 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "The Practice" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| The Practice | |
|---|---|
_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | David E. Kelley |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 167(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | March 4, 1997 (1997-03-04) – May 16, 2004 (2004-05-16) |
| Related | |
The Practice is an Americanlegal drama television series created byDavid E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at aBoston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons onABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won anEmmy in 1998 and 1999 forOutstanding Drama Series, and spawned thespin-off seriesBoston Legal, which ran for five more seasons (from 2004 to 2008).
Conflict betweenlegal ethics and personal morality was a recurring theme with light comedy being occasionally present. Kelley claimed that the show was intended to be something of a rebuttal toL.A. Law and its romanticized treatment of the American legal system and legal proceedings.[1]
In season 1, Robert Donnell and Associates features Bobby Donnell as the sole senior partner in a firm that he started a decade prior with his receptionist Rebecca Washington. Ellenor Frutt, Eugene Young and Lindsay Dole are his associates. Jimmy Berluti is hired as an associate after losing his job in finance in an attempt to help Donnell and Associates with a loan.
In season 2, Eugene, Lindsay and Ellenor become partners after Lindsay insists on equity. Robert Donnell and Associates becomes Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. Helen Gamble, an assistant district attorney, becomes regularly entangled in the cases and personal lives of the employees of the firm. She is a personal friend of Lindsay and viewers learn several episodes into the season that Bobby and Lindsay have had an on-again/off-again secret affair. Her romantic relationship with Bobby ends after a high-profile murder case pits them against one another.
In season 3, Rebecca Washington, who had been attendinglaw school in secret, becomes an associate after passing the bar exam. Lucy Hatcher is then hired as the new receptionist.
In season 4, Assistant District Attorney Richard Bay, like Helen, becomes a frequent ally and opponent of Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. At the end of the season, Bobby and Lindsay get married.
In season 5, Lucy becomes arape crisis counselor in addition to her job as the firm's receptionist. Richard Bay is later assassinated after refusing to throw a murder trial. Bobby and Lindsay have a son together.
In season 6, Assistant District Attorney Alan Lowe becomes an antagonist of the firm for a short period of time.
In season 7, after she is convicted of murder and her conviction is overturned, Lindsay leaves Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt to start a new law firm with Claire Wyatt. To fill the void left by Lindsay, Jamie Stringer is hired as an associate. Bobby leaves the firm in the season finale.
In season 8, Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt has been renamed to Young, Frutt and Berluti. Eugene has taken Bobby's place as a senior partner. Lucy has left the firm to become a full-time rape crisis counselor. Rebecca has also left the firm for unknown reasons. Helen is no longer present at the firm's cases. Tara Wilson is hired as a paralegal, andAlan Shore becomes an associate.
After firing Alan and Tara – as well as being sued by the former – Young, Frutt and Berluti dissolve. Eugene then becomes a judge. Ellenor focuses her attention on motherhood. Jimmy and Jamie begin a new firm. Bobby mourns the loss of the law practice. Alan and Tara are hired by another firm, Crane, Poole and Schmidt, and their story is continued inBoston Legal.
| Name | Portrayed by | Occupation | Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||
| Bobby Donnell | Dylan McDermott | Lawyer | Main | Guest | ||||||
| Rebecca Washington | LisaGay Hamilton | Receptionist/Lawyer | Main | |||||||
| Eugene Young | Steve Harris | Lawyer/Judge | Main | |||||||
| Ellenor Frutt | Camryn Manheim | Lawyer | Main | |||||||
| Lindsay Dole | Kelli Williams | Main | ||||||||
| Jimmy Berluti | Michael Badalucco | Main | ||||||||
| Helen Gamble | Lara Flynn Boyle | Assistant District Attorney | Main | |||||||
| Lucy Hatcher | Marla Sokoloff | Receptionist | Main | Recurring | ||||||
| Richard Bay | Jason Kravits | Assistant District Attorney | Recurring | Main | ||||||
| Alan Lowe | Ron Livingston | Assistant District Attorney | Main | |||||||
| Jamie Stringer | Jessica Capshaw | Lawyer | Main | |||||||
| Claire Wyatt | Chyler Leigh | Main | ||||||||
| Tara Wilson | Rhona Mitra | Main | ||||||||
| Alan Shore | James Spader | Main | ||||||||
The series holds theEmmy Awards record for most wins in the Guest Actor and Actress categories for a single series, as well as most nominations in those categories. Emmys went toJohn Larroquette,Edward Herrmann,James Whitmore,Beah Richards,Michael Emerson,Charles S. Dutton,Alfre Woodard,Sharon Stone andWilliam Shatner. In addition,Tony Danza,Paul Dooley,Henry Winkler,Marlee Matlin,René Auberjonois andBetty White were nominated but did not win. Larroquette, who won for his guest appearance during the second season, was nominated again for an episode from the sixth season, but did not win. The series won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for five consecutive years (from 1998 to 2002).
