David E. Kelley | |
|---|---|
 Kelley in 2022 | |
| Born | David Edward Kelley (1956-04-04)April 4, 1956 (age 69) Waterville, Maine, U.S. |
| Education | Princeton University (AB) Boston University (JD) |
| Occupation(s) | Television producer, writer, attorney |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Jack Kelley (father) |
David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an Americantelevision writer,producer, and formerattorney. He has created and/or produced a number of television series includingDoogie Howser, M.D.,Picket Fences,Chicago Hope,The Practice and its spin-offBoston Legal,Ally McBeal,Boston Public,Goliath,Big Little Lies, andBig Sky. Kelley is one of very few screenwriters to have created shows that have aired on all four top commercial Americantelevision networks (ABC,CBS,Fox, andNBC) as well as cable giantHBO.
David Edward Kelley was born on April 4, 1956, inWaterville, Maine, raised inBelmont, Massachusetts, and attended theBelmont Hill School. His father isJack Kelley, a member of theUnited States Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Kelley was a stick boy for theNew England Whalers of theWorld Hockey Association in their inaugural season of 1972–1973 when his father coached the team.[1][2] Kelley was captain of thePrinceton Tigers men's ice hockey team atPrinceton University, where he graduated in 1979 with a bachelor's degree inpolitical science.[3]
Demonstrating early on a creative and quirky bent, in his junior year at Princeton, Kelley submitted a paper for a political science class aboutJohn F. Kennedy'splot to killFidel Castro, written as a poem.[4] For hissenior thesis, he turned theBill of Rights into a play. "I made eachamendment into a character", he said. "TheFirst Amendment is a loudmouth guy who won't shut up. TheSecond Amendment guy, all he wanted to talk about was his gun collection. Then the10th Amendment, the one where they say leave the rest for the states to decide, he was a guy with no self-esteem."[3] Also while at Princeton, he was a member of thePrinceton Triangle Club.[5]
Kelley received hisJuris Doctor (J.D.) fromBoston University School of Law, where he wrote for the Legal Follies,[6] asketch comedy group composed of Boston University law students which still holds annual performances. He began working for a Boston law firm,[which?] mostly dealing withreal estate and minor criminal cases.
In 1983, while considering it only a hobby, Kelley began writing ascreenplay, a legalthriller, which wasoptioned in 1986 and later became theJudd Nelson feature filmFrom the Hip in 1987.[3][7]
In 1986,Steven Bochco was searching for writers with a law background for his newNBC legal series,L.A. Law. His agent sent him Kelley's movie script forFrom the Hip. Enthusiastic, Bochco made him a writer andstory editor for the show. During this first year, Kelley kept his law office in Boston as ahedge. However, his involvement in the show only expanded. In the second year, he became executive story editor and co-producer. Finally, in 1989, Bochco stepped away from the series, making Kelley theexecutive producer.[7] While executive producer, Kelley received twoEmmys for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series and the show received the award forOutstanding Drama Series for both years.[8] For the first five seasons that he was involved with the show, he wrote or co-wrote two out of three episodes. Kelley left after the fifth season in 1991 and ratings began to fall. AsNewsday's TV critic wrote, "The difference between good and badL.A. Law ... was David Kelley."[9] Midway through the sixth season, both Bochco and Kelley were brought in ascreative consultants after the show received bad press about its decline in quality.[10]
In 1992, after co-creatingDoogie Howser, M.D. with his mentorSteven Bochco, Kelley formed his own production company, David E. Kelley Productions, making a three-series deal withCBS.[11] Its first creation,Picket Fences, airing in 1992 and influenced byTwin Peaks andNorthern Exposure,[12] focused on the police department in the fictional quirky town of Rome,Wisconsin. Kelley wrote most of the episodes for the first three years.[13] The show was critically acclaimed but never found a sizable audience.[14]Picket Fences went on for four years, receiving a total of 14Emmy awards including consecutive Emmys forOutstanding Drama Series for its first and second seasons.[8]
In 1995, the fourth and final season, Kelley wrote only two episodes. "We had almost 10 writers try to come in and take over for this one man", saidPicket Fences actressHolly Marie Combs. "The quality was not nearly what it was."[15]
Under pressure fromCBS to develop a second series even though he didn't feel ready to produce two shows simultaneously,[16] Kelley launched the medical dramaChicago Hope, starringMandy Patinkin andAdam Arkin, which premiered in 1994.[17] Airing at the same time as the season's other new medical drama,NBC'sER, the ultimate ratings leader,[18]Chicago Hope plotted "upscale medicine in a high-tech world run by high-priced doctors".[19] During its six-year run, it won sevenEmmys[8] and generally high critical praise, but only middling ratings.[20]
