Boston Legal

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Boston Legal
Format Legal Drama
Comedy
Created by David E. Kelley
Starring James Spader
William Shatner
Candice Bergen
Christian Clemenson
Rene Auberjonois
Monica Potter
Julie Bowen
John Larroquette
Rhona Mitra
Lake Bell
Mark Valley
Justin Mentell
Ryan Michelle Bathe
Craig Bierko
Constance Zimmer
Gary Anthony Williams
Tara Summers
Saffron Burrows
Taraji P. Henson
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 101 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) David E. Kelley
Bill D'Elia
Mike Listo
Lawrence Broch
Janet Leahy (2.04-3.24)
Scott Kaufer (1.01-2.03, 2.23)
Jeff Rake (1.01-1.13)
Running time approx. 42 min.
Production company(s) 20th Century Fox Television
Dick Clark Productions
David E. Kelley Productions
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Picture format 480i (SDTV),
720p (HDTV)
Original run October 3, 2004 – December 8, 2008
Chronology
Preceded by The Practice
External links
Official website

Boston Legal is an American legal drama-comedy (dramedy) created by David E. Kelley, which originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2004 to December 8, 2008. A spin-off of the long-running series The Practice, Boston Legal followed the personal and professional exploits of a group of attorneys working at the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. Boston Legal had regularly been a top 20 program on ABC and drew one of the most affluent audiences in television.

Contents

[edit] Production details

Before the show's premiere, it had a working title of Fleet Street, an allusion to the real street in Boston where the fictitious Crane, Poole & Schmidt had its offices. The working title was later modified to The Practice: Fleet Street, but this title was dropped in favor of Boston Legal before the show premiered.[1] The real building shown as the law office is located at 500 Boylston Street, 12 minutes away from Fleet Street.

The American producers of the series also hired British writer Sir John Mortimer (creator of the UK legal series Rumpole of the Bailey) as a consultant for Boston Legal.[2]

[edit] Premise: The Practice

Most of the final episodes of The Practice were focused on introducing the new characters from Crane, Poole & Schmidt in preparation for Boston Legal's launch. Thus, the story of Boston Legal can be said to begin with the episode of The Practice in which Eugene Young and Jimmy Berluti of Young, Frutt & Berluti decided to fire Alan Shore without consulting Ellenor Frutt, beginning a story arc of several episodes. They give Alan a severance package of only fifteen thousand dollars, even though Alan has brought in over nine million dollars of revenue to the firm. Tara Wilson gets fired for her loyalty to Alan, and Alan goes to Crane, Poole & Schmidt to represent him in the matter, thinking he has a claim under Massachusetts law to take over Young, Frutt & Berluti. Denny Crane, senior and founding partner of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, takes an interest in the case and even argues at the resulting trial, cross-examining Young. During this period, Ellenor also has a run-in with Hannah Rose (Rebecca De Mornay), a partner at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, whom Ellenor ends up seriously injuring when they fight over Hannah's condescending remarks to Ellenor. The character of Hannah Rose was dropped prior to the Boston Legal pilot's being filmed.

The jury awards Alan the millions of dollars of revenue he brought in to Young, Frutt & Berluti but does not order the firm to rehire him, so Denny hires Alan at his firm. After Young is appointed a judge, his first case (in the final episode of The Practice) happens to be with Alan for the defense, making Young wonder if Alan judge-shopped (this opened the door for Steve Harris to guest-star on Boston Legal as a judge, although in the end no starring Practice characters made any guest appearances on Boston Legal), though many actors and actresses who guest starred in The Practice have contributed to Boston Legal, taking on roles of a different character. Examples include Rene Auberjonois, John Larroquette and Christian Clemenson. One interesting fact is that Anthony Heald, who guest starred in both shows, took on the characters of Judge Harvey Cooper in Boston Legal and of Judge Wallace Cooper in The Practice, although both are considered the same character.[3]

[edit] Boston Legal

The pilot was originally produced with James Spader, Lake Bell, Mark Valley, Rhona Mitra and William Shatner playing the main characters, with an expanded storyline featuring Larry Miller as Edwin Poole, and with John Michael Higgins as senior partner Jerry Austin. Monica Potter was later cast as junior partner Lori Colson. After completing several episodes, the producers felt the show needed grounding, and Rene Auberjonois was cast as senior partner Paul Lewiston, effectively replacing John Michael Higgins. Despite this, Higgins's character still appeared in the first two episodes. The pilot premiered on ABC on October 3, 2004, following the series premiere of Desperate Housewives.[4]

