User reviews

Boston Legal is one of the best takes on a TV legal drama that I have seen. It manages to mix drama and comedy pretty well for the most part and introduces us to Alan and Denny who are magnetic characters, played to perfection by James Spader and an incredible William Shatner. To review this whole 5 season series (which i have steadily worked through on DVD over the last 2 months) would take forever, so let me highlight a few good and bad points as i see them.

Season 1 & 2 had a sharper edge and better dialogue than subsequent seasons. It felt almost as if they were searching for better ratings from season 3 onwards and chose to introduce characters and plots which would deliberately jazz things up a bit. In my opinion the show suffered because of this.

The characters Jefferey Coho, Claire Simms, Lorraine Weller and Clarence / Clarice Bell added virtually nothing to the show that wasn't there already (other than the cross dressing element) and as they failed to perk up ratings its almost as if David E Kelly thought "well... tried some new faces, didn't work, lets write them out and try something else."

I also felt that the writers seemed to ignore the more obvious direction that they could have taken, which would have been to flesh out the Denny and Alan characters even more. You are treated to some glimpses of their past when they are discussing their lives on the balcony, but Dennys brilliant former career is never seen first hand and Alans many previous painful issues are only represented in the narrative. Perhaps if even more screen time had been given to these two instead of trying to continually bolster up the supporting characters, the show would have been more successful.

The recurring theme of the lawyers in the show standing trial for their various indiscretions and always getting away with it was an over used plot and began to wear a bit thin. Similarly, I can only recall one trial verdict of any kind that didn't go in favour of Mssrs Crane, Poole and Schmidt.

There were flashes of poetry with this show that i felt genuinely moved by. To name a few .....

• Alans closing argument to allow Shirleys father the right to a dignified death

• Dennys dominant yet tender legal confrontation with his "son" Donny.

• Alans arguing against the death penalty in front of the supreme court

• Paul's fatherly approach to everyone at the firm.

• Alans good and honest heart (which he tries hard to conceal)

• The brilliant portrayal of Jerry Espenson by Christain Clemenson

• The unbreakable friendship between Denny and Alan, and subsequently between most of the characters at Crane, Poole and Schmidt.

In summation (may as well use the legal terminology), despite the shows many lulls and obvious flaws, I absolutely loved it. William Shatner is a revelation in his role and James Spader is Perfect in his.

On a personal note, I have lost count of the times my wife has gone ballistic because I have responded to a situation or question by simply saying in the appropriate tone ................. "Denny Crane!"

I'm a lawyer, and I normally avoid law shows. I like science fiction. But this has . . . Denny Crane. Or rather, this has Captain Kirk, William Shatner, as an old, demented, republican, gun totting, ego-maniacal unenlightened, philandering, unethical, sexist, homophobic anti- environmentalist powerful attorney, and it is absolutely frelling hysterical. When they let Shatner, Candice Bergman, and James Spader do their thing, this show is gold. The rest of the regularly appearing cast is fairly good.

Sure not modeling good behavior, mind, and sometimes the legal errors go far beyond what is necessary for the plot. I think they could loose some of the younger lawyers, who really don't add anything to the mix that I can tell but seem to be regarded as necessary for demographic reasons. Once in a while it falls flat. But for the most part, this show is great.

I think you should watch this show.

It's delightfully weird.

Totally unrealistic, it has just enough I-don't-know-what to enable the all important willing suspension, and once you got that, you're golden.

Here's the little stuff, the stuff that you'll enjoy but don't need to go out of your way for:

1) It has Candice Bergen! Bergen fulfills her role (uber-classy uber-MILF) perfectly. (Plus, she's Candice Bergen. To this date, no one does Bergen as well as Bergen.)

2) Clemenson/Espenson is likable and offbeat. One of the best "spice" characters since, oh, I dunno, Hill Street Blues.

3) Sometimes John Larroquette shows up, and he's so tall! He doesn't have to actually say anything funny. He's John Larroquette. It's a grin just for him to show up. (That sounds dismissive and snarky, but it's not meant to be. I honestly believe this is Larroquette's great comic gift: he shows up. That's all he needs to do. That's what he does. It doesn't matter what he says, because all the humor is in the wry, sardonic (and tall) presence. On Night Court, he had some funny lines, but that was actually a distraction. Remember The West Wing and The Practice... he had no funny lines there, but the effect was the same: Larroquette's wry, sardonic (and tall) presence = a grin. (Although, to be fair, in The Practice he did actually play a character in addition to showing up.))

