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IMDbPro

Boston Legal

  • TV Series
  • 2004–20082004–2008
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 44m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
46K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
478
42
Candice Bergen, William Shatner, and James Spader in Boston Legal (2004)
Home Video Trailer from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Play trailer0:17
14 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyCrimeDrama
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 ... Read allBoston 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.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.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
46K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
478
42
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Creator
      • David E. Kelley
    • Stars
      • James Spader
      • William Shatner
      • Candice Bergen
    Top credits
    • Creator
      • David E. Kelley
    • Stars
      • James Spader
      • William Shatner
      • Candice Bergen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 198User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
    • Won 5 Primetime Emmys
      • 16 wins & 67 nominations total

    Episodes101

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos14

    Clip: Denny and Alan bond by a fishing trip and learning to tango
    Clip 0:49
    Clip: Denny and Alan bond by a fishing trip and learning to tango
    Clip: Introducing Denny and AlanÂ’s unlikely friendship
    Clip 0:50
    Clip: Introducing Denny and AlanÂ’s unlikely friendship
    The Practice: The Final Season
    Clip 2:27
    The Practice: The Final Season
    Boston Legal: Season 4
    Trailer 0:17
    Boston Legal: Season 4
    Boston Legal: Season Three
    Trailer 0:15
    Boston Legal: Season Three
    Boston Legal: Season 2
    Trailer 0:15
    Boston Legal: Season 2
    Boston Legal: Season 1
    Trailer 0:17
    Boston Legal: Season 1
    Boston Legal: Clip
    Trailer 0:57
    Boston Legal: Clip
    Boston Legal: Words 2
    Trailer 1:31
    Boston Legal: Words 2
    Boston Legal: Words
    Trailer 1:38
    Boston Legal: Words
    Boston Legal: Season 4
    Trailer 1:29
    Boston Legal: Season 4
    Boston Legal: Look
    Trailer 0:56
    Boston Legal: Look

    Photos294

    James Spader and Lake Bell in Boston Legal (2004)
    James Spader and George Newbern in Boston Legal (2004)
    Marisa Coughlan in Boston Legal (2004)
    Boston Legal (2004)
    Candice Bergen in Boston Legal (2004)
    William Shatner in Boston Legal (2004)
    William Shatner in Boston Legal (2004)
    Candice Bergen and Christian Clemenson in Boston Legal (2004)
    Larry Miller in Boston Legal (2004)
    James Spader in Boston Legal (2004)
    Candice Bergen and Rene Auberjonois in Boston Legal (2004)
    James Spader in Boston Legal (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Spader
    James Spader
    • Alan Shore
    101 episodes101 eps • 2004–2008
    William Shatner
    William Shatner
    • Denny Crane
    101 episodes101 eps • 2004–2008
    Candice Bergen
    Candice Bergen
    • Shirley Schmidt
    91 episodes91 eps • 2005–2008
    Rene Auberjonois
    Rene Auberjonois
    • Paul Lewiston
    71 episodes71 eps • 2004–2008
    Mark Valley
    Mark Valley
    • Brad Chase
    70 episodes70 eps • 2004–2007
    Julie Bowen
    Julie Bowen
    • Denise Bauer
    52 episodes52 eps • 2005–2008
    Christian Clemenson
    Christian Clemenson
    • Jerry Espenson
    50 episodes50 eps • 2005–2008
    Gary Anthony Williams
    Gary Anthony Williams
    • Clarence Bell
    36 episodes36 eps • 2006–2008
    John Larroquette
    John Larroquette
    • Carl Sack
    33 episodes33 eps • 2007–2008
    Tara Summers
    Tara Summers
    • Katie Lloyd
    33 episodes33 eps • 2007–2008
    Henry Gibson
    Henry Gibson
    • Judge Clark Brown
    24 episodes24 eps • 2004–2008
    Constance Zimmer
    Constance Zimmer
    • Claire Simms
    23 episodes23 eps • 2006–2007
    Monica Potter
    Monica Potter
    • Lori Colson
    21 episodes21 eps • 2004–2005
    Rhona Mitra
    Rhona Mitra
    • Tara Wilson
    20 episodes20 eps • 2004–2005
    Saffron Burrows
    Saffron Burrows
    • Lorraine Weller
    20 episodes20 eps • 2007–2008
    Meredith Eaton
    Meredith Eaton
    • Bethany Horowitz
    18 episodes18 eps • 2006–2008
    Taraji P. Henson
    Taraji P. Henson
    • Whitney Rome
    17 episodes17 eps • 2007–2008
    Justin Mentell
    Justin Mentell
    • Garrett Wells
    16 episodes16 eps • 2005–2006
    • Creator
      • David E. Kelley
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the series, whenever Denny Crane (William Shatner) opens his cell phone, it makes the same sound effect as the communicators from the original "Star Trek" series in which he played the role of Captain James T. Kirk.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Alan Shore: Let me tell me two things about myself. I too am a lawyer, I can be painfully vindictive, and I do not play fair.

