indictments of our prevailing legal system in America, became one of "L.A. Law's" trademarks!! "L.A. Law" lasted eight seasons, only three were really excellent!! Almost everyone who knows about "L.A. Law" would agree with me, it is just that it is very difficult to comprehend why "L.A. Law" went downhill so quickly? NBC's perception of the Thursday Night slot of 10/9 central was that it was sewn up in their favor regardless of what they put in this slot!! Rationale of this nature is always a grave mistake!! There were a few highlights to the show in it's last couple of years, guys like Steve Eckholdt added to the show tremendously!! Even with his talent, he was not enough to re-establish the reputation "L.A. Law" had at one time for being one of the best shows on television!!

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A near perfect blend of high drama and comedy, 31 July 2005
Author: policy134 from Denmark

All of the main characters on L.A. Law were quirky in some way but to go into all of them would take up more space than is allowed here. So I will simply name a few: 1) Michael Kuzak: The social conscience who went out of his way to take cases of the underdogs but also had a goofy side, especially when dealing with his lady love A.D.A. Grace van Owen. 2) Grace van Owen: Very much like Kuzak, except she has higher ambitions than just being a lawyer. She has a reputation of being distant around her colleagues but does let her guard down in one particular moment, involving a technical aspect of the use of an animal by-product. 3) Arnold Becker: Divorce lawyer (this was before the term Domestic lawyer became more accepted). He craves to take high profile entertainment cases and generally loves anything flashy, sport cars and beautiful women in particular. 4) The Markowitz's: Unlikely married couple. The man (Stuart) short and kind of plain and very amiable and the woman (Ann - knee Kelsey) who is beautiful but has a short fuse. He is a tax lawyer and she mostly deals with civil law and is also prone to take cases for the underdog like Kuzak. 5) And finally the two managing partners Douglas Brackman and Leland Mckenzie: Brackman, with every single inferiority complex known to human and also lives in the shadow of his father who was the senior partner before him. Mckenzie, the strict but fair senior partner with a soft spot for his firm and kind of a father figure to all of his associates.

Like the earlier Bochco show Hill Street Blues, the emphasis on one day at a time is very much a mainstay in L.A. Law. The lawyers go through every case in the courtroom over very little time that in the real world would take years and although it is not really what trials are like, it is entertaining and if you are looking for something more realistic then you should try seeing an actual televised trial. Outside of the courtroom there are tons of weirdos and sexy women that the characters come in contact with and some of their actions become deadly (eg. the lawyer who shoots himself in open court). But there is also room for comedy like Kuzak showing up at a wedding, where he is most definitely not invited in a gorilla suit and Becker screwing over one of the aspiring associates in more ways than one. All this is pure TV entertainment but what I like about this show is that it tries to take the high road once in a while and the comic relief is usually hysterical. This mix is rarely pulled off in a successful way but Bochco has created such a great universe that when he stumbles there is always a new try at every turn.

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Great few seasons then downhill, 15 November 2001
Author: tex-42

This show concerning the lives of lawyers at an LA law firm was a breakout hit during its first season for its well written plots and great characters. This of course was because of some incredible writers and great actors. However as the show entered about it's sixth season the best writers and actors began to leave en masse the plotlines fell apart and the show became much more stale. Avoid this period if you can.

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Good cast, flawed writing, 30 August 1999
Author: Martin A. Hohner (simnjestr@aol.com) from Chicago, IL

This show had one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory, at least for a drama series. Some fine acting from Larry Drake and others saved what could have been a fluff sex-and-rich-people yuppie drama. Some good courtroom drama is interspersed with decent character stories to make this a watchable drama. What keeps it from being a classic is a half-hearted attempt at social criticism of Los Angeles immorality that just falls flat, as well as a little more gratuitous sex and skin that is just unnecessary.

If you happen to catch it in syndicated reruns on cable, watch it. But it isn't worth seeking out on video, unless you really want to see the breakout rolls of Larry Drake and Blair Underwood.

Was the above comment useful to you?

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Faithfully watched this show, 1 October 2007
Author: S.R. Dipaling from Topeka, Kansas, USA

As NBC's staple show "ER" enters the rarefied air of a fourteenth season,entirely planted atop the vaunted position of 10 eastern/9 central slot on Thursdays,it embarrasses me a little to have to stop and recall that THIS show occupied that slot with some of that same sticking power. From its second season onward,this show was a stalwart of "Must See Thursday" and,for much of that run,carried the banner ably and even proudly.

