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Ally McBeal

  • TV Series
  • 1997–20021997–2002
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 45m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
33K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,041
26
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Calista Flockhart in Ally McBeal (1997)
First time on DVD Trailer
Play trailer0:32
6 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Fantasy

Follows the personal and professional life of lawyer Ally.Follows the personal and professional life of lawyer Ally.Follows the personal and professional life of lawyer Ally.

IMDb RATING
6.9/10
33K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,041
26
  • Creator
    • David E. Kelley
  • Stars
    • Calista Flockhart
    • Greg Germann
    • Jane Krakowski
Top credits
  • Creator
    • David E. Kelley
  • Stars
    • Calista Flockhart
    • Greg Germann
    • Jane Krakowski
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 148User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 7 Primetime Emmys
      • 43 wins & 115 nominations total

    Episodes112

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos6

    Funny Women of Television
    Clip 3:41
    Funny Women of Television
    Ally McBeal: The Complete Series
    Trailer 0:32
    Ally McBeal: The Complete Series
    Ally McBeal
    Trailer 0:23
    Ally McBeal
    Ally Mcbeal: The Unisex Bathroom
    Trailer 1:28
    Ally Mcbeal: The Unisex Bathroom
    Ally Mcbeal
    Trailer 0:44
    Ally Mcbeal
    Ally Mcbeal: The Bar And The Music Acts
    Trailer 1:15
    Ally Mcbeal: The Bar And The Music Acts

    Photos426

    Wilson Cruz in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Calista Flockhart and Greg Germann in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Barry Humphries in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Regina Hall and Julianne Nicholson in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Ally McBeal (1997)
    Jon Bon Jovi in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Calista Flockhart in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Kelly Lynch in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Jane Krakowski in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Calista Flockhart and Courtney Thorne-Smith in Ally McBeal (1997)
    Ally McBeal (1997)
    Portia de Rossi in Ally McBeal (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Calista Flockhart
    Calista Flockhart
    • Ally McBealas Ally McBeal
    112 episodes112 eps • 1997–2002
    Greg Germann
    Greg Germann
    • Richard Fishas Richard Fish
    112 episodes112 eps • 1997–2002
    Jane Krakowski
    Jane Krakowski
    • Elaine Vassalas Elaine Vassal
    112 episodes112 eps • 1997–2002
    Vonda Shepard
    Vonda Shepard
    • Vonda Shepardas Vonda Shepard
    109 episodes109 eps • 1997–2002
    Peter MacNicol
    Peter MacNicol
    • John Cageas John Cage
    103 episodes103 eps • 1997–2002
    Lisa Nicole Carson
    Lisa Nicole Carson
    • Renee Raddickas Renee Raddick
    91 episodes91 eps • 1997–2002
    Portia de Rossi
    Portia de Rossi
    • Nelle Porteras Nelle Porter
    89 episodes89 eps • 1998–2002
    Lucy Liu
    Lucy Liu
    • Ling Wooas Ling Woo
    73 episodes73 eps • 1998–2002
    Courtney Thorne-Smith
    Courtney Thorne-Smith
    • Georgia Thomasas Georgia Thomas
    69 episodes69 eps • 1997–2002
    Gil Bellows
    Gil Bellows
    • Billy Thomasas Billy Thomas
    68 episodes68 eps • 1997–2002
    Albert Hall
    Albert Hall
    • Judge Seymore Walshas Judge Seymore Walsh
    51 episodes51 eps • 1998–2002
    Renée Elise Goldsberry
    Renée Elise Goldsberry
    • Singeras Singer…
    44 episodes44 eps • 1997–2002
    Vatrena King
    • Singeras Singer…
    42 episodes42 eps • 1997–2002
    Sy Smith
    Sy Smith
    • Singeras Singer…
    41 episodes41 eps • 1997–2002
    James Le Gros
    James Le Gros
    • Mark Albertas Mark Albert
    28 episodes28 eps • 2000–2001
    Regina Hall
    Regina Hall
    • Corretta Lippas Corretta Lipp
    25 episodes25 eps • 2001–2002
    Robert Downey Jr.
    Robert Downey Jr.
    • Larry Paulas Larry Paul
    27 episodes27 eps • 2000–2002
    Josh Hopkins
    Josh Hopkins
    • Raymond Millburyas Raymond Millbury
    22 episodes22 eps • 2001–2002
    • Creator
      • David E. Kelley
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Ondre Lombard <olombard@lombard.cyberverse.com>
    • lawyer
    • law firm
    • roommate
    • boston massachusetts
    • f rated
    • 64 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Music
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • TV-PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ling Woo wasn't originally intended to be a regular. David E. Kelley liked Lucy Liu so much as a guest star, he and the writer decided to reveal that she has a law degree and join the firm after a few episodes, giving her a reason to be there.
    • Quotes