By the end of the seventh season, faced with sagging ratings, ABC conditioned the show's renewal on a drastic budget reduction. As a result,Dylan McDermott,Kelli Williams,Lara Flynn Boyle,Chyler Leigh,Marla Sokoloff, andLisaGay Hamilton were fired as regulars. McDermott and Sokoloff reappeared as special guest stars and a recurring character respectively in the eighth season. The addition ofJames Spader andRhona Mitra to the cast somewhat revived the ratings as Spader went on to win anEmmy for his appearance. However, ABC announced thatThe Practice would not return for a ninth season on March 11, 2004. Instead, Kelley would create a new spin-off series calledBoston Legal which starred Spader, Mitra,Lake Bell,William Shatner[3] andCandice Bergen.
The Practice had 8 seasons and a total of 168 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 6 | March 4, 1997 (1997-03-04) | April 8, 1997 (1997-04-08) | |
| 2 | 28 | September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20) | May 11, 1998 (1998-05-11) | |
| 3 | 23 | September 27, 1998 (1998-09-27) | May 9, 1999 (1999-05-09) | |
| 4 | 22 | September 26, 1999 (1999-09-26) | May 21, 2000 (2000-05-21) | |
| 5 | 22 | October 8, 2000 (2000-10-08) | May 13, 2001 (2001-05-13) | |
| 6 | 23 | September 23, 2001 (2001-09-23) | May 19, 2002 (2002-05-19) | |
| 7 | 22 | September 29, 2002 (2002-09-29) | May 5, 2003 (2003-05-05) | |
| 8 | 22 | September 28, 2003 (2003-09-28) | May 16, 2004 (2004-05-16) | |
Additionally, Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) appears in theAlly McBeal season 1 finale "These Are the Days", whileLara Flynn Boyle andMichael Badalucco each make cameos in "Making Spirits Bright" and "I Know Him by Heart".
Lara Flynn Boyle had an uncredited guest appearance as a rebuttal witness, opposite of guest starHeather Locklear's character in the season 5 episode "Tom Dooley".
The Practice, Volume 1, was released as a four-disc DVD set in North America on June 12, 2007. The set includes all six episodes of season 1 and the first seven episodes of season 2. It also includes a featurette, "Setting Up The Practice".[4] The set was also released in Region 4 on June 6, 2007[5] and in Region 2 on June 29, 2008.[6]
On January 3, 2014, it was announced thatShout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1 and would release the final season on DVD on April 15, 2014.[7]
In 2012, Medium Rare Entertainment acquired the rights to the series in Region 2 and released the first and second seasons on DVD in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2012.[8]
In 2014,StudioCanal released the first and second seasons over three volumes in Germany with German and English audio. The third, fourth, and eighth seasons have also been released in 2016 with plans to release the fifth and sixth at a later date.
Volume 1 was released in Italy and Greece on July 1, 2007.
In March 2019, all seasons and episodes ofThe Practice were released on thestreaming serviceAmazon Prime Video. By 2021, seasons 1–8 became available on the streaming serviceHulu.
| DVD name | Ep# | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Practice: Volume 1 | 13 | June 12, 2007 | June 29, 2008 | June 6, 2007 |
| The Practice: The Complete First and Second Seasons | 34 | — | February 27, 2012[8] | — |
| The Practice: The Complete Third Season | 23 | — | January 21, 2016 (Germany) | — |
| The Practice: The Complete Fourth Season | 22 | — | January 21, 2016 (Germany) | — |
| The Practice: The Final Season | 22 | April 15, 2014 | April 7, 2016 (Germany) | — |
Viewer numbers per season ofThe Practice onABC.