Originally intending to write only the first several episodes in order to return full-time toPicket Fences, Kelley eventually wrote most of the material for both shows, a total of roughly 40 scripts. Expressing a desire to focus more on his production company and upcoming projects, Kelley ceased day-to-day involvement with both series in 1995, allowing others to write and produce.[21] Towards the end of the fifth season in 1999, facing cancellation, Kelley fired most of the cast members added since he had left the show, brought backMandy Patinkin and began writing episodes again.[22]
In 1995, Kelley entered into a five-year deal with20th Century Fox Television to produce shows for both theABC andFOX television networks, each agreeing to take two series. If one network passed on a project, the other gotfirst refusal. Kelley retained fullcreative control.[23]Ally McBeal on FOX andThe Practice on ABC were the first two projects to come from this deal.[24]
Premiering as amidseason replacement for the 1996–1997 season,The Practice was Kelley's chance to write another courtroom drama but one focusing on the less-glamorous realities of a small law firm.[14]The Practice would be the first of four successful series by Kelley that were set inBoston, proximal to his hometown ofBelmont, Massachusetts. Receiving critical applause (along with twoEmmys forOutstanding Drama Series) but low ratings in its starting seasons, it eventually became a popular top 10 program.[25]The New York Times described the show as "the profoundly realistic, unending battle between soul-searching and ambition".[26] Full-time writers on the first season ofThe Practice includedDavid Shore, later the creator ofHouse,Stephen Gaghan, a future Oscar winner forTraffic,Michael R. Perry, the creator of the 2011–12 seriesThe River, andEd Redlich, co-creator of the 2011–12 seriesUnforgettable. Later the writing staff would grow to 10, most with law degrees.[27] By the fifth season, Kelley would usually only edit the final script and was generally not on the set during filming.[28]
In 2003, due to sagging ratings, ABC cut Kelley's budget in half for the eighth and final season. He responded by firing most of the cast and hiringJames Spader for the role ofAlan Shore,[29] whomThe New York Times described as "a lecherous, twisted antitrust lawyer with a breezy disregard for ethics."[30] The final episodes ofThe Practice were focused on introducing the new characters from his next show,Boston Legal.
WhenAlly McBeal premiered in 1997 onFOX, Kelley was also shepherding his other two shows,Chicago Hope andThe Practice, although he was not actively participating inChicago Hope at the time.[22] The title character Ally is a young, attractive, impulsive, Harvard-educated lawyer described by aNew York Times journalist as "stylish, sexy, smart, opinionated, and an emotional wreck."[31] In contrast toThe Practice and its idealistic lawyers, the law firm inAlly McBeal was founded only to make money.[32]
The New York Times felt that the show uniquely emphasised "character and caricature".[26] The show lasted five seasons, sevenEmmys (one forOutstanding Comedy Series for its second season), mostly positive reviews and a barrage of criticism for its portrayal of women, with many journalists saying that the character Ally was a giant step backwards.[33]
Parallel toThe Practice, Kelley penned all the scripts for the first season, then brought in other writers in subsequent years, although he continued to write many episodes himself.[27]
When the programAlly McBeal first ran, many women lauded its portrayal of the lead character.Sharon Waxman, writing forThe Washington Post, commented that Kelley had a keen insight into the human nature of both men and women. She quotedDyan Cannon: "This man understands the way a woman thinks, ... the complex ways we've found to hide our fears."[4] ANew York Times writer used the character as an example of a strong television woman's role,[34] another saw herself, at times, in the character's portrayal of self-absorption and reflection, her crafted neuroses, her vulnerabilities.[35]
Later, however, much press coverage was spent on the controversial nature of women inAlly McBeal.Time featured a cover story about the decline of feminism with a picture of Ally (among a pantheon of feminist heroines) on the cover.[36] In the article,Ginia Bellafante used the McBeal character as a modern exemplar proving that "[M]uch of feminism has devolved into the silly."[37] In response, authorErica Jong felt that theTime journalist diminished her argument by using only pop-cultural references and ignoring the majority of real-world women who have made significant progress.[38]
Writing inSalon.com, Joyce Millman disputed thatAlly McBeal should even be described as a "women's show"—that its representations of women were, in fact, a male fantasy. She felt that Kelley treated his female characters "sadistically" in general, beginning all the way back toL.A. Law, saving onlyThe Practice for positive remarks.[39]
Kelley'sAlly McBeal was hugely successful in attracting the 18-to-34-year-old women audiencedemographic.The New York Times columnist,Maureen Dowd, quoted two young, professional women saying they liked shows with female characters like themselves, single, even obsessed. Dowd quoted the executive producer ofLaw & Order,Dick Wolf, "I think there is a wish-fulfillment factor when you put an attractive woman in a situation where she is doing real, adult stuff."[40]
