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Boston Legal

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Boston Legal is an American legal drama comedy created by David E. Kelley that has aired since October 3, 2004. It is a spin-off of the long-running legal drama The Practice and follows the professional and personal lives of attorneys at the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt.

Production details

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. Ironically the actual building shown on TV as the home of the law offices is located at 500 Boylston Street, 12 minutes from Fleet Street.

Most of the final episodes of The Practice were focused on introducing the new characters from 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 six 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 himself 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 in the case and even argues at the trial, cross-examining Young. During this period, Ellenor also has a run-in with Hannah Rose (Rebecca De Mornay), a partner at Crane Poole, who Ellenor ends up seriously injuring when they get into a fight due to Hannah's condescending remarks to Ellenor. However, Hannah Rose did not make the transition to the new series and the character was dropped prior to the pilot 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 opens the door for Steve Harris to guest-star on Boston Legal as a judge, although to date no starring Practice characters have made guest appearances on Boston Legal).

Even with all this preparation, the official premiere episode for Boston Legal does introduce new characters, such as senior partner Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois, in a role different from his tenure as a hapless judge on The Practice), and junior partners Lori Colson (Monica Potter) and Brad Chase (Mark Valley). The premiere also introduced a new set and a recurring cameo role by Al Sharpton as himself.

In the second season premiere, Anthony Heald reprised his role as a California judge, Judge Cooper, on The Practice (it is rare for an actor in David E. Kelley's shows to repeat a guest role from an earlier show as the same character, but not uncommon for a David E. Kelley star to appear in another Kelley show as a different character—Heald in this case has done both, as he previously had a featured role on Kelley's Boston Public). Throughout the early episodes of the second season both Monica Potter and Rhona Mitra were written out of the show, replaced by the newly introduced Julie Bowen as Denise Bauer a tough, experienced senior associate determined to make partner, Ryan Michelle Bathe as Sara Holt and Justin Mentell as Garret Wells, both these cast members were let go by the middle of the 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. 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; and actress Tara Summers would be joining as a young associate. Also Christian Clemenson, who appeared occasionally as Jerry Espensen, a brilliant but socially inept lawyer, would be upgraded to contract player. (Note that Larroquette previously appeared on BL forerunner The Practice as another character, a hyper-intelligent man on trial for killing his gay lover; this role earned Larroquette an Emmy Award.) Rene Auberjonois, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen, and Constance Zimmer may return in guest roles. On July 2, 2007, it was reported that both Rene Auberjonois and Mark Valley would return in recurring roles; 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.

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 in three years. 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.

Cast

Main cast

Former main cast

Recurring cast and notable guest stars

As in The Practice, a lot of stars from other David E. Kelley shows have guest starred on Boston Legal. Those include Chi McBride reprising his role from Boston Public and Anthony Heald, as stated before from his stint on The Practice and Boston Public. Other guest stars include:

