"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 18	1:00 PM	WGNAMER	Spring Fever	#2.26
Sun. July 19	4:00 PM	MyNetwork	Spring Fever	#2.26

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)

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:

Before becoming a regular cast member, Rene Auberjoinos guest starred in most episode of the first half of season one.

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:

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 Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash '08 (2008) (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!