In 2000,20th Century Fox Television extended its arrangement with Kelley.[41] The deal, which ran for six years, reportedly made Kelley the highest-paid producer in TV history—up to $40 million a year—in return for afirst-look at his projects.[42]
Premiering onFOX in 2000,Boston Public, which follows the lives of teachers and administrators at a Boston inner-city high school, joinedThe Practice andAlly McBeal for the season, meaning Kelley was responsible for writing or overseeing 67 episodes.[25]
The program was initially considered a modest hit but received less than glowing reviews. The previous season, Kelley stumbled with both the short-livedSnoops, his first attempt at delegating most of the responsibilities to others, and withAlly, the experiment with 30-minute shortened episodes ofAlly McBeal. The TV critic from theFort Worth Star-Telegram opined that these failures and the weaknesses he saw inBoston Public were a sign that Kelley had lost theMidas touch.[43] The show lasted four seasons, garnering one minor Emmy.
In addition toSnoops, Kelley continued to have a string of unsuccessful series:Girls Club in 2002,The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire in 2003 and thereality showThe Law Firm in 2005. All the while, he continued overseeingBoston Public andThe Practice.
Boston Legal on ABC, premiering in 2004, gave continuity and success to the Kelley franchise. It was a spin-off of his long-running legal dramaThe Practice, and followed attorney Alan Shore (a character who became the star ofThe Practice in its final season, played by James Spader) to his new law firm,Crane, Poole & Schmidt. It also starred veteran television actorsCandice Bergen andWilliam Shatner. Critically popular with less than spectacular ratings (ranked 27th for the first season,[44] 46th for the second),[45] the show was an "Emmy darling" during its run, winning seven times and being nominated over 25 times. The show won thePeabody Award in 2005 for its signature political commentaries.
In 2007,Boston Legal began to see a rise of viewership as a result of its following ABC's popularDancing with the Stars series, mostly ranking either first or second most-watched program of the evening in its ten o'clock time period, beating out CBS and NBC's shows.[46]
The fifth and final season began in 2008 with Kelley writing most of the episodes. The season only aired thirteen episodes, making a series run of 101 episodes. The two-hour series finale drew 11 million viewers. Still, the show drew over 15 million viewers much of its first season—and Kelley felt ABC's treatment of the show over the years ultimately killed it, saying toTV Guide that ABC always treated the show like its "bastard child".Boston Legal aired on four different nights (Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Monday) in its five-season run, with the ratings slipping after each move. In the second-to-last episode of the series, Kelley blatantly wrote a show questioning the legitimacy of the Nielsen ratings and the network's treatment of the show by including a plot about a lawsuit against an unnamed television network.[47][48]
In 2007, Kelley received the Justice in the Arts Award fromDeath Penalty Focus, an organization dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty. He previously received an award from this organization in 2000 for his work on the showThe Practice.[49]
Kelley'sThe Wedding Bells premiered in the autumn of 2007 and was canceled after seven episodes.[50] Additionally, Kelley worked on an Americanized version of theBBC showLife on Mars for the 2007–2008 season on ABC and also worked on an adaptation ofJoseph Wambaugh'sHollywood Station. He later handed production to another creative crew.[51][52]
In May 2008, Kelley signed a deal withWarner Bros. Television[53] and later penned aspec script for anotherlegal drama entitledLegally Mad in a comic vein. NBC ultimately rejected the series. NBC would pay a two million dollar penalty to Warner Bros. for Kelley's scripts.[54] Kelley was the creator and executive producer ofHarry's Law, which premiered on NBC on January 17, 2011. The series starredKathy Bates in the titular role.[55][56] The show was cancelled in 2012 even though it was the network's second most-watched drama, because its audience skewed too old as the more desirable18–49 demographic viewership was very low.[57]
In 2011, Kelley wrote a script for thepilot episode of a newWonder WomanTV series for Warner Bros. Television, but the pilot was rejected byNBC for its fall 2011 lineup.[58]
A new medical series,Monday Mornings, co-created withSanjay Gupta, premiered February 2013 onTNT, thecable television channel owned byTime Warner. Set inPortland, Oregon, the show starsVing Rhames,Alfred Molina andJamie Bamber.[59] In May 2013, the show was canceled by TNT.[60]
A new comedy series created by Kelley,The Crazy Ones, starringRobin Williams andSarah Michelle Gellar, premiered onCBS on September 26, 2013. The show was cancelled after a season due to lukewarm reception.