      John "The Biscuit" Cage: I like a fresh bowl.

    • Alternate versions
      Some footage used in the Fox network previews for the show ended up on the cutting room floor.
    • Connections
      Edited into Ally (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Searchin' My Soul
      (theme song)

      Written and Performed by Vonda Shepard

    User reviews148

    Review
    Top review
    It's hard to watch something you used to love go downhill.
    David E. Kelley's a talented man, no doubt about it (and since he's married to Michelle Pfeiffer, many would add "sickeningly lucky" on top of that); when you have a CV that includes writing for Steven Bochco shows and successfully launching your own Twentieth Century Fox-affiliated company (and let's not forget, "girls club" has been his only real flop on the tube - even "Chicago Hope," which is doomed to be the Billie to "ER"'s Britney Spears, still ran for six years), on top of being the primary writer for your shows, it takes more than mere luck.

    "Ally McBeal" was a delight for the first four years - though many claimed it would have been better without Calista Flockhart, I doubt it. True, the other characters and actors were of equal or better value - who'd want the show to be without Greg Germann as Fish, the world's most likeable inconsiderate wattle-obsessed dolt ("Ally, it's not my nature to be concerned about people, but what's wrong?") - but the show did clearly have Miss McBeal at its centre; and let us not forget that for all her insecurities, her looniness, and horrible luck in her personal life, she was in fact a pretty good lawyer when you think about it. Certainly better in court than Fish...

    The people and writing were always funny and easy to take, apart from Lisa Nicole Carson as Renee* (in a TV special about the show, "This Life"'s creator Amy Jenkins said she thought Renee was smug. I agree), and adding the sultry and classy Lucy Liu to the cast was a chance that worked - her reduced role in the latter episodes, though understandable from her point of view, was a sad sign of the show's degeneration, but when Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden arrived and Peter MacNicol left that was it... and as for that child - spare me. The fun and the thrill were gradually seeping out, and Cage/Fish stopped being a place you wanted to visit. Episodes like the one where a man wanted to fly didn't help either - the toll of writing nearly every episode by himself must have affected Mr. Kelley. (Also note how that bar suddenly let people more famous than Vonda Shepard take a turn on stage. And as for Sting being allowed to act... although in fairness, Mariah Carey's episode was better than "The Bachelor" or "Glitter.")

    In the end, I was searching my soul one night, and found there was so much more to life than watching a dying series. But one poor season after four good ones isn't a bad average. Thanks for the first 80%, David E. Kelley... youuuuu stinker! (He said affectionately.)

    *About Lisa Nicole Carson; in all the articles written about how skinny all the women on the show were, nobody seems to have noticed that Miss Carson and Jane Krakowski are, as they say, really built.
    helpful•58
    16
    • Victor Field
    • Jan 1, 2003

    FAQ2

    • Is Ally McBeal available on a subscription service like iTunes or Amazon Prime?
    • Was this ever shown in the UK?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 8, 1997 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 艾莉的異想世界
    • Filming locations
      • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production companies
      • 20th Century Fox Television
      • David E. Kelley Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby

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