Boston Legal

[AKA23]

I just finished this series and was wondering if we have anyone else who has seen it who enjoyed it, or who saw it and really didn't like it, as that would be fun to discuss as well. I found it to be a really fun show that had quite innovative stories. It also has quite well conceived characters and pretty stellar acting by James Spader and William Shatner. Its portrayal of male friendship is also very heart warming and something I've never seen on TV before. Candice Bergen of "Murphy Brown" fame is also in it as well and portrayed a good and relatable character that serves to temper some of William Shatner's excesses. It is definitely a very different type of legal drama than I have ever seen before, and has strong comedic undertones. It reminded me a bit of "Suits", but "Suits" is more of a serious show. I think that the creators of "Suits" took some of their inspiration from "Boston Legal" though. So, what was everyone's impressions of this show? Also, do you think a show like "Boston Legal" could be made today? It's highly entertaining, but I think probably no!

[AKA23]

We had a previous thread from 2004 that Holden posted to. My thoughts largely track with his overall. He was really the only one who posted in depth thoughts on the show, so I'm posting these here for review and discussion. Holden Pike you wrote this during the first season. Would love to hear how the show held up for you and whether any of your thoughts on it have changed or evolved since?

Originally written by Holden Pike on 12/27/2004
First let me say, I have never really liked a David E. Kelly show. Ever. I thought "Chicago Hope" was watchable, but nothing special despite a fantastic cast (yes, mainstream but I truly enjoyed "E.R." much, much more). "Picket Fences" had a good cast too, but was way too silly and all over the place. "The Practice" was a waste of time, and "Ally McBeal" proved that annoying does not equal smart. "Boston Public" was never sure what kind of show it wanted to be, and it showed. Even by the time Kelly had taken the reigns at "L.A. Law", it had become a self-parody of what it once was. "Snoops" and "Girl's Club" don't even bare a mention.

Given all that history, I was not even planning on watching ten minutes of "Boston Legal". Because it was in syndication, I had suffered through quite a few episodes of "The Practice" over the years, and even purposefully tuned into the first couple that introduced James Spader's character as that series was winding down - just because I like Spader so much. As always, I was monstrously unimpressed. Oh, well.

I had decided to give "Desperate Housewives" a chance, mainly because I adore Felicity Huffman and thought given the premise and commercials that it had a chance of being a good, dark satire. After an OK beginning, it became clear to me "Housewives" wasn't going anywhere and wasn't something I was going to continue to watch. BUT, just out of basic laziness, I had kept it on the same channel those first few weeks, and even though at first I wasn't paying attention, that damn "Boston Legal" show was growing on me. And fast. By the fourth week of the season, I had completely ditched "Housewives" and had surprisingly become a fan of "Boston Legal".

Very surprisingly.



On paper, there's nothing about the show that I'd want to tune in for - other than my Spader fandom. But gah-damnit! It's a very funny, well-written, brilliantly cast, incredibly FUN program. Spader and William Shatner in particular are amazing. Yes, I too am shocked to be typing that Shatner is great at anything other than making fun of himself, but he's just perfect as the character Denny Crain - a once ruthless and brilliant lawyer who may be slowly (or not so slowly) succumbing to Alzheimers and/or insanity. And Spader...man, the role of the slick and unorthadox but oddly ethical Alan Shore is SO in his wheelhouse. The two of them MAKE the show. But the supporting cast around them is pretty strong too, including good ol' Rene Auberjonois as the other elder partner, Monica Potter (Without Limits, Along Came a Spider) as a goody-goody who keeps finding herself corrupted by Shore's style and antics, Mark Valley ("Keen Eddie") as the way too good-looking rival who can't seem to get one up on Shore, and the stunningly sexy Rhona Mitra and Lake Bell as female lawyers who have, only half a season in, already both slept with Shore. I believe after the holiday break when the show comes back on the air, Candice Bergan is joining as a regular, as the other senior partner. I've always liked her, so I'm anxious to see what kind of character they'll give her.




"Boston Legal" airs on ABC at 10pm on Sunday nights. Give it a shot. The characters are so well written and the banter so addictive, I think it's a show you could jump in just about anywhere and start to enjoy almost instantly - having not seen the first ten episodes won't be an impossible hinderance. Anyone in the U.S., check it out if you get a chance. You may be happily surprised by the quality and fun of it too.

[Austruck]

Gotta agree with anyone who enjoys Boston Legal. I tried it out a few years ago because of Spader, and I binged through the whole thing in a heartbeat. Might be time for a rewatch. I bought some of it on DVD simply because I couldn't find every season online anywhere to stream it. I'll have to see if that situation has changed by now, though. (With my luck, it'll be some OTHER season that isn't available, forcing me to slowly buy the entire series on DVD.) :D

[Gideon58]

I LOVED Boston Legal...watched it religiously during its original primetime run. The chemistry between James Spader and William Shatner was unlike anything I have ever seen.

[AKA23]

Thanks Austruck and Gideon! In case others may be considering whether to watch this (it should be on Hulu and Disney +), I wanted to offer some thoughts on things that I didn't like about the show. They didn't impact the entertainment value of it for me, but they may for others.