In 2015, Kelley created theAmazon Studios seriesGoliath.[61]
In 2017, Kelley spearheaded a newHBO series,Big Little Lies, which won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series.[62] He was also a showrunner on the TV adaptation of theStephen King novelMr. Mercedes.[63]
In March 2018, it was announced thatHBO had given a series order forThe Undoing, a miniseries based on the 2014 novelYou Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The series was written by Kelley, who also served as executive producer withNicole Kidman (who starred alongsideHugh Grant andDonald Sutherland), Per Saari, and Bruna Papandrea.Susanne Bier directed the miniseries. It premiered in October 2020, and was the most-watched show on HBO that year.[64]
In June 2019, Kelley wrote a script for aCBS crime drama series,The Lincoln Lawyer, based from the2005 novel of the same name byMichael Connelly.[65] On May 2, 2020, CBS announced that the pilot would not be moving forward.[66] However, on January 11, 2021,the series was picked up byNetflix.[67]
Kelley was announced as the writer and showrunner on theABC crime drama seriesBig Sky, based on the bookThe Highway byC. J. Box.[68]
Kelley served as writer, executive producer and showrunner onThe Calling, an American adaptation of Israeli television seriesMissing File onPeacock.[69]
Kelley writes his first drafts longhand using aBicballpoint and yellow legal pad. He typically writes scripts in two to four days, initially working without collaboration, finding it faster and easier than trying to explain what he wants to others.[4]
Kelley has been criticised for not delegating. APicket Fences writer described his time on the show as "the most boring period of my life—you'd write a scene... [and Kelley would] rewrite it completely. Or he just cut you out completely—you learned nothing. Having a writing staff was a needless expense for the network."[70] Kelley gradually became more comfortable bringing in writers for ideas and taking over writing responsibilities.[27] Kelley described this as a natural evolution:
There's a period at the beginning of a series [when] you're doing most of the writing and then you go through another period where you have the ideas and you're assigning those stories and ideas to other people and hopefully they execute them. Then if you're lucky you get a staff where they come into the room with their own ideas and specific takes on how to execute them and they do.[27]
Kelley structures his episodes with multiplestorylines. An episode may include a self-containedsubplot plus otherstory arcs that either began in a previous episode or will continue subsequently—some will continue the entire season. The viewer is thereby rarely sure whether what appears as a simple incident will blossom into a majorplot point.[71]
Kelley seeds hisplots with political and social "hot-button" issues. One method is by introducing provocative legal cases. Episodes have covered the gamut of contemporary issues from the culpability of tobacco companies and gun makers to assisted-suicide crusaders.[39] Another way is by undergirding the character's social interrelationships with serious explorations such as feminism, sexuality and divorce.[72] Instead of lessons, Kelley strives to "raise moral and ethical questions without easy answers."[13] He avoids adidactic narrative by not losing sight of the audience's desire to be entertained.[73] He states:
You've got to honor your relationship with your audience—that they sit down because they want to be entertained. And that doesn't mean you can't provoke them and antagonize them and challenge them in the course of the entertainment as long as you keep the entertainment part of the equation alive.[21]
Instead of taking clear stands on issues, Kelley creates scenarios meant to challenge audience preconceptions. For example, an episode ofAlly McBeal dealt with a female employee who sued for sexual harassment because she noticed that other prettier women were being promoted. There was deliberately no clearpoint of view.[4]
Kelley uses humor and the surreal and mixes tragedy with farce. He describes his strategy as follows:
Often we try to seduce the audience at the beginning that this is going to be fun, a romp or a ride, and then once the ride has begun, to reveal some serious subject matter for them to think about.[74]
InAlly McBeal, Kelley utilized two techniques: avoiceover providing aninterior monologue for the title character, andWalter Mitty fantasy sequences (alaDream On as critics have noted) giving a humorous and often deeply honest (but sometimes ironic) explanation of the character's inner thoughts.[35][75][76]
