Product Description
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Led by an Emmy Award-winning cast (James Spader, Denny Crane and
Candice Bergen), "Boston Legal" tells the professional and
personal stories of a group of brilliant but often emotionally
challenged attorneys. Fast-paced and darkly comedic, the series
confronts social and moral issues, while its characters
continually stretch the boundaries of the law.
.com
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The classic combination of James Spader and William Shatner is
just one of many reasons to savor the inaugural 17-episode season
of Boston Legal. Making its highly rated ABC debut on October 3,
2004, this darkly comedic spinoff from The Practice looked like a
formulaic reworking of creator David E. Kelley's previously
successful series Ally McBeal, with similar plots and quirky
characters enmeshed in personal and professional affairs of the
heart at the prestigious Boston law firm of Crane, Poole &
Schmidt. It quickly became apparent that Kelley, co-executive
producer Bill D'Elia, and the show's magnificent ensemble cast
were onto something equally fresh, funny, and infectiously
entertaining.
Red Carpet Video: The Boston Legal
cast gives .com some behind-the-scenes scoop
and recommends their favorite DVDs and music.
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Both Shatner and Spader won Emmys for their original roles on
The Practice, and the priceless pairing of the erratic,
egomaniacal senior partner Denny Crane (Shatner, doing the best
work of his career) and ethically challenged attorney Alan Shore
(Spader, likewise) signaled the arrival of one of the finest
comedic duos in TV history. Waging a two-man war on political
correctness, the boisterous has-been Denny loves the sound of his
own name (the mere mention of "Denny Crane" qualifies as
ego-stroking foreplay), unabashedly subjects female associates to
his lascivious advances, and (in creator Kelley's words) "trades
on the currency of his reputation" as an undefeated trial
attorney. As the show's fascinating heart and soul, Alan Shore is
a walking contradiction, and Spader plays him perfectly as a
charismatic, self-loathing lothario who'll bend the law to suit
his higher purposes. Deeply cynical yet fiercely committed to his
own complex and compassionate moral code, he's brazenly open
about his sexual appetites as he savors the affections of smart,
sexy associates Sally Heep (Lake Bell), and Tara Wilson (Rhona
Mitra), whose relationship with Shore grows strained as the
season progresses.
While senior partner Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois), senior
associate and ex-Marine Brad Chase (Mark Valley), and junior
associate Lori Colson (Monica Potter) struggle to maintain the
firm's lofty reputation, the appearance of founding partner
Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) elevates Boston Legal to an even
higher plane of serio-comic perfection. A former flame of Denny
Crane's, Schmidt arrives in episode 11 (appropriately titled
"Schmidt Happens") as common-sense negotiator with a rapier wit
and a clanking pair of big brass cojones, fully capable of
holding her own against the Crane/Shore juggernaut. And while "An
Eye for an Eye" (episode 5) is a sublime example of Boston
Legal's deft combination of lunacy and courtroom complexity, it's
the deeper implications of episodes like "Tortured Souls" (15)
and season finale "Death Be Not Proud" (tackling a dubious death
sentence in Texas) that cast these rich and wonderful characters
into sharper , baring their souls and the courage of their
convictions.
With surprising departures (Lake Bell, in episode 13), new
arrivals (Kerry Washington, as new associate Chelina Hall, in
episode 15) and stellar guest stars including Larry Miller (as
the eccentrically unstable founding partner Edwin Poole), Philip
Baker Hall, Frances Fisher, Carl Reiner, Freddie Prinze Jr.,
Shelley Long, and late-season regular Betty White, Boston Legal
gained a large and loyal following with exceptional writing,
timely social relevance, and that rare quality of chemistry that
guarantees long-term appeal. Nowhere is this more apparent than
the now-famous Spader/Shatner "balcony scenes" that quickly
became an episode-closing tradition, with staunch Republican
Denny Crane and passionate Democrat Alan Shore reflecting upon
their careers, current issues, and their own devoted friendship
over brandy and cigars. With these two actors together, virtually
every episode ends on a high note of pensive introspection, and
Boston Legal becomes even greater than the sum of its parts. DVD
extras are minimal (two featurettes with cast and producers, plus
deleted scenes from episode 1) but enjoyably worthwhile. --Jeff
Shannon