4) It has William Shatner!

And here's the big stuff, the stuff you'll never experience if you don't go out of your way to watch a few episodes:

1) It has William Shatner! Star Trek gave us William Shatner giving us Captain James T. Kirk. Boston Legal gives us William Shatner giving us William Shatner (as Denny Crane)... the intelligent goof we always suspected was playing Captain Kirk. Even if you weren't a Trekkie, it's such a cool feeling to feel like you're getting to hang out with the *real* Captain Kirk, the (intelligent, goofy) man behind the myth.

2) Despite -- or rather, alongside -- the show's unabashed unrealistic stance, it takes an honest stab at depicting honest emotions, especially (but not only) in the traditional closing scene, where Spader/Shore and Shatner/Crane share a Scotch, a cigar, a presumably rather nippy Boston evening, and a friendship.

3) It has James Spader! Who? James Spader! Who's Jame's Spader? I don't know, I never heard of him before I saw this show, but he's incredible. His character (Alan Shore) brings something unlike anything I've ever seen on television... a character that is, I think, truly Shakesperean in its immediacy and otherness.

In fact, I believe this is the secret ingredient of Boston Legal's success. Spader's Shore has a Shakesperean otherness, and once we accept this otherness (as we are compelled to do), it doesn't matter how unrealistic (or compressed or reductive) the rest of the show is. Once we (the audience) have signed up for this otherness, once the writers have that signature on the dotted line, they're free play around and cut corners as they like. Thankfully, they often (though not always) do so to good effect.

I don't know, for a guy in his early 70's who has been royally and unfairly panned for his entire career, William Shatner as Denny Crane may be the absolute highlight of his long career! What a role and what a show. My ultimate benchmark as to how good a show is how fast I am back to that show during the commercial breaks. Didn't miss one second of Boston Legal so I guess that tells you that I liked it a lot. Of course the "Shat Man" drew me in but the overall show got me hooked. Well worth the late hour on Sundays. Rene Auberjonois ( of DS 9 fame) was an added surprise.

Forget Desperate Housewives or anything else. Boston Legal is the comedy-drama that has been missing from TV for a long, long time. I barely watched "The Practice" but I got hooked when James Spader and William Shatner had guest-roles. When I heard these two would lead the spin off "Boston Legal", I was exuberant!

James Spader as Alan Shore is by far the best acting on TV. The guy is priceless, reaching a level of pure arrogance that you can't help but love. William Shatner as Denny Krane is just as good. The women of the show bring a lot more beauty then Desperate Housewives. I view them as support characters, however as this show is all about Alan Shore and DENNY KRANE.

I'm going to make this as short as possible short, as I have little to say. As far as "pure" drama series' go, Boston Legal is the one that had it all right.

Fabulous actors, writers with imagination and a sense of humor, and most of all, the series had a soul. It had an opinion, and the nerve to bring it forth. Entertainment that is afraid of making a statement can be relaxing, but relaxing entertainment that manages to make a statement, whether the viewer agrees with the statement or not, is something much greater.

5 seasons is a lot better than a lot of worthy series have done, but still, the cancellation is a huge injustice and I will sorely miss the wits that this series had to offer. It is a shame that a series such as Boston Legal does not reach the grand audience that it well deserves.

It's no big secret that down through the years,William Shatner was made fun of "a lot". From his,"Gremlin On The Airplane" appearance on Twilight Zone,what some say was "wooden" acting on "Star Trek" (except all those Trekkies)to "T.J. Hooker" & his laughable,tongue in cheek,renditions of popular songs. Not to mention a few bad films here & there.

I couldn't help but not take him seriously. ...but now,Shatner's won an Emmy or two and I can't believe I'm saying this... he deserves it. As Denny Crane he is hilarious and at the same time kind of sad. Sad because we know his character's mind is slowly drifting into Alzheimer's Disease.

It's also amazing to see this character,that is everything the feminist movement ever complained about in men. He smokes,drinks,sleeps with many women and is an ego-maniac with too much power. ...but at least hes lovable,sort of.

