Boston Legal 

Boston Legal is a spin-off of the long-running David E. Kelley series The Practice (1997), following the exploits of former Practice character Alan Shore (James Spader) at the legal firm of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt.

Creator:

David E. Kelley

Stars:

James Spader, William Shatner, Candice Bergen

Top Rated TV #248 | Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 65 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:

21th century | legal | eccentric | spin off | court | 

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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

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Certificate:

TV-14

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:

David E. Kelley Productions,20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Henry Gibson, who plays Judge Clark Brown, once appeared on Knight Rider as a character named Donald Crane. Coincidentially, Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Donald "Donny" Crane, the son of Denny Crane, in Boston Legal.

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Goofs

Throughout the series, Alan Shore and Denny Crane sit on the balcony overlooking the city of Boston. However, during the cold winter months, you never see the breath of either character, thus demonstrating that the "balcony" is part of a set, and not an actual location.

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Quotes

Alan Shore: You know what I miss most about our country, Denny? Not the loss of our civil rights so much as our compassion, our soul, our humanity.
Denny Crane: Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh. Soul, that's a religious thing. State... church... it's unconstitutional for the United States to have a soul.
Alan Shore: Apparently. We seem to be becoming a mean people. Learned Hand once said, "Liberty lies in our hearts, and once it dies there, no constitution can save it."
Denny Crane: Just once I wish you'd quote a Republican.
Alan Shore: I want a kindler and gentler ...

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: 2012 Teachers Tournament Quarterfinal Game 1 (2012)

User Reviews

The Best Show On TV. Period.

Forget Desperate Housewives or anything else. Boston Legal is the comedy-drama that has been missing from TV for a long, long time. I barely watched "The Practice" but I got hooked when James Spader and William Shatner had guest-roles. When I heard these two would lead the spin off "Boston Legal", I was exuberant!

James Spader as Alan Shore is by far the best acting on TV. The guy is priceless, reaching a level of pure arrogance that you can't help but love. William Shatner as Denny Krane is just as good. The women of the show bring a lot more beauty then Desperate Housewives. I view them as support characters, however as this show is all about Alan Shore and DENNY KRANE.