| Boston Legal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | David E. Kelley |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Danny Lux |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 101(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 42-62 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 3, 2004 (2004-10-03) – December 8, 2008 (2008-12-08) |
| Related | |
Boston Legal is an Americanlegalcomedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston nativeDavid E. Kelley, produced in association with20th Century Fox Television forABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, to December 8, 2008. The series starsJames Spader,William Shatner andCandice Bergen. It is a directspin-off and continuation of the TV seriesThe Practice, with several characters from the eighth season of that series moving toBoston Legal. While never aNielsen ratings smash hit, the show was critically acclaimed. It received 26Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, including forOutstanding Drama Series in 2007 and 2008 and aPeabody Award in 2005.
Boston Legal follows the exploits of formerPractice character Alan Shore, and his passionate co-workers, at the fictional law offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt.[1] The high-end litigation Boston firm handles both civil and criminal law cases.[2]
The series plays on the chemistry between Alan Shore and loose cannon Denny Crane.[3] Middle-aged Shore is wry and wily, while mid-70s Crane (suffering from the early stages ofAlzheimer's disease) is flamboyant and eccentric.[4] Shore often uses questionable methods to win cases.[5] Crane is obsessed with the reputation of his name, which he frequently repeats.[6] Though political opposites, Shore and Crane are best friends.[7] Episodes more often than not end with the two relaxing and musing together on the firm's balcony (while smoking cigars and drinkingscotch whisky).[8]
Prior to the show's premiere, it had a working title ofFleet Street, anallusion to the real street inBoston where the fictitious Crane, Poole & Schmidt had its offices. The working title was later modified toThe Practice: Fleet Street, but this title was dropped in favor ofBoston Legal.[9] The real building shown as the law office is located at500 Boylston Street, 1.4 miles away from Fleet Street.
The American producers of the series also hired the British writer and barristerJohn Mortimer (creator of the British legal seriesRumpole of the Bailey) as a consultant forBoston Legal.[10]
The show's pilot was originally produced with formerThe Practice starsJames Spader andRhona Mitra,guest starsWilliam Shatner andLake Bell. It featured an expanded storyline withLarry Miller as Edwin Poole,Mark Valley asBrad Chase andJohn Michael Higgins assenior partner Jerry Austin.Monica Potter was later cast as junior partner Lori Colson andRené Auberjonois as senior partnerPaul Lewiston, replacing John Michael Higgins. The pilot premiered onABC on October 3, 2004.[11]
On November 30, 2004, it was announced thatCandice Bergen would join the cast as senior partner Shirley Schmidt,[12] a character the producers had planned to introduce for several months.[13] Lake Bell left the series mid-season, and René Auberjonois was promoted to main cast member.[14][15][16]Anthony Heald andBetty White also made regular guest appearances, having both appeared as the same characters onThe Practice.
On April 5, 2005, the series was renewed for a second season, although ABC put the show on hiatus in favor ofGrey's Anatomy[17] The success ofGrey's Anatomy placedBoston Legal on hold until autumn 2005, when it returned for an extended season of 27 episodes.[18][19] BothRhona Mitra andMonica Potter left the series during the hiatus, whileJulie Bowen was cast as Denise Bauer.[20]Ryan Michelle Bathe andJustin Mentell were later cast asjunior associates Sara Holt and Garrett Wells.[21] The second episode of season 3 introducedCraig Bierko as Jeffrey Coho andConstance Zimmer as Claire Simms. In episode 11, guest starGary Anthony Williams joined the cast, with Craig Bierko leaving in episode 15.
On June 4, 2007,TV Guide announced thatRené Auberjonois,Julie Bowen,Mark Valley andConstance Zimmer would not return for season 4.[22] On June 13, 2007, it was announced that actorJohn Larroquette (formerThe Practice guest star) would join the cast as a senior partner transferred from the New York offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, with actressTara Summers joining as a young associate.Christian Clemenson (formerThe Practice guest star), who had guest-starred occasionally as Jerry Espenson (a brilliant but socially inept lawyer withAsperger syndrome), was promoted to main cast.[23] Production also stated that René Auberjonois, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen, and Constance Zimmer may return in guest roles.[24] On July 2, 2007, it was reported that both René Auberjonois and Mark Valley would return in recurring roles;[25] It was also announced thatTaraji P. Henson would join the cast in season 4, withSaffron Burrows appearing in a recurring role. Burrows later became a full-time cast member.[26]
On May 13, 2008, ABC announced thatBoston Legal would return for a fifth and final season in the fall.[27][28] Saffron Burrows did not return as a series regular, having joined the cast ofMy Own Worst Enemy. The final season consisted of 13 episodes to reach the "100" episode mark, which facilitated successful syndication.[29] There was speculation thatBoston Legal might receive an additional episode order, if the show had another strong showing in theEmmy Awards and produced solid ratings in its new fall time slot.[30] 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 season 5 as Clarence Bell and Whitney Rome, respectively.[31][32] On July 17, 2008,Boston Legal was nominated for a series-high seven Emmy nominations, including for Best Drama Series for the second consecutive year. Spader, Bergen and Shatner were each nominated for their respective roles.
Boston Legal's two-hour-long series finale aired on Monday, December 8, 2008, at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central. David E. Kelley stated in an interview with thePittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 7, 2008 that it was ABC's decision to endBoston Legal, and that he "had to fight to bring it back for a short season of 13 episodes".[33]
The show was noted for frequently breaking thefourth wall throughout its run.[34][35]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 17 | October 3, 2004 (2004-10-03) | March 20, 2005 (2005-03-20) | |
| 2 | 27 | September 27, 2005 (2005-09-27) | May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16) | |
| 3 | 24 | September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26) | May 29, 2007 (2007-05-29) | |
| 4 | 20 | September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25) | May 21, 2008 (2008-05-21) | |
| 5 | 13 | September 22, 2008 (2008-09-22) | December 8, 2008 (2008-12-08) | |
According toNielsen 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).[36]
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) ofBoston Legal onABC.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of Maysweeps. 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday 10:00 pm | October 3, 2004 | March 20, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #28 | 12.53[37] |
| 2 | Tuesday 10:00 pm | September 27, 2005 | May 16, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #47 | 10.30[38] |
| 3 | September 19, 2006 | May 29, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #62 | 9.57[39] | |
| 4 | Tuesday 10:00 pm Wednesday 10:00 pm | September 25, 2007 | May 21, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #51 | 9.62[40] |
| 5 | Monday 10:00 pm | September 22, 2008 | December 8, 2008 | 2008–2009 | #47 | 9.62[41] |
| 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 | August 5, 2009 |
| The Complete Series | May 5, 2009[43] | May 11, 2009 | November 18, 2009[44] |
As a former ABC series, the show is available for streaming on Disney platformHulu.