Firstly, I found it to be the most unrealistic show about the law that I have ever seen. Do we have any lawyers, especially corporate lawyers, who found the show to be realistic, and why? Alan and Denny in particular are fond of long diatribes in court that are replete with political, social, cultural, or moral messages that have little to do with the facts of the case. Legal arguments are typically about the facts of the case and how the law does, or does not, apply to those facts, and whether they satisfy the elements of a crime, or the civil offense, being charged. In "Boston Legal" they rarely ever talk about the facts of the case and how those facts apply to the law. Many of the arguments provided would be ruled completely irrelevant to the case and not be allowed to the extent that they are in the show. I found that to be wildly unrealistic, as is the fact that the jury almost always ends up finding in their favor anyway. Almost every case is blatant jury nullification, which is when the jury decides to ignore the law. This does occur, but the fact that the jury does that so often, because they presumably feel sorry for the client, or like the "Boston Legal" lawyers, and are frequently persuaded to ignore the law in favor of irrelevant arguments, is quite unrealistic in my opinion. Also, the behavior of the lawyers and the behavior of the judges is often unprofessional, which would not be tolerated on a routine basis in court.

Secondly, if you are a conservative or Republican leaning individual, I think it would be quite unlikely that you'd like this show. The show is clearly made to almost exclusively advocate for the liberal point of view on almost every issue. More concerningly than that, the show makes little to no attempt to thoughtfully present conservative points of view. The only regular character that is a conservative is routinely depicted in an absurd and ridiculously outlandish way, and conservative arguments are almost never presented in a serious or fair way. This show makes "The West Wing", which was also made to be quite sympathetic to the liberal point of view, but did often thoughtfully present conservative arguments, look like "Fox News". The show also often makes references to current events, such as the Iraq war, or mentions contemporary politicians like President Bush, Obama, Hillary Clinton, etc, which to me makes the show feel dated now. I usually prefer shows that are inspired by current events, but that use them to fuel the creation of their own stories.

Thirdly, the show involves frequent and quite brazen depictions of sexual harassment on the part of Alan Shore and Denny Crane towards other women lawyers in the firm, in addition to judges, that felt problematic to me. This behavior, at the levels in which it was depicted, likely wouldn't be accepted in a corporate law firm when the show was set, let alone today. Additionally, this behavior is often depicted as being received as acceptable by the firm and few consequences are doled out, and the women lawyers are often depicted as going along with the behavior rather than reacting against it.

I still highly recommend this show, as it was very entertaining, so if these are not deal breaker issues for you, and you can still appreciate the show for what it does offer, give it a watch, and then come back here and let us know what you thought!

[Austruck]

Sorry, AKA23 ... I'm conservative (and mostly Republican) and I still loved this show. Just being conservative doesn't mean we all are firmly and annoyingly set against anything that doesn't line up with us politically at every turn. (Frankly, not to pick on you specifically, I really don't like this caricaturization of conservatives. Liberals are just as firmly set in their beliefs, sometimes to the point of being intolerant of others, and yet they aren't usually caricatured that way. Have no clue why.)

Anyway, also... I never for a minute thought this show accurately represented how a court of law actually operates. I mean, so few TV shows and movies get that right. I've been on two juries (drunk driving charge the first time and a barroom brawl charge the second time), and let me tell you: justice in the courtroom is a boring, plodding thing. :D It wouldn't play well on TV if they represented most of it accurately.

I watched the show for the comedy, the banter between Spader and Shatner, and the fun, outrageous characters shown throughout the show. To me it was entertainment, not a documentary. :D :D

[AKA23]

Sorry, AKA23 ... I'm conservative (and mostly Republican) and I still loved this show. Just being conservative doesn't mean we all are firmly and annoyingly set against anything that doesn't line up with us politically at every turn. (Frankly, not to pick on you specifically, I really don't like this caricaturization of conservatives. Liberals are just as firmly set in their beliefs, sometimes to the point of being intolerant of others, and yet they aren't usually caricatured that way. Have no clue why.)


I'm not a conservative, and it bothered me, so I'm pleasantly surprised that you enjoyed a show that was as one-sided as this show is. It makes little to no attempt to provide both sides of many relevant issues, and that was the issue that I had with it, not that it didn't ultimately align with the conservative point of view. This is why I made my point about "The West Wing".

[GulfportDoc]

Y'all have made some good points. We watched the first 3 eps of the first season last night. To me the show is droll, but I was impressed over how good an actor William Shatner is. I've always associated him with Star Trek (not a fan) and his TV commercials. He's got quite a range. And of course Spader's role is perfect for him. One can see the beginnings of his Red Reddington role in The Blacklist.

Yes, the topics are SJ, before SJ became so ubiquitous. And of course it doesn't present like real life lawyering, and definitely not realistic courtroom activity. But I'm sure they didn't intend it to be. The women are certainly all beautiful. I'd give what I've seen so far a 5/5 rating. If we get back to it we might skip ahead a season or two to see if it's aged a little.

One pleasurable thing: one doesn't have to put up with half the show being about, and being on, iPhones!

[AKA23]

And of course Spader's role is perfect for him. One can see the beginnings of his Red Reddington role in The Blacklist.

Yes, the topics are SJ, before SJ became so ubiquitous.

Yes, I think the reason Spader was chosen for "The Blacklist" was because of "Boston Legal". He has the same acting style in "The Blacklist" and his long philosophical expositions, with sinister undertones, are also ever present in "The Blacklist" as well.

I think "Boston Legal" was actually ahead of its time. A lot of the issues they discuss are just as relevant today as they were when it was first made, and I think in some ways "Boston Legal" kind of forecasted how these issues would grow in importance and how they would become more polarized over time. That's one of the reasons I was disappointed by the contemporary references to the Iraq War, Bush, Obama, etc. as I think these stories could have been timeless without those references being included as anchors to the present time.