IMDb >
"Ally McBeal" (1997)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditsepisode listepisodes castepisode ratings... by rating... by votestv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsrecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips"Ally McBeal" (1997) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1997-2002
| Photos (see all 149 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Creator:
Release Date:
8 September 1997 (USA)
more
Plot:
Ally McBeal and Billy Thomas were going steady throughout their childhoods. Ally even followed Billy...
more
Awards:
Won 4 Golden Globes.
Another 29 wins
&
94 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(217 articles)
MovieWeb's 2009 DVD Holiday Gift Guide
(From MovieWeb. 20 November 2009, 12:55 PM, PST)
Exclusive: Justin Theroux joins 'Parks and Recreation'
(From EW.com - The Ausiello Files. 16 November 2009, 7:45 PM, PST)
(From MovieWeb. 20 November 2009, 12:55 PM, PST)
Exclusive: Justin Theroux joins 'Parks and Recreation'
(From EW.com - The Ausiello Files. 16 November 2009, 7:45 PM, PST)
User Comments:
It's hard to watch something you used to love go downhill.
more (100 total)
Cast
(Series Cast Summary - 11 of 165) | Calista Flockhart | ... | Ally McBeal (112 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Greg Germann | ... | Richard Fish (112 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Jane Krakowski | ... | Elaine Vassal (112 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Peter MacNicol | ... | John Cage (103 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Portia de Rossi | ... | Nell Porter (89 episodes, 1998-2002) |
 | Lucy Liu | ... | Ling Woo (72 episodes, 1998-2002) |
 | Courtney Thorne-Smith | ... | Georgia Thomas (69 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Lisa Nicole Carson | ... | Renee Raddick / ... (64 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Vonda Shepard | ... | Vonda Shepard (56 episodes, 1997-2002) |
 | Albert Hall | ... | Judge Seymour Walsh (50 episodes, 1998-2002) |
 | Gil Bellows | ... | Billy Thomas (46 episodes, 1997-2002) |
Additional Details
Runtime:
45 min | USA:60 min (including commercials) (112 episodes)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Malaysia:U (all jurisdictions) |
Australia:PG (some episodes) |
Singapore:M18 (season 5) |
Finland:K-11 (DVD) (2006) |
Portugal:M/12 |
Netherlands:6 |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Malaysia:(Banned) (one episode) |
Singapore:NC-16 (season 2) (season 3) (season 4) |
Singapore:PG (season 1) |
UK:15
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The show was cancelled in May 2002 because of falling ratings and decreasing viewer interest.
more
Quotes:
Ally McBeal:
Maybe I'm happy and I just don't know it.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: David Spade/Eagle-Eye Cherry (#24.5)" (1998)
more
Soundtrack:
Searchin' My Soul
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (100 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Ally McBeal" (1997) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| "Ed" | The Bodyguard | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | Deadly Is the Female | Steal This Movie |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Episode guide | Full cast and crew | Company credits |
| External reviews | News articles | IMDb TV section |
| IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
You may add a new episode for this TV series by clicking the 'add episode' button
David E. Kelley's a talented man, no doubt about it (and since he's married to Michelle Pfeiffer, many would add "sickeningly lucky" on top of that); when you have a CV that includes writing for Steven Bochco shows and successfully launching your own Twentieth Century Fox-affiliated company (and let's not forget, "girls club" has been his only real flop on the tube - even "Chicago Hope," which is doomed to be the Billie to "ER"'s Britney Spears, still ran for six years), on top of being the primary writer for your shows, it takes more than mere luck.
"Ally McBeal" was a delight for the first four years - though many claimed it would have been better without Calista Flockhart, I doubt it. True, the other characters and actors were of equal or better value - who'd want the show to be without Greg Germann as Fish, the world's most likeable inconsiderate wattle-obsessed dolt ("Ally, it's not my nature to be concerned about people, but what's wrong?") - but the show did clearly have Miss McBeal at its centre; and let us not forget that for all her insecurities, her looniness, and horrible luck in her personal life, she was in fact a pretty good lawyer when you think about it. Certainly better in court than Fish...
The people and writing were always funny and easy to take, apart from Lisa Nicole Carson as Renee* (in a TV special about the show, "This Life"'s creator Amy Jenkins said she thought Renee was smug. I agree), and adding the sultry and classy Lucy Liu to the cast was a chance that worked - her reduced role in the latter episodes, though understandable from her point of view, was a sad sign of the show's degeneration, but when Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden arrived and Peter MacNicol left that was it... and as for that child - spare me. The fun and the thrill were gradually seeping out, and Cage/Fish stopped being a place you wanted to visit. Episodes like the one where a man wanted to fly didn't help either - the toll of writing nearly every episode by himself must have affected Mr. Kelley. (Also note how that bar suddenly let people more famous than Vonda Shepard take a turn on stage. And as for Sting being allowed to act... although in fairness, Mariah Carey's episode was better than "The Bachelor" or "Glitter.")
In the end, I was searching my soul one night, and found there was so much more to life than watching a dying series. But one poor season after four good ones isn't a bad average. Thanks for the first 80%, David E. Kelley... youuuuu stinker! (He said affectionately.)
*About Lisa Nicole Carson; in all the articles written about how skinny all the women on the show were, nobody seems to have noticed that Miss Carson and Jane Krakowski are, as they say, really built.