On November 30, 2004, it was announced that Candice Bergen would join the cast as senior partner Shirley Schmidt.[5] The producers had been looking to introduce the character since the fall.[6] Lake Bell and Executive Producer Jeff Rake subsequently left the series, while Rene Auberjonois was made a main cast member.[7][8][9]

The announcement that Boston Legal would be renewed for a second season was made on 5 April 2005. The final five episodes of the first season were initially pre-empted for several weeks (until 24 April 2005) in order to expose mid-season series Grey's Anatomy to a larger audience behind Desperate Housewives.[10] Grey's Anatomy, however, was highly successful in the timeslot, and Boston Legal was pre-empted until the fall of 2005, where it would take over NYPD Blue's Tuesday timeslot for an extended season of twenty-seven episodes.[11][12] Both Rhona Mitra and Monica Potter departed the series over the hiatus, while Julie Bowen was cast as Denise Bauer.[13] Ryan Michelle Bathe and Justin Mentell were later cast as junior associates Sara Holt and Garrett Wells.[14] A new writing staff headed by Janet Leahy took over as of episode four of the second season.

The second episode of Season 3 introduced Craig Bierko as Jeffrey Coho and Constance Zimmer as Claire Simms. In episode 3x11 Gary Anthony Williams was added to the main cast as Clarence Bell, a role he had played twice earlier in the season. Also introduced in this episode was Nia Long as Vanessa Walker, in a guest role that lasted 3 episodes. In the 15th episode of the third season, Craig Bierko left the show.

On June 4, 2007, TV Guide announced that Rene Auberjonois, Julie Bowen, Mark Valley, and Constance Zimmer would not return for the fourth season.[15] On June 13, 2007, it was reported that actor John Larroquette would join the cast as a senior partner transferred from the New York offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt (Note: Larroquette previously appeared on BL's forerunner The Practice as another character, a hyper-intelligent man on trial for killing his gay lover; this role earned Larroquette an Emmy Award.); and actress Tara Summers would be joining as a young associate. Also, Christian Clemenson, who appeared occasionally as Jerry Espenson, a brilliant but socially inept lawyer, would be upgraded to contract player.[16] The possibility was left open that Rene Auberjonois, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen, and Constance Zimmer could return in guest roles.[17] On July 2, 2007, it was reported that both Rene Auberjonois and Mark Valley would return in recurring roles;[18] furthermore, it was announced that Taraji P. Henson would join the cast later in the fourth season, with Saffron Burrows appearing in a recurring role. It was subsequently reported that Burrows would become a full-time cast member.[19]

On July 19, 2007, Boston Legal was nominated for six Emmy awards, including Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series (James Spader), Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (William Shatner), and its first nomination for Best Drama Series. On 14 September 2007, James Spader won the Emmy for his role as the lead character in the show, whilst nominations were lost for William Shatner and Christian Clemenson in their roles for Supporting and Guest Actors, respectively. Also, the show itself lost as Best Drama Series to The Sopranos.

On 13 May 2008 ABC announced that Boston Legal would return for a fifth (and final) season in the fall.[20][21] Saffron Burrows did not return as a series regular, having joined the cast of My Own Worst Enemy. The final season consisted of 13 episodes to bring it over the "100" episode mark, setting it up for a successful syndication run.[22] There was speculation that Boston Legal might receive an additional episode-order if the show had another strong showing in the Emmy Awards and produced solid ratings in its new Fall time slot.[23] The season began airing on September 22, 2008.

On June 18 and June 20, 2008 it was reported that Gary Anthony Williams and Taraji P. Henson would not return for the fifth season as Clarence Bell and Whitney Rome, respectively.[24][25]

On July 17, 2008, Boston Legal was nominated for a series-high seven Emmy nominations, including for Best Drama Series for a second year in a row. Spader, Bergen and Shatner were also nominated for their respective roles.

Boston Legal began airing in reruns on ION Television in September 2008. And in most markets, episodes began airing in off-network syndication (ironically in anticipation of the last episodes, to bring it to just over 100), on the weekend of September 28-29, 2008.