The exploits of the Los Angeles law firm of McKenzie,Brackman and(by season three)Becker covered the work and(to greater or lesser degrees)their lives. Even though the show had its ostensible "stars"(at the onset,it was Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey as firm mates Michael Kuzak and Grace VAn Owen,later it was Jimmy Smits as fiery attorney Victor Sifuentes,Corbin Bersen as perpetually sleazy divorce attorney Arnie Becker or Blair Underwood as smooth,black lawyer Jonathan Rollins),this show was as much about supporting players(most notably Horror/Sci-Fi staple Larry Drake as the gentle,high-functioning retarded office worker Benny Stulwicz,Alan Rachins as the upright,uptight head of litigation Douglas Brackman,John Spenser as rumpled,recovering alcoholic lawyer Tommy Mulaney and,of course,veteran actor Richard Dysart as senior partner Leland McKenzie)and the writing,which tackled a whole smörgåsbord of issues of the day as well as a variety of cases ranging from the absurd to the morose(sometimes in the same episode!). The show had some dark turns(most notably around season five,when the show changed producers for the first of two times)and the cast became a revolving door of "main" characters,but all in all,it still evened out to make a good run. I probably haven't laid eyes on an episode of this show in at least five years,but it would feel pretty familiar if I did. Creator Steven Bochco(post-"Hill Street Blues",pre-"NYPD Blue") and co-producer/writer David Kelley(before "Picket Fences","Boston Legal","The Practice","Ally McBeal",etc.)made a fine offering of television that I recall favorably. While I may not run out to buy the eps on DVD,I wouldn't rule out watching an episode if I run across one in the vast landscape that is cable reruns.

Was the above comment useful to you?

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Good, 28 June 2007
9/10
Author: cspaced1

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

L.A. Law was an American legal drama that ran from 1986 to 1994. It was one of the most popular American television shows of the late 1980s and early 1990s. As with its contemporary thirty-something, L.A. Law reflected important social and cultural issues of the 1980s and early 1990s.

The series was set in and around the fictitious Los Angeles law firm McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney and Kuzak and featured attorneys at the firm and various members of the support staff.

It was co-created by Steven Bochco (who had created the landmark NBC show Hill Street Blues and would later co-create another successful drama series, ABC's NYPD Blue) and former entertainment lawyer Terry Louise Fisher.

The show won numerous awards, including the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991. Some of the actors, such as Larry Drake, also received Emmys for their performances. The series shares the Emmy Award record for most acting nominations by regular cast members (excluding the guest performer category) for a single series in one year with Hill Street Blues and The West Wing. For the 1988-1989 season nine cast members were nominated for Emmys. Larry Drake was the only one to win (for Supporting Actor). The others nominated were Michael Tucker (Lead Actor), Jill Eikenberry and Susan Dey (for Lead Actress), Richard Dysart and Jimmy Smits (Supporting Actor), Amanda Plummer, Susan Ruttan and Michele Greene (for Supporting Actress). Another Emmy Award record that the series shares with both Hill Street Blues and The West Wing is that all three are tied for winning the Outstanding Drama Series award the four times.

After the end of the regular series in 1994, it returned for a single broadcast in 2002 as L.A. Law: The Movie.

Was the above comment useful to you?

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Is there any DVD for the whole series? Help please!, 25 October 2006
8/10
Author: tracker23 from Taiwan

Hi All, I live in Taiwan, I really love these shows, I watch it every Saturday night back to the 1980s, it was the in the end of 1980s, I really miss these old time, I'd like to know where I can find it in DVD?

It's OK if there are only tapes available. Where can I buy it? Can I buy it by mail? I know there must be some way to find it in DVD, I really hope one or two DVDs contain it all, so I don't have to take care those mass tapes, tapes go mildew easily, but DVD is easy to take care of.

Somebody tell me about this please, I'd appreciate it.

my email : tracker23@bluebottle.com

Was the above comment useful to you?

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Help speed the release on DVD, 9 January 2005
Author: Steve-1590 from United States

This is one of the best TV Shows ever created. Besides quality acting by some great actors, the writing was superb. The dialog is tight, witty, and provocative. The later years were not as tight or entertaining as some years... (you might read that in numerous reviews) but it was still better than anything on TV even with the sub-par writing near the end.

For those waiting it on DVD as much as me, you can look it up on AMazon (under L.A. Law) and enter your email for information on when it will be available. THIS IS IMPORTANT, not so you can get the info, but because Amazon sends the number on the waiting list to the studios, so your request for info becomes a vote to release it on DVD.

Thanks.

Was the above comment useful to you?
Page 1 of 2:[1] [2] [Next]

Add another comment

Related Links

Plot summary Ratings Awards
External reviews Plot keywords Main details
Your user comments Your vote history