Kelley frequently crossed the cast of different shows. One crossover program event (which crossed networks also) involved characters from Kelley'sAlly McBeal on the Fox network appearing on his ABC show,The Practice, and, in turn,The Practice characters appeared onAlly McBeal. This was done in spite of the two shows' different tones (one a comedy, the other a drama).[77] This crossover was partially credited for raising ratings forThe Practice, which it sustained after those episodes.[25]
Kelley repeated this maneuver with hisBoston Public,Ally McBeal, andBoston Legal shows. Thereafter, many other crossovers occurred including shows not created by Kelley.[77]
Kelley's most elaborate crossover was only partially successful. He sought to crossover an episode of hisPicket Fences with Chris Carter'sThe X-Files. Both shows aired Friday nights, but on different networks. The intent was to begin the story on one show, then hope viewers would switch channels to watch the conclusion on another network. CBS balked, and both scripts were rewritten, withThe X-Files'Fox Mulder no longer set to appear onPicket Fences. Yet, both episodes deal with Wisconsin and cows, withFences referencing an FBI investigation in a neighboring town. CBS blurred the connection further by postponing theFences episode by one week.[78]
Kelley often uses regular actors from older shows in newer shows. For example,Anthony Heald andRené Auberjonois both played judges onThe Practice, and both went on to be regular cast members in later shows (Heald onBoston Public as a vice-principal and Auberjonois onBoston Legal as a partner at a law firm). Both Kathy Baker and Justin Shenkarow (Picket Fences) have been used inBoston Public. Kathy Baker as Meredith "The Hook Lady" Peters and Justin Shenkarow as the student Warren Dickson. In addition many actors who either had the main roles or major roles in Kelley's previous shows would make at least one guest appearance inBoston Legal.
After the HBO seriesBig Little Lies, Kelley started a working relationship withAcademy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman. The pair have collaborated on several shows together, includingBig Little Lies,The Undoing andNine Perfect Strangers.[79]
The Practice was considered more accurate in its portrayal of the law thanL.A. Law orAlly McBeal. The importance of legal strategy, sometimes at the expense of the truth, rang true. One attorney said, "[I]t's really about the tactics and the mistakes that opposing counsel makes." Judges were represented as complex, less-than-perfect human beings, sometimes with emotional problems. Plots demonstrated how a defendant's personality would impact the adjudication of a case.[80] Stuart Levine ofVariety magazine said, "[The Practice] isn't afraid to paint the firm's clients as the dregs of society."[14] Kelley said,
One of the most fundamental questions people have about defense attorneys is, 'How can you do that? How can you go to bat every day for a person whom you may not know is guilty but you have a pretty good idea that he's not so innocent?[14]
Other aspects of the legal profession in Kelley's shows have been criticized as unrealistic. Attorneys have complained that:
Samuel G. Freedman, a professor of journalism atColumbia University, writing inThe New York Times, praises Kelley's seriesBoston Public as an attempt to both reflect and change public opinion about public education, particularly the urban, overcrowded, underfinanced variety. He liked the realism of the setting, the mixed ethnicity of the faculty and (oftentimes antipathetic) student body and the bureaucratic struggles. He criticized Kelley, though, for pandering to stereotypes of teachers and students and for failing to show successful teaching strategies.[81]
InThe New York Times,Arthur Caplan, professor ofbioethics at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, felt thatmedical dramas such as Kelley'sChicago Hope do a good job of addressing bioethical issues such as who should receive a liver transplant or when should a patient be allowed to die. However, there is a lack of discussion concerning the primary money issue: "How do people pay for this?"[82] The show has been criticized for presenting a one-sided view ofmanaged care, portrayingHMOs as dramatically evil while glossing over the complexities. Doctors are too often shown as selfless patient advocates ready to battle whatever the financial cost.[83]
Kelley has incorporated religious subject matter from the beginning, including issues involving Protestantism, Judaism, Scientology and Catholicism among others.[12] With the widespread media coverage ofchild sexual abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late 1990s, Kelley began to introduce this controversy into his scripts. For instance, the character Bobby Donnell onThe Practice, a Catholic, became personally estranged from the Church over the issue of sexually abusive priests. While theCatholic League did not object to this episode,[84] they frequently complained of anti-Catholic bias in Kelley's shows because of his references to this subject.[85][86][87]