Boston Legal's series finale aired on Monday, 8 December 2008 on the ABC Television Network at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central. It was a two-hour episode. The finale saw the firm sold to new Chinese interests because of Crane, Poole & Schmidt's poor financial position. The new owners were not accepted by Shirley Schmidt, Carl Sack, or Jerry Espenson, who voted against the acquisition along with 3 other partners. Denny Crane insulted the new owners by shooting them with a paintball gun. The acrimony engendered by the name partner's actions led the Chinese to begin plans for downsizing and replacing the litigation division of the firm. It was announced that all of the show's leading characters would be fired as of 1 January 2009. This led to a typically eloquent, but ultimately ill-received, showdown on the part of Alan Shore, wherein he turned the tables on the new owners, attempting to preemptively fire them. Though his argument was not taken in the light he'd intended, it did prompt an offer from the Chinese owners to rehire all the cast members, though Shirley muses that likely they will be let go over a longer period of time. Also, Denny's earlier actions led to his name being removed from the firm which was renamed to Chang, Poole & Schmidt.

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 7th, David E. Kelley said that it was in fact ABC's decision to end Boston Legal. He also stated that executives did not want to commit to a fifth season, so he had to fight to bring it back for a short season of 13 episodes. [26]

[edit] Cast

Actor Character Status Season(s)
James Spader Alan Shore 2004-2008 (The Practice 2003-2004) 1–5
John Larroquette Carl Sack 2007-2008 4–5
Christian Clemenson Jerry Espenson 2005-2008 (recurring season 2-3) 2–5
Tara Summers Katie Lloyd 2007-2008 4–5
Candice Bergen Shirley Schmidt 2005-2008 1–5
William Shatner Denny Crane 2004-2008 (The Practice 2004) 1–5
Rene Auberjonois Paul Lewiston 2004–2008 (recurring Season 4-5) 1–5
Lake Bell Sally Heep 2004–2005 (The Practice 2004; recurring Season 3; 2007) 1, 3
Rhona Mitra Tara Wilson 2004–2005 (The Practice 2003–2004; recurring Season 2) 1, 2
Monica Potter Lori Colson 2004–2005 (recurring Season 2) 1, 2
Mark Valley Brad Chase 2004–2007 (recurring Season 4) 1–4
Ryan Michelle Bathe Sara Holt 2005–2006 2
Julie Bowen Denise Bauer 2005–2007, 2008 (recurring Season 5) 2–3, 5
Justin Mentell Garrett Wells 2005–2006 2
Constance Zimmer Claire Simms 2006–2007 3
Craig Bierko Jeffrey Coho 2006–2007 3
Gary Anthony Williams Clarence Bell 2006–2008 3–4
Saffron Burrows Lorraine Weller 2007–2008 4
Taraji P. Henson Whitney Rome 2007–2008 4

[edit] Recurring cast and notable guest stars

Guest stars include:

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Ratings and audience profile

Though the show has never produced blockbuster ratings, it maintained the majority of its audience over its five-year run despite being switched four times to different nights (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.)

It was one of ABC's most influential shows because of the audience it drew. According to Nielsen Media Research, Boston Legal drew the richest viewing audience on television, based on the concentration of high-income viewers in its young adult audience (Adult 18–49 index w/$100k+ annual income).[27]

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Boston Legal on ABC.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. All times mentioned in this section were in the Eastern and Pacific time zones.

Season Timeslot Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Season
Rank
Viewers
(in millions)
1st Sunday 10:00 pm October 3, 2004 March 20, 2005 2004–2005 #27[28] 12.5[28]
2nd Tuesday 10:00 pm September 27, 2005 May 16, 2006 2005–2006 #46[29] 10.3[29]
3rd September 19, 2006 May 29, 2007 2006–2007 #48 9.9[30]
4th Tuesday 10:00 pm

Wednesday 10:00 pm

September 25, 2007 May 21, 2008 2007–2008 #51 9.8[31]
5th Monday 10:00 pm September 22, 2008 December 8, 2008 2008–2009 TBD 9.2

[edit] DVD releases

On February 9, 2006, tvshowsondvd.com announced that Fox Home Entertainment was releasing Boston Legal Season 1 on DVD on May 23, 2006.[32] It is the first David E. Kelley show that FOX has released on DVD in the United States (though Ally McBeal has been released on DVD in other countries). The season one box set had five discs while the season two and three sets had seven discs.

