"Boston Legal" (2004) TV series 2004-2008

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

David E. Kelley

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

3 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the courtroom.

Plot:

This Spinoff of The Practice will focus on Civil Law.

Plot Keywords:

Eccentric | Civil Law | Boston Massachusetts | Law Firm | City Name In Title

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 45 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 4	6:00 PM	WGNAMER	The Court Supreme	#4.17
Sun. July 5	6:00 PM	MyNetwork	Deep End of the Poole	#2.24

Cast

James Spader	...	Alan Shore (101 episodes, 2004-2008)
William Shatner	...	Denny Crane (101 episodes, 2004-2008)
Candice Bergen	...	Shirley Schmidt (91 episodes, 2005-2008)
Rene Auberjonois	...	Paul Lewiston (71 episodes, 2004-2008)
Mark Valley	...	Brad Chase / ... (70 episodes, 2004-2007)
Julie Bowen	...	Denise Bauer (52 episodes, 2005-2008)
Christian Clemenson	...	Jerry Espenson / ... (50 episodes, 2005-2008)

Also Known As:

"Fleet Street" (USA) (working title)
"The Practice: Fleet Street" (USA) (working title)
"Untitled 'The Practice' Spinoff" (USA) (working title)
"Justicia ciega" (Argentina) (Chile) [es]
"Boston Justice" (France) [fr]
"Boston Legal" (Germany) [de]
"Boston Legal" (Finland) [fi]
"Boston Legal" (Greece) [el]
"Boston Legal" (Italy) [it]
"Justiça Sem Limites" (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 (season 2) | Singapore:PG (season 1) | Singapore:M18 (season 3) | Singapore:M18 (season 4)

Filming Locations:

Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios - 1600 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Nearly all episodes (except "Spring Fever" and several others in the first season) end with Denny and Alan sitting in the balcony, having a drink and smoking a cigar and discussing the events in the episode.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In several episodes when Denny and Alan are looking to join (and actually do join) a branch of the military, they choose the Coast Guard Auxillary, to which the show mistakenly refers to as "the Auxilliary Coast Guard".

Quotes:

Alan Shore: [to Tara] Hello, I'm a complete stranger and I'm here to pick you up.
[notices Joe]
Alan Shore: Oh, I see, there's two of us. I'll be evens, you be odds.
Joe: You got a problem?
Alan Shore: No, actually. I just saw this fair maiden here talking to a tree trunk, and since I'm an arborist I thought I could help translate.
Joe: Here's a health tip. Walk away.
Alan Shore: Why would I do that?
Tara Wilson: All right, guys.
Alan Shore: Don't be deceived by my cushy appearance.
Tara Wilson: Excuse me. I actually am with him.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Two and a Half Deaths (#8.16)" (2008)

A hilarious and unlikely spin-off

I admit I didn't watch "The Practice" as a regular show, but I saw enough to see that it was a dark, clever series examining the everyday work of a small Boston firm who primarily defended criminals. "Boston Legal" is a much different show. Centered around a civil and corporate firm that only occasionally deals in criminal cases. The place is a circus, it's David E. Kelley's hybrid of "The Practice" and "Ally McBeal," although the latter included hallucinations and bizarre love lifes.

Emmy-winner James Spader, the ever shameless and subtly self-destructive Alan Shore is the slimy playboy who, like it or not, is a fantastic attorney. Denny Crane (fellow Emmy-winner William Shatner) seems like the perfect match for Shore's unpredictable fashion. Both men are unorthodox, and Denny is slipping. He's also a great attorney, but he doesn't know it half the time. The two are the perfect team, each willing to forgive the other for their shortcomings in the area of law, and cover each other as such. Paul Lewiston (Rene Aberjonois) is the figurehead of everything they are not. He is respectable, by-the-book, and without conscience. The embodiment of the sleazy corporate attorney, and more concerned with keeping a client than with admitting a falacy on their part. Brad Chase (Mark Valley) is in the same boat insofar as playing by the rules, but he's Denny's man, and it pisses him off that Alan gets all the attention for his crimes. Laurie Colson (Monica Potter) is the idealistic attorney who has dabbled in Alan Shore's method of practicing law with disastrous consequences. Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra) is finally sleeping with Alan, and happily playing along in his little game. And Sally Heep (Lake Bell) has all but disappeared since she broke up with Alan, so that she is little more than an errand boy (girl).

And most recently Candice Bergen has joined the cast at Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, as Shirley Schmidt (Edwin Poole has gone off the deep end after showing up at work, having only dressed the top half of his body.) and she appears to be Alan Shore in reverse. She's manipulative, wisecracking, and short with answers, but she seems to appeal to the ethical way of practicing law. Now back from New York and busting balls due to a law suit filed by one of their employees, she seems a welcome edition to the show.

Perfect follow-up to "Desperate Housewives," and just as funny. It's proof that David E. Kelley still has a few tricks up his sleeve.