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

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:

Legal | City Name In Title | Legal Drama | Weird Lawsuit | Defense Attorney

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 36 nominations

Cast

James Spader	...	Alan Shore (89 episodes, 2004-2008)
William Shatner	...	Denny Crane (89 episodes, 2004-2008)
Candice Bergen	...	Shirley Schmidt / ... (78 episodes, 2005-2008)
Mark Valley	...	Brad Chase / ... (70 episodes, 2004-2007)
Rene Auberjonois	...	Paul Lewiston / ... (69 episodes, 2004-2007)
Julie Bowen	...	Denise Bauer (51 episodes, 2005-2007)
Christian Clemenson	...	Jerry Espenson / ... (37 episodes, 2005-2008)
Gary Anthony Williams	...	Clarence / ... (36 episodes, 2006-2008)

Also Known As:

Fleet Street (USA) (working title)
The Practice: Fleet Street (USA) (working title)
Untitled 'The Practice' Spinoff (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The show often contains dialog that "breaks the fourth wall" or lets the audience believe they know it's a TV show. At the end of episode "Squid Pro Quo", Denny ends the episode by saying, "I can't wait until next week." Alan Shore also notes that the show used to be on Mondays, and one time mentioned to Denny that "I've hardly seen you this episode." Melissa, Alan's assistant, once warns him against falling for a woman, citing, "She's only a guest-star".

Quotes:

Shirley Schmidt: Do not make yourself the story. The jury needs to be focused on him.
Denny Crane: [incredulous] Did you just say don't make me the story?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Last Laugh '04 (2004) (TV)

This show may be better than The Practice ever was

After 8 episodes of Boston Legal, I am hooked. I was a big fan of The Practice for the first 4 seasons or so but lost interest until the final season when Spader was brought on. His emmy-winning portrayal of Alan Shore has transferred seamlessly to this spin off, and the rest of the ensemble cast is, by and large, excellent. It took a couple of episodes for me to warm up to the Lori Colson character but now I can see why she is the female center of the show -- she is effectively the anti-Shore. Shatner is (surprisingly) brilliant and, while the Tara character doesn't get enough airtime, I love every second she's on screen. The tone of the show is a pitch-perfect mix of quirkiness, drama and dark humor, and the pacing is much swifter than The Practice, which in the later seasons became sluggish, droning and depressing. Here's hoping Boston Legal can keep it going!