- AMG Rating:



- Genre: Comedy Drama
- Movie Type: Law Show, Courtroom Drama
- Themes: Work Ethics, Lawyers, Office Politics
- Release Year: 2004
- Country: US
- Run Time: 60 minutes
TV Series:
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Wikipedia:
Boston Legal |
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| Boston Legal | |
|---|---|
| Format | Legal Drama Comedy-Drama |
| Created by | David E. Kelley |
| Starring | James Spader William Shatner Candice Bergen Christian Clemenson Rene Auberjonois Monica Potter Julie Bowen John Larroquette Rhona Mitra Lake Bell Mark Valley Justin Mentell Ryan Michelle Bathe Craig Bierko Constance Zimmer Gary Anthony Williams Tara Summers Saffron Burrows Taraji P. Henson Henry Gibson Betty White |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 101 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David E. Kelley Bill D'Elia Mike Listo Lawrence Broch Janet Leahy (2.04-3.24) Scott Kaufer (1.01-2.03, 2.23) Jeff Rake (1.01-1.13) |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | 20th Century Fox Television David E. Kelley Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV) |
| Original run | October 3, 2004 – December 8, 2008 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Practice |
Boston Legal is an American legal drama-comedy (dramedy) created by David E. Kelley, which originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2004 to December 8, 2008. A spin-off of the long-running series The Practice, Boston Legal followed the personal and professional exploits of a group of attorneys working at the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. In its five-year run, it won five Emmy Awards.
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Contents
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Before the show's premiere, it had a working title of Fleet Street, an allusion to the real street in Boston where the fictitious Crane, Poole & Schmidt had its offices. The working title was later modified to The Practice: Fleet Street, but this title was dropped in favor of Boston Legal before the show premiered.[1] The real building shown as the law office is located at 500 Boylston Street, 12 minutes away from Fleet Street.
The American producers of the series also hired British writer Sir John Mortimer (creator of the UK legal series Rumpole of the Bailey) as a consultant for Boston Legal.[2]
Most of the final episodes of The Practice were focused on introducing the new characters of Crane, Poole & Schmidt in preparation for Boston Legal's launch. Thus, the story of Boston Legal can be said to begin with the episode of The Practice in which Eugene Young and Jimmy Berluti of Young, Frutt & Berluti decided to fire Alan Shore without consulting Ellenor Frutt, beginning a story arc of several episodes. They give Alan a severance package of only fifteen thousand dollars, even though Alan has brought in over nine million dollars of revenue to the firm. Tara Wilson gets fired for her loyalty to Alan, and Alan goes to Crane, Poole & Schmidt to represent him in the matter, thinking he has a claim under Massachusetts law to take over Young, Frutt & Berluti. Denny Crane, senior and founding partner of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, takes an interest, helping develop the 'case'; even arguing at the resulting trial, cross-examining Young. During this period, Ellenor also has a run-in with Hannah Rose (Rebecca De Mornay), a partner at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, whom Ellenor ends up seriously injuring when they fight over Hannah's condescending remarks to Ellenor. The character of Hannah Rose was dropped prior to the Boston Legal pilot's being filmed.
The jury awards Alan the millions of dollars of revenue he brought in to Young, Frutt & Berluti but does not order the firm to rehire him, so Denny hires Alan at his firm. After Young is appointed a judge, his first case (in the final episode of The Practice) happens to be with Alan for the defense, making Young wonder if Alan judge-shopped (this opened the door for Steve Harris to guest-star on Boston Legal as a judge, although in the end no starring Practice characters made any guest appearances on Boston Legal), though many actors and actresses who guest-starred in The Practice have contributed to Boston Legal, taking on roles of a different character. Examples include Rene Auberjonois, John Larroquette and Christian Clemenson. Anthony Heald, who guest-starred in both shows, took on the characters of Judge Harvey Cooper in Boston Legal and of Judge Wallace Cooper in The Practice, although both are considered the same character.[3]
The pilot was originally produced with James Spader, Lake Bell, Mark Valley, Rhona Mitra and William Shatner playing the main characters, with an expanded storyline featuring Larry Miller as Edwin Poole, and with John Michael Higgins as senior partner Jerry Austin. Monica Potter was later cast as junior partner Lori Colson. After completing several episodes, the producers felt the show needed grounding, and Rene Auberjonois was cast as senior partner Paul Lewiston, effectively replacing John Michael Higgins. Despite this, Higgins's character still appeared in the first two episodes. The pilot premiered on ABC on October 3, 2004, following the series premiere of Desperate Housewives.[4]
On November 30, 2004, it was announced that Candice Bergen would join the cast as senior partner Shirley Schmidt.[5] The producers had been looking to introduce the character since the fall.[6] Lake Bell and Executive Producer Jeff Rake subsequently left the series, while Rene Auberjonois was made a main cast member.[7][8][9]
The announcement that Boston Legal would be renewed for a second season was made on April 5, 2005. The final five episodes of the first season were initially pre-empted for several weeks (until April 24, 2005) in order to expose mid-season series Grey's Anatomy to a larger audience behind Desperate Housewives.[10] Grey's Anatomy, however, was highly successful in the timeslot, and Boston Legal was pre-empted until the autumn of 2005, where it would take over NYPD Blue's Tuesday timeslot for an extended season of twenty-seven episodes.[11][12] Both Rhona Mitra and Monica Potter departed the series over the hiatus, while Julie Bowen was cast as Denise Bauer.[13] Ryan Michelle Bathe and Justin Mentell were later cast as junior associates Sara Holt and Garrett Wells.[14] A new writing staff headed by Janet Leahy took over as of episode four of the second season.