Note: Some of the Season 1 DVDs, provided by select offline retailers, included a promotional DVD featuring the episodes from The Practice that introduced Alan Shore and the firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. This was only included in the very early sales of the DVD as a promotion.

DVD Name Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Season 1 May 23, 2006 July 24, 2006 August 9, 2006
Season 2 November 21, 2006 March 5, 2007 February 21, 2007
Season 3 September 18, 2007 January 14, 2008 October 10, 2007
Season 4 September 23, 2008 October 13, 2008 December 3, 2008
Season 5 May 5, 2009 May 11, 2009 TBA, Q3 2009

[edit] Awards

[edit] Awards won

Emmy Awards:

The Emmys won in 2004 were for The Practice, but for the same characters as they play on Boston Legal

Golden Globe Awards:

  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV William Shatner (2005)

[edit] Awards nominated

Emmy Awards:

  • Outstanding Drama Series (2008)
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series James Spader (2008)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series William Shatner (2008)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Candice Bergen (2008)
  • Outstanding Drama Series (2007)
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series James Spader (2007)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series William Shatner (2007)
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Christian Clemenson (2007)
  • Outstanding Director for a Drama Series Bill D'Elia; Son of the Defender (2007)
  • Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour); Lincoln (2007)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series William Shatner (2006)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Candice Bergen (2006)
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Michael J. Fox (2006)
  • Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series Nikki Valko, Ken Miller (2006)
  • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Phil Neel (2006)

Golden Globe Awards:

  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television William Shatner (2007)
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Candice Bergen (2006)
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Drama James Spader (2005)

Screen Actors Guild:

  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series James Spader (2007)
  • Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2007)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Comedy Series (2006)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series James Spader (2006)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series William Shatner (2006)
  • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Candice Bergen (2006)

[edit] Breaking The Fourth Wall

The show frequently utilizes the device of breaking the fourth wall, but usually in a sly manner that can also be interpreted as the characters only jokingly pretending they're on a television show.[33] As early as the first season, a frustrated Alan Shore states in the episode "An Eye for an Eye" (episode 1x05) that "I want to be on cable. That's where all the best work is being done."

In episode 1x09 Paul Lewiston threatens Alan Shore by saying "If you attempt to undermine our case in any way, your employment will be terminated", to which Alan replies sarcastically "In that event I will go to cable".

A despondent Denny remarks in the episode "A Whiff and a Prayer" (episode 2x04) that "I always wanted to go out with my pride, failing that, at least my old time slot."

In episode 2x13 Alan Shore, walking on the terrace to meet Denny Crane (usual ending of the day at the firm and of each episode), he addresses to Denny: "There you are. Hardly seen you this episode", referring to the fact the character Denny Crane had not been part of the episode's plot.

In episode 2x23, Chelina says, "God, the last time I saw you...," to which Alan replies, " I believe it was a Sunday, then I was taken off the air, you went off to do movies, I got switched to Tuesdays and... " and Chelina responds, "Here we are... with old footage." All of this referring to the notable omission of Chelina's episode appearances, though her character is clearly filmed and shown in many of the Season 2 opening credit sequences, before she was taken out of regular appearances. Alan is bringing up the change in day that the show was aired, and her apparent pursuing of movie roles.

In episode 4x16, Jerry announces, "During the strike, I fell in love." Katie asks, "What strike?" Jerry responds, "It doesn't matter, the point is . . " This episode aired on 15 April 2008, shortly after the conclusion of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which had prevented the showing of BL for over two months.

This tendency became more prevalent in the final season [34] with several references to the end of the series, including Jerry discussing a potential spinoff, claiming that if the board removes Denny, he, Alan, and even Carl might also walk out before asking if they really wanted them anyway 'because the network certainly don't.' In a lawsuit brought on by Catherine (Betty White) concerning the dearth of television programming for the elderly, Carl Sack points out that there is only one show on television that features a cast largely over the age of 50. He stops short of referring to the show by name (though he obviously means Boston Legal) and motions directly at the camera saying, "The wall," referring to the fact that revealing the show's identity would break the fourth wall. During the same episode, the penultimate of the show, Betty White's character's cellphone ringtone is the theme tune from The Practice - in which she also appeared.