Besides his first film,From the Hip, which received poor reviews,[88] Kelley wrote and produced three other films. 1996'sTo Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, a romance, co-starring his wife,Michelle Pfeiffer, received tepid critical and box office reception.[89] In 1999, came two films:Lake Placid, a combination of suspense, horror and comedy, andMystery, Alaska, about a fictional small-townice hockey team that plays a game against theNew York Rangers of theNational Hockey League
His programs have addressed Catholic issues. Kelley was raised aProtestant.[90]
In January 1993, Kelley was set up on a blind date with actressMichelle Pfeiffer; he took her to seeBram Stoker's Dracula the following week and they began dating seriously.
Pfeiffer had entered into private adoption proceedings before she met Kelley.[91] In March 1993, she adopted a newborn daughter Claudia Rose.[92] They married on November 13, 1993, and christened Claudia the same day.[93] In August 1994, Pfeiffer gave birth to a son, John Henry.[4][94]
David's brother, Mark Kelley, is the former Director of Amateur Scouting for the Chicago Blackhawks.[95]
David was drafted in the tenth round of the WHAWorld Hockey Association draft by theCincinnati Stingers in 1977.[96]
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | From the Hip | Yes | No |
| 1996 | To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday | Yes | Yes |
| 1999 | Mystery, Alaska | Yes | Yes |
| Lake Placid | Yes | Yes |
| Year[97] | Title | Network | Creator | Writer | Executive Producer | Showrunner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–1992 | L.A. Law | NBC | No | Yes | Yes | No | Also story editor, executive story editor, supervising producer, co-producer and creative consultant |
| 1989–1993 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | ABC | Yes | Yes | No | No | Co-creator withSteven Bochco |
| 1992–1996 | Picket Fences | CBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1994–2000 | Chicago Hope | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also executive consultant | |
| 1996–2004 | The Practice | ABC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1997–2002 | Ally McBeal | Fox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | Snoops | ABC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2000–2004 | Boston Public | Fox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also executive consultant |
| 2002 | Girls Club[98] | Fox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2003 | The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | CBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004–2008 | Boston Legal | ABC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2005 | The Law Firm | NBC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2007 | The Wedding Bells | Fox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011–2012 | Harry's Law | NBC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Monday Mornings | TNT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013–2014 | The Crazy Ones | CBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016–2021 | Goliath | Amazon Prime Video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Exited after season 1 |
| 2017–2019 | Big Little Lies | HBO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017–2019 | Mr. Mercedes | Audience | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020–2023 | Big Sky | ABC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021–2022 | Big Shot | Disney+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2021–present | Nine Perfect Strangers | Hulu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022–present | The Lincoln Lawyer | Netflix | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2022 | The Calling | Peacock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Avalon | ABC | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Unaired | |
| 2024–present | Presumed Innocent | Apple TV+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Network | Creator | Writer | Executive Producer | Showrunner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Undoing | HBO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Anatomy of a Scandal | Netflix | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | Love & Death | HBO Max/Max | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [99] |
| 2024 | A Man in Full | Netflix | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [100] |
| TBA | Margo's Got Money Troubles | Apple TV+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [101] |
Note: The above timeline does not include the three additional episodes ofSnoops and the final two episodes ofBoston Public broadcast in non-U.S. markets nor the short-livedAlly.