      Lester Tremont: That's three things.

      Alan Shore: See? Not playing fair already. And I'm just getting started.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2005 (2005)

    User reviews198

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Denny Crane and Alan Shore .... enough said !
    Boston Legal is one of the best takes on a TV legal drama that I have seen. It manages to mix drama and comedy pretty well for the most part and introduces us to Alan and Denny who are magnetic characters, played to perfection by James Spader and an incredible William Shatner. To review this whole 5 season series (which i have steadily worked through on DVD over the last 2 months) would take forever, so let me highlight a few good and bad points as i see them.

    Season 1 & 2 had a sharper edge and better dialogue than subsequent seasons. It felt almost as if they were searching for better ratings from season 3 onwards and chose to introduce characters and plots which would deliberately jazz things up a bit. In my opinion the show suffered because of this.

    The characters Jefferey Coho, Claire Simms, Lorraine Weller and Clarence / Clarice Bell added virtually nothing to the show that wasn't there already (other than the cross dressing element) and as they failed to perk up ratings its almost as if David E Kelly thought "well... tried some new faces, didn't work, lets write them out and try something else."

    I also felt that the writers seemed to ignore the more obvious direction that they could have taken, which would have been to flesh out the Denny and Alan characters even more. You are treated to some glimpses of their past when they are discussing their lives on the balcony, but Dennys brilliant former career is never seen first hand and Alans many previous painful issues are only represented in the narrative. Perhaps if even more screen time had been given to these two instead of trying to continually bolster up the supporting characters, the show would have been more successful.

    The recurring theme of the lawyers in the show standing trial for their various indiscretions and always getting away with it was an over used plot and began to wear a bit thin. Similarly, I can only recall one trial verdict of any kind that didn't go in favour of Mssrs Crane, Poole and Schmidt.

    There were flashes of poetry with this show that i felt genuinely moved by. To name a few .....

    • Alans closing argument to allow Shirleys father the right to a dignified death


    • Dennys dominant yet tender legal confrontation with his "son" Donny.


    • Alans arguing against the death penalty in front of the supreme court


    • Paul's fatherly approach to everyone at the firm.


    • Alans good and honest heart (which he tries hard to conceal)


    • The brilliant portrayal of Jerry Espenson by Christain Clemenson


    • The unbreakable friendship between Denny and Alan, and subsequently between most of the characters at Crane, Poole and Schmidt.


    In summation (may as well use the legal terminology), despite the shows many lulls and obvious flaws, I absolutely loved it. William Shatner is a revelation in his role and James Spader is Perfect in his.

    On a personal note, I have lost count of the times my wife has gone ballistic because I have responded to a situation or question by simply saying in the appropriate tone ................. "Denny Crane!"
    helpful•89
    6
    • RedRoadster
    • Aug 24, 2010

    FAQ5

    • To settle an argument in our house. We have recently bought the box set and my partner is convinced that the scene at the end with Allan and senny talking is filmed on different balconies? Can anyone help out with this
    • What happened to all of the women that used to costar on the show in the first season?
    • What brand of scotch do Denny and Alan drink?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 3, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fleet Street
    • Filming locations
      • Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios - 1600 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • David E. Kelley Productions
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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