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

During the "thin" epidemic of Hollywood in the late-1990s, the average size of the women on the set was 0-2. Jane Krakowski, a size 6 reportedly said some days she felt like a "fat cow".

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Quotes

[catch-phrases]
John "The Biscuit" Cage: I'm fraught.
John "The Biscuit" Cage: I need to take a moment.
John "The Biscuit" Cage: Unacceptable!
John "The Biscuit" Cage: Repugnant!
John "The Biscuit" Cage: Balls!
John "The Biscuit" Cage: That disparaged me.
John "The Biscuit" Cage: I will not stand to be disparaged.
John "The Biscuit" Cage: I'm troubled.
John "The Biscuit" Cage: I'm drawn to her.

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Connections

Referenced in Wie angelt man sich seinen Chef? (2000)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Better than most

One of the best shows to ever hit TV. There are some pretty negative comments here, but I know why. Folks are angry that the show changed in the last few seasons and they are disappointed that it ended. The first three seasons you couldn't go to the water cooler if you had not watched the show and had some little tid-bit to say about what you saw. That spells great writing and fabulous performances to me. Calista Flockhart is a wonderful person and a terrific actress. She made the show work. without her, no Ally. There are episodes that are priceless. The dancing baby is unique and entertaining. No one had ever taken that kind of risk on TV. A computerized baby dancing with real people. Of course everyone's doing it now. I believe Ally Mcbeal to be a classic.