Note: Each US network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of Maysweeps. The first two seasons include the household rating. Seasons 4 and 5 reached the top 10 rankings.
| Season | Timeslot (Eastern & Pacific Time) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Viewers (in millions) | Viewer Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesday 10:00PM | March 4, 1997 | April 8, 1997 | 1996–1997 | 9.1[9] | 45[9] |
| 2 | Saturday 10:00PM (September 20, 1997, to January 3, 1998) Monday 10:00PM (from January 5, 1998) | September 20, 1997 | May 11, 1998 | 1997–1998 | 10.0[10] | 82[10] |
| 3 | Sunday 10:00PM | September 27, 1998 | May 9, 1999 | 1998–1999 | 12.7[11] | 34[11] |
| 4 | September 26, 1999 | May 21, 2000 | 1999–2000 | 19.3[12] | 9[12] | |
| 5 | October 8, 2000 | May 13, 2001 | 2000–2001 | 18.3[13] | 9[13] | |
| 6 | September 23, 2001 | May 19, 2002 | 2001–2002 | 12.9[14] | 26[14] | |
| 7 | Sunday 10:00PM (September 29, 2002, to December 15, 2002) Monday 9:00PM (from January 27, 2003) | September 29, 2002 | May 5, 2003 | 2002–2003 | 9.8[15] | 55[15] |
| 8 | Sunday 10:00PM | September 28, 2003 | May 16, 2004 | 2003–2004 | 9.1[16] | 63[16] |
The exposure from its January 30, 2000, post-Super Bowl episode (attracting 23.8 million viewers) plus their weekly lead-in from early 2000 to mid-2001, the then mega-hitWho Wants to Be a Millionaire, helped the series reach its ratings peak.
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | American Society of Cinematographers Award | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | Dennis Smith(For episode "The Deal") | Nominated |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top TV Series | Marco Beltrami andJon Hassell | Won | |
| 2002 | Won | |||
| 2003 | Won | |||
| 2000 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Peter Scaturro | Won |
| 2001 | Tom Hiel and Peter Scaturro | Won | ||
| 2002 | Won | |||
| 2001 | Casting Society of America's Artios Award | Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic | Janet Gilmore and Megan McConnell | Nominated |
| 1998 | Edgar Allan Poe Award | Best Episode in a TV Series | Michael R. Perry,Stephen Gaghan andDavid E. Kelley(For episode "First Degree") | Nominated |
| 2002 | Jonathan Shapiro,Lukas Reiter,Peter Blake andDavid E. Kelley(For episode "Killing Time") | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Peter Blake andDavid E. Kelley(For episode "Goodbye") | Won | ||
| 1999 | Genesis Award | Television - Dramatic Series | "The Food Chain" | Won |
| 2003 | "Small Sacrifices" | Won | ||
| 1998 | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding TV - Individual Episode | "Civil Rights" | Nominated |
| 1999 | Golden Globe Award | Best Television Series – Drama | Won | |
| Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Dylan McDermott | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Camryn Manheim | Won | ||
| 2000 | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Humanitas Prize | 60 Minute Category | Lukas Reiter andDavid E. Kelley(For episode "Honor Code") | Won |
| 2003 | David E. Kelley(For episode "Final Judgment") | Won | ||
| 1998 | Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award | Best Sound Editing - Television Episodic - Dialogue & ADR | Nominated | |
| 2000 | T.W. Davis, Donna Beltz, Ken Gladden, H. Jay Levine and Debby Ruby-Winsberg | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Steve Harris | Nominated |
| 2000 | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Steve Harris | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | LisaGay Hamilton | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Steve Harris | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Beah Richards | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Steve Harris | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Won | |||
| 2005 | Nominated | |||
| 1999 | Peabody Award | ABC andDavid E. Kelley Productions | Won[17] | |
| PGA Award | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television | David E. Kelley, Robert Breech,Jeffrey Kramer, Christina Musrey, Gary M. Strangis and Pamela J. Wisne | Won | |
| 2001 | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | David E. Kelley,Jeffrey Kramer, Robert Breech,Ed Redlich, Gary M. Strangis, Alice West,Jonathan Pontell, Christina Musrey and Pamela J. Wisne | Won |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Camryn Manheim | Won | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | David E. Kelley(For episode "Betrayal") | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | John Larroquette | Won | ||
| 1999 | Outstanding Drama Series | David E. Kelley,Jeffrey Kramer, Robert Breech, Gary M. Strangis, Christina Musrey and Pamela J. Wisne | Won | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Michael Badalucco | Won | ||