| Year | For | Category | Result | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | L.A. Law | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | Shared withSteven Bochco,Terry Louise Fisher, Phillip M. Goldfarb, Scott Goldstein,Gregory Hoblit,Rick Wallace |
| L.A. Law | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | Shared with Terry Louise Fisher | |
| 1989 | L.A. Law | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Steven Bochco,William M. Finkelstein, Michele Gallery, Phillip M. Goldfarb, Scott Goldstein, Judith Parker,Rick Wallace, Alice West |
| L.A. Law | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 1990 | L.A. Law | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Robert M. Breech, William M. Finkelstein,Elodie Keene,Michael M. Robin, Rick Wallace, Alice West |
| L.A. Law | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Awarded | For the episode "Blood, Sweat & Fears" | |
| L.A. Law | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | For the episode "Bang...Zoom...Zap". Shared with co-writer William M. Finklestein | |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Rick Wallace,Patricia Green,John Hill, Robert Breech, James C. Hart, Elodie Keene,Alan Brennert, Alice West |
| L.A. Law | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Awarded | For the episode "On The Toad Again" | |
| L.A. Law | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | For the episode "Mutinies On The Banzai". Shared with co-writers Alan Brennert and Patricia Green. | |
| 1993 | Picket Fences | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Robert Breech, Mark B. Perry,Jonathan Pontell,Michael Pressman, Alice West |
| 1994 | Picket Fences | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Robert Breech,Ann Donahue, Geoffrey Neigher, Jack Philbrick, Jonathan Pontell, Michael Pressman, Alice West |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | Shared with Michael Braverman, Dennis Cooper,Rob Corn,Michael Dinner, James C. Hart, John Heath, Michael Pressman,John Tinker |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | Shared with Kevin Arkadie, Rob Corn,Bill D'Elia, Michael Dinner, Patricia Green, James C. Hart, John Heath, John Tinker |
| 1998 | The Practice | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Bob Breech,Jeffrey Kramer, Christina Musrey, Jonathan Pontell, Ed Redlich, Gary M. Strangis, Pamela Wisne |
| Ally McBeal | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | Shared with Jeffrey Kramer,Mike Listo, Jonathan Pontell,Steve Robin, Pamela Wisne | |
| Ally McBeal | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Nominated | For the episode "Theme of Life" | |
| The Practice | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | For the episode "Betrayal" | |
| 1999 | The Practice | Outstanding Drama Series | Awarded | Shared with Bob Breech, Jeffrey Kramer, Christina Musrey, Gary M. Strangis, Pamela Wisne |
| Ally McBeal | Outstanding Comedy Series | Awarded | Shared with Peter Burrell, Jeffrey Kramer, Mike Listo, Jonathan Pontell, Steve Robin, Pamela Wisne | |
| Ally McBeal | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Nominated | For the episode "Sideshow" | |
| 2000 | The Practice | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | Shared with Bob Breech, Jeffrey Kramer, Christina Musrey, Gary M. Strangis, Pamela Wisne |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Boston Legal | Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Big Little Lies | Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special | Nominated | |
| Big Little Lies | Outstanding Limited Series | Awarded | ||
| 2024 | International Emmy Founders Award | Awarded |
Among the actors and actresses who have won Emmys for playing roles in Kelley's series arePeter MacNicol,Tracey Ullman,Sharon Stone,William Shatner,James Spader,Alfre Woodard,Charles S. Dutton,Michael Emerson,James Whitmore,Beah Richards,Edward Herrmann,Michael Badalucco,Holland Taylor,John Larroquette,Camryn Manheim,Christine Lahti,Héctor Elizondo,Mandy Patinkin,Kathy Baker,Ray Walston,Paul Winfield,Richard Kiley,Fyvush Finkel,Leigh Taylor-Young,Tom Skerritt,Richard Dysart,Paul McCrane,Christian Clemenson,Jimmy Smits,Larry Drake,Nicole Kidman,Alexander Skarsgård, andLaura Dern.
The following information is from thePeabody Awards database.[103]
| Year | For | Producing organizations |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Practice | ABC and David E. Kelley Productions[104] |
| Ally McBeal | Fox and David E. Kelley Productions[105] | |
| 2002 | Boston Public | David E. Kelley Productions in association with20th Century Fox Television[106] |
| 2005 | Boston Legal | David E. Kelley Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television[107] |
In 2014, David E. Kelley was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Fame.[108]