James Spader's dry style is terrific and his courtroom speeches are not just powerful & true but they also seem genuinely heartfelt. Which is amazing considering his character can be quite the cynic and seemingly part time womanizer like Denny. Except,he tends to be a bit more respectful of females. (Look for Spader in the classic episode of Seinfeld,as the guy who wont tell george Costanza he's sorry.)

I'm happy to see the likes of Candice Bergen,Rene Aubenjenois & Betty White on the show as well. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Bety White "take-out" a guy with a heavy black frying pan! I mean,dang! She's (for a time) reminded me of my Grandmother!

Candice Bergen has successfully put a "Grand Canyon" between her Murphy Brown character and Shirley. The difference? Murphy Brown is sarcastic but truly cares about people. On B.L. ,Shirley does stand up for human rights in the courtroom. At the firm,she can be insensitive and a bit callous twords the feelings of others.

Case in point,not promoting one lawyer to partner because he doesn't make enough money for the firm,as well as the fact he has a personality quirk that makes him imperfect for the image of the firm.

Usually I don't go for "law" or "court" shows but since this one has an almost M*A*S*H like combo of humor and drama (without being heavy handed) I finally have a dramatic show that I can also laugh at.

Ten stars easily!!

I have no words to describe it. Everything in this show is a masterpiece. A must to watch, over and over again.

Just started watching this show for the third time now and it still amazes me. This once in a life time -hopefully not- magic formula of thin delicious crust of original hummer topped with a dash of harmless silliness at times, wrapping a thick stuffing of all kind of serious and contemporary issue that relate to all of us on so many levels. Religion, politics, drugs, homosexuality, crime, mirage, family and the list goes on. I honestly can't think of any subject that is generally considered worth examining that is not present in this show in a wonderful formula of an unbiased and simplified manner. Where it gets truly genius is, at the platform of a court, where all sides present their best demonstration to support their views and leave it to us to form our own judgment. This show respects us, and it does that brilliantly while tackling subjects that matters to our own life.

It's surprising how episodes in 2004 to 2008 cover topics relevant today. Very engaging. Love James Spader.

Boston Legal is my dream come true - Comedy / Crime /Legal Courtroom Drama which is a perfect combination of all genres and is as funny as it is clever and gripping. The idea of "Boston Legal" had came to its creator, David E. Kelley during the last season of once very popular but sadly quietly dying legal drama "Practice". I was a big fan of the show and I stayed with it to the end. Bringing to "Young, Berluti, & Frutt" of "Practice" an ethically-challenged, arrogant, morally ambiguous but brilliant and somehow likable attorney Alan Shore (James Spader) was Kelley's great idea. The last season of Practice became one of best thanks to Spader who resurrected it by simply being there. When I heard that Spader would have a spin-off "Boston Legal", I could hardly wait for it and it has never disappointed me. Boston Legal is "Crane, Poole, and Schmidt", a famous and wealthy firm that specializes on civil cases. In the center of the show are Alan Shore and his older friend and mentor Denny Crane (William Shattner). To bring them together in one show and let them have a wonderful relationship that is based on their differences (comparing to Denny who is in love with the sound of his own name, Alan seems highly moral and stable model citizen) and is at the same time hilarious, sincere, and moving was a pure genius. Each episode would end with both Alan and Denny sitting on the balcony, smoking cigars, drinking scotch and having a friendly conversation and those are the best moments of the show.

Alan and Denny are the central characters in "Boston Legal" but every attorney in the "Crane, Poole, and Schmidt" is a unique individual. There is a former marine Brad, the veteran of Operation Desert Storm with the strong principles - the complete opposite to Alan. There is Clarence, a man with several personalities and Claire, the girl who loves him. Candice Bergen has joined the cast at Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, as Shirley Schmidt, sharp like a razor senior partner as brilliant, manipulative, and arrogant as both Denny and Alan are. There is also a dwarf Bethany "who comes and goes" with whom Denny has an on- and off- relationship. Jerry "Hands" Espenson with his Asperger syndrome has re-joined the firm and his return will certainly add to the practice (and the show) success. You may like them or not but they all have one thing in common - they are fantastic attorneys, always on the top of their game. All actors, the series regulars and the guests constantly give first-class performances, writing is superb in every episode, and "Boston Legal" has become one of if not the best comedy-drama on TV today.