| Steve Harris | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Lara Flynn Boyle | Nominated | ||
| Camryn Manheim | Nominated | |||
| Holland Taylor | Won | |||
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Tony Danza | Nominated | ||
| Edward Herrmann | Won | |||
| Outstanding Casting for a Series | Janet Gilmore and Megan McConnell | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Series | Dennis Smith(For episode "Happily Ever After") | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Costuming for a Series | Shelly Levine and Loree Parral(For episode "Of Human Bondage") | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series | Clark King, Harry Andronis, David John West and Kurt Kassulke(For episode "Happily Ever After") | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Outstanding Drama Series | David E. Kelley,Jeffrey Kramer, Robert Breech, Gary M. Strangis, Christina Musrey and Pamela J. Wisne | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Michael Badalucco | Nominated | ||
| Steve Harris | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Holland Taylor | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Paul Dooley | Nominated | ||
| James Whitmore | Won | |||
| Henry Winkler | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Marlee Matlin | Nominated | ||
| Beah Richards | Won | |||
| Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series | Janet Gilmore and Megan McConnell | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Outstanding Drama Series | David E. Kelley, Robert Breech, Christina Musrey, Gary M. Strangis, Pamela J. Wisne, Joseph Berger-Davis andTodd Ellis Kessler | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | René Auberjonois | Nominated | ||
| Michael Emerson | Won | |||
| Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series | Janet Gilmore and Megan McConnell | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series | Dennis Smith(For episode "The Deal") | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series | Susanne Malles(For episode "The Day After") | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Series | Clark King, David John West, Eric Clopein and David Dondorf(For episode "The Day After") | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Charles S. Dutton | Won | |
| John Larroquette | Nominated | |||
| 2003 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Alfre Woodard | Won | |
| 2004 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | James Spader | Won | |
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | William Shatner | Won | ||
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Sharon Stone | Won | ||
| Betty White | Nominated | |||
| 2004 | Prism Award | Performance in a Drama Series Episode | Steve Harris | Nominated |
| 1999 | Satellite Award | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Dylan McDermott | Nominated |
| 2000 | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Camryn Manheim | Won | ||
| Kelli Williams | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | Best Television Series – Drama | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | Nominated | |||
| 1998 | Television Critics Association Award | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Program of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Nominated | |||
| Individual Achievement in Drama | David E. Kelley | Won | ||
| Camryn Manheim | Nominated | |||
| Dylan McDermott | Nominated | |||
| 2000 | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Nominated | ||
| TV Guide Award | Favorite Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Quality Drama Series | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Michael Badalucco | Nominated | ||
| Steve Harris | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Camryn Manheim | Nominated | ||
| Kelli Williams | Nominated | |||
| Best Recurring Player | Linda Hunt | Nominated | ||
| John Larroquette | Won | |||
| 1999 | Best Quality Drama Series | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Michael Badalucco | Nominated | ||
| Steve Harris | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Camryn Manheim | Won | ||
| Kelli Williams | Nominated | |||
| 2000 | Best Quality Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Dylan McDermott | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Michael Badalucco | Nominated | ||
| Steve Harris | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Camryn Manheim | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | Writers Guild of America Award | Episodic Drama | David E. Kelley(For episode "Betrayal") | Nominated |
| Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Billie Thomas | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Marc John Jefferies | Nominated | |
| Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress | Jamie Lauren | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress | Nominated |