Another example is when in the teaser Christian Clemenson tells Schmidt that he has a song that keeps going through his head. It is revealed to be the show's theme song and, most notably, when in the second episode of the third season, William Shatner's character observes that two new cast members would surely have been introduced in the previous episode, before welcoming them explicitly to "Boston Legal".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pergament, Alan (2004-07-19). "Marketing, Legal Factors Influence TV'S Name Game". The Buffalo News. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BN&p_theme=bn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=103F981A0C6BE0BA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved on 2008-12-10. 
  2. ^ In appreciation of John Mortimer - csmonitor
  3. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/47/Anthony-Heald.html
  4. ^ Levin, Gary (2004-10-04). "'Housewives' lifts ABC's spirits — and ratings". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-10-04-desperate-wives-abc-comeback_x.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-10. 
  5. ^ ABC press release (2004-11-30). "Candace Bergen Joins the Cast of ABC's 'Boston Legal'". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20041130abc01. Retrieved on 2008-12-10. 
  6. ^ Rice, Lynette. [1] "Legal Aid"]. "Entertainment Weekly" online, January 10, 2005.
  7. ^ Breaking News - Development Update: November 29-30 | TheFutonCritic.com
  8. ^ Breaking News - Development Update: November 15-18 | TheFutonCritic.com
  9. ^ [2]
  10. ^ [3]
  11. ^ Breaking News - BUILDING ON A SLATE OF RETURNING SERIES THAT PRODUCED THE LARGEST SEASON-TO-SEASON ADULT 18-49 AUDIENCE GROWTH FOR ANY MAJOR NETWORK IN AT LEAST 25 YEARS, ABC ...
  12. ^ Breaking News - GREY'S ANATOMY TO CONTINUE AIRING SUNDAYS AT 10:00 P.M. ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK | TheFutonCritic.com
  13. ^ Breaking News - Development Update Special: Who's In and Who's Out | TheFutonCritic.com
  14. ^ Breaking News - THREE NEW CAST MEMBERS JOIN ABC'S "BOSTON LEGAL" | TheFutonCritic.com
  15. ^ Ausiello, Michael. "Boston Legal Cleans House, Drops Four Actors!". TV Guide online, June 13, 2007.
  16. ^ Ausiello Report at TV Guide
  17. ^ "Larroquette added to 'Boston Legal' bill". Reuters, June 14, 2007.
  18. ^ "More cast changes at 'Boston Legal'". Reuters, July 2, 2007.
  19. ^ "Actress Burrows makes it 'Legal'". July 25, 2007.
  20. ^ Boston Legal on ABC - Boston Legal Spoilers, Episode Guides, Message Board | TVGuide.com
  21. ^ 'Boston Legal' set for fifth season - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety
  22. ^ 'Boston Legal' Bowing Out - ABC series will finish after five seasons - Zap2it
  23. ^ Ed Martin: Why Boston Legal is One of Broadcast's Best
  24. ^ Welcome to AccessAtlanta! | AccessAtlanta
  25. ^ BET.com - What The Flick » Working Girl
  26. ^ Owen, Rob (2008-12-07). "'Boston Legal's' Kelley delivers parting shots". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08342/932829-67.stm. Retrieved on 2008-12-23. 
  27. ^ "ABC Renews BOSTON LEGAL, MEN IN TREES, BROTHERS, UGLY, HOUSEWIVES, GREY'S, LOST, 7 More For Next Season!!", Ain'tItCoolNews.com.
  28. ^ a b "2004-05 Final audience and ratings figures". Hollywood Reporter. May 27, 2005. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000937471. 
  29. ^ a b "2005-06 primetime wrap". Hollywood Reporter. May 26, 2006. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393. 
  30. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25, 2007. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f. 
  31. ^ "Season Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. http://abcmedianet.com/DNR/2008/pdf/dnr052808.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-06-02. 
  32. ^ Boston Legal DVD news: Season 1 Street Date. Denny Crane. | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  33. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (February 14, 2006). "THE TV WATCH; Beneath the Quirks, There's Always a Message for the Masses". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E1DA123EF937A25751C0A9609C8B63. 
  34. ^ http://forums.abc.go.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?nav=main&webtag=livefromla&entry=704

[edit] External links

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