Ally McBeal (1997–2002)

Ally McBeal and Billy Thomas were going steady throughout their childhoods. Ally even followed Billy to Harvard law school despite having no interest in law. But when Billy chose to pursue ... See full summary »

Creator:

David E. Kelley

Stars:

Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Jane Krakowski

Won 4 Golden Globes. Another 29 wins & 94 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Calista Flockhart	...	Ally McBeal (112 episodes, 1997-2002)
Greg Germann	...	Richard Fish (112 episodes, 1997-2002)
Jane Krakowski	...	Elaine Vassal (112 episodes, 1997-2002)
Vonda Shepard	...	Vonda Shepard (108 episodes, 1997-2002)
Peter MacNicol	...	John Cage (103 episodes, 1997-2002)
Lisa Nicole Carson	...	Renee Raddick (91 episodes, 1997-2002)
Portia de Rossi	...	Nelle Porter (89 episodes, 1998-2002)
Lucy Liu	...	Ling Woo (72 episodes, 1998-2002)
Courtney Thorne-Smith	...	Georgia Thomas (69 episodes, 1997-2002)
Gil Bellows	...	Billy Thomas (68 episodes, 1997-2002)
Albert Hall	...	Judge Seymore Walsh (51 episodes, 1998-2002)

Storyline

Ally McBeal and Billy Thomas were going steady throughout their childhoods. Ally even followed Billy to Harvard law school despite having no interest in law. But when Billy chose to pursue a career in law away from Ally, their relationship came to an end. In the present, an old classmate of Ally's named Richard Fish gives Ally a job at his law firm, where Billy and his new wife are also working. This puts Ally in a predicament since she still has feelings for Billy which she's laboring to get over. At the office, Ally puts up with a nosy, gossiping secretary named Elaine, and an oddball lawyer named John Cage never seems to lose a case. At home, Ally's friend and house-mate Renée regularly advises her on her love life. The series follows Ally's trials and tribulations in life through her eyes, and caricaturizes her personal thoughts and fantasies.

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Plot Keywords:

law | lawyer | love | single | law firm | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Music | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Fox [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ally My Love

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, David E. Kelley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 60 min (112 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gil Bellows plays William ("Billy") Thomas. In The Shawshank Redemption, he plays Thomas ("Tommy") Williams.

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Quotes

[catch-phrases]
Richard Fish: Bygones.
Richard Fish: Fishism.
Richard Fish: Vulgarism.
Richard Fish: Bugger.
Richard Fish: Ouch!
Richard Fish: Kidding.
Richard Fish: No biggie.

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Connections

Referenced in The IT Crowd: Yesterday's Jam (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Searchin' My Soul"
(theme song)
Written and Performed by Vonda Shepard

User Reviews

the best....

I'm in the middle of season four as i write these words. It's been a few years since the last time i watched Ally McBeal but somehow it was time again to visit the old gang at Cage & Fish.

I absolutely fell in love with this show, it's characters and story's a few years ago and I'm falling in love all over again. This show, it's heart, gentleness and (sometimes)idealistic look at life and love can get me to weep like a little schoolgirl (and I'm a man, age 32).

The story's about fulfilled and unfulfilled dreams, lost loves, Christmas spirit, special friendships,The passing of time and meandering moments, etc. have me glued to my television once again.