Boston Legal (2004–2008)

This Spinoff of The Practice will focus on Civil Law.

Creator:

David E. Kelley

Stars:

James Spader, William Shatner, Candice Bergen

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 53 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
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)

Storyline

Ethically-challenged attorney Alan Shore, formerly of Young, Frutt & Berluti, settles in at a wealthy and powerful firm focusing on civil cases. With some help from his friend and mentor, veteran attorney Denny Crane, Shore quickly makes his mark winning cases no one would take, often using less than honest methods. In doing so, he develops a rival in his colleague Brad Chase, who has been assigned to the office partly to keep an eye on the increasingly eccentric (and possibly senile) Denny Crane. Though his questionable conduct might make him a few enemies along the way, Alan's not one to be underestimated, nor will he let trivial things like honesty or integrity get in the way of winning a case.

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Plot Keywords:

civil law | eccentric | city name in title | female lawyer | defense attorney | 

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Taglines:

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the courtroom.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

ABC

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fleet Street

Filming Locations:

Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios - 1600 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Dick Clark Productions, David E. Kelley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denny Crane has never lost a trial. According to Season One episode "From Whence We Came" he has won 6043 trials (and lost 0) in 45 years.

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Goofs

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".

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Quotes

Alan Shore: You know we have a little saying in Massachusetts, "Maybe someday you'll get horribly sick and die."
[Melvin looks startled]
Alan Shore: Until then!
Attorney Melvin Palmer: Oh!
[he starts to laugh]
Attorney Melvin Palmer: You. You dog.
[he leaves]
Attorney Melvin Palmer: Ah...

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash '08 (2008)

User Reviews

Pure genius

Putting James Spader and William Shatner in their own show together was a stroke of genius. Both are fine actors and they play off each other perfectly. I generally don't enjoy legal dramas, but BOSTON LEGAL is unique in its presentation. Rather than getting preachy, sleazy, or melodramatic, it delights in the moral ambiguity of its main characters and hides a little bon mot around every corner of dialog.

Shatner and Spader deliver every time, but never seem like they're trying too hard. Spader has been brilliant in almost everything he's appeared in, so we shouldn't expect any less from him here. I'm a little surprised, however, that so many people are caught off guard by Shatner's great performance. If you've followed him over the years, you'd know his sense of humor is wonderfully suited to this role. Honestly, I can't imagine a better fit for William Shatner than Denny Crane. Captain Kirk, indeed.

Any show that can put so many (hilarious) layers of meaning into the spoken name "Denny Crane" deserves all the accolades it gets.