The second episode of Season 3 introduced Craig Bierko as Jeffrey Coho and Constance Zimmer as Claire Simms. In episode 3x11 Gary Anthony Williams was added to the main cast as Clarence Bell, a role he had played twice earlier in the season. Also introduced in this episode was Nia Long as Vanessa Walker, in a guest role that lasted 3 episodes. In the 15th episode of the third season, Craig Bierko left the show.
On June 4, 2007, TV Guide announced that Rene Auberjonois, Julie Bowen, Mark Valley, and Constance Zimmer would not return for the fourth season.[15] On June 13, 2007, it was reported that actor John Larroquette would join the cast as a senior partner transferred from the New York offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt (Note: Larroquette previously appeared on BL's forerunner The Practice as another character, a hyper-intelligent man on trial for killing his gay lover; this role earned Larroquette an Emmy Award.); and actress Tara Summers would be joining as a young associate. Also, Christian Clemenson, who appeared occasionally as Jerry Espenson, a brilliant but socially inept lawyer, would be upgraded to contract player.[16] The possibility was left open that Rene Auberjonois, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen, and Constance Zimmer could return in guest roles.[17] On July 2, 2007, it was reported that both Rene Auberjonois and Mark Valley would return in recurring roles;[18] furthermore, it was announced that Taraji P. Henson would join the cast later in the fourth season, with Saffron Burrows appearing in a recurring role. It was subsequently reported that Burrows would become a full-time cast member.[19]
On July 19, 2007, Boston Legal was nominated for six Emmy awards, including Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series (James Spader), Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (William Shatner), and its first nomination for Best Drama Series. On September 14, 2007, James Spader won the Emmy for his role as the lead character in the show, whilst nominations were lost for William Shatner and Christian Clemenson in their roles for Supporting and Guest Actors, respectively. Also, the show itself lost as Best Drama Series to The Sopranos.
On May 13, 2008, ABC announced that Boston Legal would return for a fifth (and final) season in the fall.[20][21] Saffron Burrows did not return as a series regular, having joined the cast of My Own Worst Enemy. The final season consisted of 13 episodes to bring it over the "100" episode mark, setting it up for a successful syndication run.[22] There was speculation that Boston Legal might receive an additional episode-order if the show had another strong showing in the Emmy Awards and produced solid ratings in its new fall time slot.[23] The season began airing on September 22, 2008.
On June 18 and June 20, 2008, it was reported that Gary Anthony Williams and Taraji P. Henson would not return for the fifth season as Clarence Bell and Whitney Rome, respectively.[24][25]
On July 17, 2008, Boston Legal was nominated for a series-high seven Emmy nominations, including for Best Drama Series for a second year in a row. Spader, Bergen, and Shatner were also nominated for their respective roles.
Boston Legal began airing in reruns on ION Television in September 2008; additionally, in most markets, episodes began airing in off-network syndication on the weekend of September 28–29, 2008.
Boston Legal's two-hour-long series finale aired on Monday, December 8, 2008, at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central. The finale saw the firm sold to new Chinese interests because of Crane, Poole & Schmidt's poor financial position. The new owners were not accepted by Shirley Schmidt, Carl Sack, or Jerry Espenson, who voted against the acquisition along with three other partners. Denny Crane insulted the new owners by shooting them with a paintball gun. The acrimony engendered by the name partners' actions led the Chinese to begin plans for downsizing and replacing the litigation division of the firm. It was announced that all of the show's leading characters would be fired as of January 1, 2009. This led to a typically eloquent, but ultimately ill-received, showdown on the part of Alan Shore, wherein he turned the tables on the new owners, attempting to preemptively fire them. Though his argument was not taken in the light he'd intended, it did prompt an offer from the Chinese owners to rehire all the cast members, though Shirley mused that they would likely be let go over a longer period of time. Also, Denny's earlier actions led to his name being removed from the firm, whose name was changed to "Chang, Poole & Schmidt."