  • Rene Auberjonois as Paul Lewiston (12 episodes in Season 1, unknown episodes in Season 4)
  • Scott Bakula as Jack Ross (4.13, "Glow in the Dark")
  • Ed Begley, Jr. as Clifford Cabot (2 episodes in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 3)
  • Lake Bell as Sally Heep (2 episodes in Season 3)
  • Ralph Bellamy as Denny's father (3.18, "Son of the Defender") (footage from 1957 episode of Studio One)
  • Shelley Berman as Judge Robert Sanders (3 episodes in Season 2, 6 episodes in Season 3)
  • Jill Brennan as Gracie Jane (2 episodes in Season 2, 7 episodes in Season 3)
  • David Dean Bottrell as Lincoln Meyer (8 episodes in Season 3)
  • Jayne Brook as Rachel Lewiston (5 episodes in Season 2)
  • Delta Burke as Bella Horowitz (5 episodes in Season 3)
  • Marisa Coughlan as Melissa Hughes (9 episodes in Season 2, 3 episodes in Season 3)
  • Adriana Demeo as Julie (3.03, "Desperately Seeking Shirley")
  • Michael J. Fox as Daniel Post (5 episodes in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 3)
  • Currie Graham as ADA Frank Ginsberg (3 episodes in Season 2, 3 episodes in Season 3)
  • Henry Gibson as Judge Clark Brown (3 episodes in Season 1, 3 episodes in Season 2, 3 episodes in Season 3)
  • Meredith Eaton-Gilden as Bethany Horowitz (14 episodes in Season 3)
  • Mary Gross as Leigh Swift (3 episodes in Season 4)
  • John Michael Higgins as Jerry Austin (2 episodes in Season 1)
  • Heather Locklear as Kelly Nolan (2 episodes in Season 2)
  • Nia Long as Vanessa Walker (3 episodes in Season 3)
  • Jane Lynch as Joanna Monroe (3 episodes in Season 3)
  • Larry Miller as Edwin Poole (2 episodes in Season 1, 1 episode in Season 2)
  • Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson (3 episodes in Season 2)
  • Megan Mullally as Renata Hill (3.17, The Bride Wore Blood)
  • Gail O'Grady as Judge Gloria Weldon (4 episodes in Season 3, 2 episodes in Season 4)
  • Monica Potter as Lori Colson (4 episodes in Season 2)
  • Parker Posey as Marlene Stanger (3 episodes in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 3)
  • Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Donny Crane (2 episodes in Season 1, 1 episode in Season 2)
  • Carl Reiner as Milton Bombay (Episode 1.16, Let Sales Ring)
  • William Russ as A.D.A. Christopher Palmer (1 episode in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 3)
  • Jeri Ryan as Courtney Reese (2 hour finale of Season 2)
  • Katey Sagal as Barbara Little (5 episodes in Season 3)
  • Tom Selleck as Ivan Tiggs (3 episodes in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 3)
  • Al Sharpton as Himself (2 episodes in Season 1)
  • Mark Valley as Brad Chase (2 episodes in Season 4)
  • Robert Wagner as Barry Goal (2 hour finale of Season 2)
  • Kerry Washington as Chelina Hall (4 episodes in Season 1, 1 episode in Season 2)
  • Betty White as Catherine Piper (3 episodes in Season 8 of The Practice, 5 episodes in Season 1, 8 episodes in Season 2, 1 episode in Season 3)
  • Jaleel White as Kevin Givens (1 episode in Season 3)
  • Michelle Forbes as Juliette Monroe (1 episode in Season 3)

Episodes

Ratings and audience profile

Though the show has never produced blockbuster ratings, it continues to be one of ABC's most influential shows because of the audience it draws. According to Nielsen Media Research, Boston Legal draws 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).

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 10.3

3rd September 19, 2006 May 29, 2007 2006–2007 #48 9.9

4th September 25, 2007 2007–2008

DVD releases

On February 9, 2006, tvshowsondvd.com announced that Fox Home Entertainment were releasing Boston Legal Season 1 on DVD on May 23, 2006. 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

Awards

Awards won

Emmy Awards:

The Emmys won in 2004 were for The Practice, but for the same characters as they play on Boston Legal

Golden Globe Awards:

  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV William Shatner (2005)

Peabody Awards:

  • Boston Legal won a Peabody Award for its 2005 season.

PRISM Awards:

  • Performance in a Drama Series, Multi-Episode Storyline Rene Auberjonois, Jayne Brook for the season two episodes "Live Big", "Shock and Owww!", "Stick It", "Word Salad Days", "Squid Pro Quo" and "Spring Fever" (2007)

Satellite Awards:

Awards nominated

Emmy Awards:

  • Outstanding Drama Series (2007)
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series James Spader (2007)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series William Shatner (2007)
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Christian Clemenson (2007)
  • Outstanding Director for a Drama Series Bill D'Elia; Son of the Defender (2007)
  • Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour); Lincoln (2007)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series William Shatner (2006)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Candice Bergen (2006)
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Michael J. Fox (2006)
  • Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series Nikki Valko, Ken Miller (2006)
  • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Phil Neel (2006)

Golden Globe Awards:

  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television William Shatner (2007)
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Candice Bergen (2006)
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Drama James Spader (2005)

Screen Actors Guild:

  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series James Spader (2007)
  • Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2007)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Comedy Series (2006)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series James Spader (2006)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series William Shatner (2006)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Candice Bergen (2006)

Satellite Awards:

  • Outstanding TV Series - Comedy (2005)
  • Outstanding Actor in a TV series - Comedy James Spader (2005)
  • Outstanding Actress in a TV series - Comedy Candice Bergen (2005)
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV William Shatner (2005)
  • Outstanding TV Series - Drama (2004)
  • Outstanding Actor in a TV series - Drama James Spader (2004)

References

External links



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Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 03:35:38 PDT (GMT -0700)
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