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 7, 2008, David E. Kelley said that it was in fact ABC's decision to end Boston Legal. He also stated that executives did not want to commit to a fifth season, so he had to fight to bring it back for a short season of 13 episodes.[26]
In several instances, characters would break the fourth wall by showing that they are aware of their status as characters in a television show.[27] It was usually done in such a way that the viewer could perceive the character as referring only jokingly to said status. A recurring gag was when Denny was making a heart-to-heart sympathetic speech to someone. When Alan was in the same room, he would hold cue cards up in a way that Denny could read them.
| Actor | Character | Status | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Spader | Alan Shore | 2004–2008 (The Practice 2003–2004) | 1–5 |
| William Shatner | Denny Crane | 2004–2008 (The Practice 2004) | 1–5 |
| Christian Clemenson | Jerry Espenson | 2005–2008 (recurring, season 2–3) | 2–5 |
| Tara Summers | Katie Lloyd | 2007–2008 | 4–5 |
| Candice Bergen | Shirley Schmidt | 2005–2008 | 1–5 |
| John Larroquette | Carl Sack | 2007–2008 | 4–5 |
| Rene Auberjonois | Paul Lewiston | 2004–2008 (recurring, Season 4–5) | 1–5 |
| Lake Bell | Sally Heep | 2004–2005 (The Practice 2004; recurring, Season 3; 2007) | 1, 3 |
| Rhona Mitra | Tara Wilson | 2004–2005 (The Practice 2003–2004; recurring, Season 2) | 1, 2 |
| Monica Potter | Lori Colson | 2004–2005 (recurring, Season 2) | 1, 2 |
| Mark Valley | Brad Chase | 2004–2007 (recurring, Season 4) | 1–4 |
| Ryan Michelle Bathe | Sara Holt | 2005–2006 | 2 |
| Julie Bowen | Denise Bauer | 2005–2007, 2008 (recurring, Season 5) | 2–3, 5 |
| Justin Mentell | Garrett Wells | 2005–2006 | 2 |
| Constance Zimmer | Claire Simms | 2006–2007 | 3 |
| Craig Bierko | Jeffrey Coho | 2006–2007 | 3 |
| Gary Anthony Williams | Clarence Bell | 2006–2008 | 3–4 |
| Saffron Burrows | Lorraine Weller | 2007–2008 | 4 |
| Taraji P. Henson | Whitney Rome | 2007–2008 | 4 |
Guest stars include:
Though the show never produced blockbuster ratings, it maintained the majority of its audience over its five-year run despite being switched four times to different nights (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.) The day after the series finale, Kelley told TV Guide that ABC had treated Boston Legal like its "bastard child," and though he was satisfied with a five-season run in this era of television, the show could have lasted longer.[citation needed]
It was one of ABC's most influential shows because of the audience it drew. According to Nielsen Media Research, Boston Legal drew the richest viewing audience on television, based on the concentration of high-income viewers in its young adult audience (Adult 18–49 index w/$100k+ annual income).[28]
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Boston Legal on ABC.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. All times mentioned in this section were in the Eastern and Pacific time zones.
| Season | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Season Rank |
Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sunday 10:00 pm | October 3, 2004 | March 20, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #27 | 12.5 |
| 2nd | Tuesday 10:00 pm | September 27, 2005 | May 16, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #46[29] | 10.3[29] |
| 3rd | September 19, 2006 | May 29, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #62 | 9.6 | |
| 4th | Tuesday 10:00 pm Wednesday 10:00 pm |
September 25, 2007 | May 21, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #51 | 9.6 |
| 5th | Monday 10:00 pm | September 22, 2008 | December 8, 2008 | 2008–2009 | #46 | 9.6 |
On February 9, 2006, tvshowsondvd.com announced that Fox Home Entertainment was releasing Boston Legal Season 1 on DVD on May 23, 2006.[30] It is the first David E. Kelley show that FOX has released on DVD in the United States (though Ally McBeal has been released on DVD in other countries). The season one box set had five discs while the season two and three sets had seven discs.
Note: Some of the Season 1 DVDs, provided by select offline retailers, included a promotional DVD featuring the episodes from The Practice that introduced Alan Shore and the firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. This was only included in the very early sales of the DVD as a promotion.
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | May 23, 2006 | July 24, 2006 | August 9, 2006 |
| Season 2 | November 21, 2006 | March 5, 2007 | February 21, 2007 |
| Season 3 | September 18, 2007 | January 14, 2008 | October 10, 2007 |
| Season 4 | September 23, 2008 | October 13, 2008 | December 3, 2008 |
| Season 5 | May 5, 2009 | May 11, 2009 | August 5, 2009 |
| The Complete Series | TBA | May 11, 2009 | November 18, 2009[31] |
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