In the conclusion, I'd like to share one of my favorite scenes in the show. Denny and Allan are on the balcony talking about Shirley. Denny and Shirley used to have a passionate affair way back and she is still the love of his life. Alan's lust for Shirley is so overwhelming that he showed up in the office party dressed up like her (and he managed to look better than she did) explaining that everyone had to dress up like a person he/she admires the most.

Denny (thoughtfully, remembering something very special to him) - "Shirley...One night while making love, she recited Proust."

Alan: "Did you understand it?"

Denny: "Not a single word. I thought she was possessed."

I have spent the past several months watching this series from beginning to end. The first 3 seasons of this show, although politically biased, are very entertaining. The last 2 seasons however, border on annoying. I grew up in a very right wing household where I was constantly being hounded about what my political beliefs needed to be. As a result, I don't like left or right wing agendas when it comes to television shows, especially ones that are supposed to be funny. At first Alan carries the show, and it's hilarious. But by the end, I found myself getting bored during his long liberal speeches and losing concentration to the point where I would miss if he won or lost. Denny is great in the beginning as well, even though the character was only created to make all republicans look like idiots. Something else that really gets to me is that with all of the liberal points to be made, sexism oozes from this series. It's not as bad as Ally McBeal, but the focus is on 2 males instead of an anorexic head in the clouds female, so I didn't suspect it would be.

Politics aside, there is no way I could rate this show higher than a 6 because it is majorly lacking when it comes to character continuance. There are at least 5 major characters that are not so much written off, as they just disappear. Fairly large plot holes can be found in different story lines as well.

The best thing about this series is Jerry "Hands" Espenson. Out of all of the characters he shows the most range and growth. I also loved any episodes with Betty White portraying spunky Catherine Piper.

Just know that you dead end with obnoxious liberal ramblings, but you'll enjoy the scenery before you get there.

I admit I didn't watch "The Practice" as a regular show, but I saw enough to see that it was a dark, clever series examining the everyday work of a small Boston firm who primarily defended criminals. "Boston Legal" is a much different show. Centered around a civil and corporate firm that only occasionally deals in criminal cases. The place is a circus, it's David E. Kelley's hybrid of "The Practice" and "Ally McBeal," although the latter included hallucinations and bizarre love lifes.

Emmy-winner James Spader, the ever shameless and subtly self-destructive Alan Shore is the slimy playboy who, like it or not, is a fantastic attorney. Denny Crane (fellow Emmy-winner William Shatner) seems like the perfect match for Shore's unpredictable fashion. Both men are unorthodox, and Denny is slipping. He's also a great attorney, but he doesn't know it half the time. The two are the perfect team, each willing to forgive the other for their shortcomings in the area of law, and cover each other as such. Paul Lewiston (Rene Aberjonois) is the figurehead of everything they are not. He is respectable, by-the-book, and without conscience. The embodiment of the sleazy corporate attorney, and more concerned with keeping a client than with admitting a falacy on their part. Brad Chase (Mark Valley) is in the same boat insofar as playing by the rules, but he's Denny's man, and it pisses him off that Alan gets all the attention for his crimes. Laurie Colson (Monica Potter) is the idealistic attorney who has dabbled in Alan Shore's method of practicing law with disastrous consequences. Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra) is finally sleeping with Alan, and happily playing along in his little game. And Sally Heep (Lake Bell) has all but disappeared since she broke up with Alan, so that she is little more than an errand boy (girl).

And most recently Candice Bergen has joined the cast at Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, as Shirley Schmidt (Edwin Poole has gone off the deep end after showing up at work, having only dressed the top half of his body.) and she appears to be Alan Shore in reverse. She's manipulative, wisecracking, and short with answers, but she seems to appeal to the ethical way of practicing law. Now back from New York and busting balls due to a law suit filed by one of their employees, she seems a welcome edition to the show.

Perfect follow-up to "Desperate Housewives," and just as funny. It's proof that David E. Kelley still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

This show is simply genius.

Funny, dramatic, sexy and not afraid to hit some meaty issues.

The real success of the series, the acting. The leads are crazy good and their delivery of their characters are perfection.

What else can I say but...

Denny Crane.

Simply the best TV series there has been.

James Spader and William S were first class, and I do hope they find something very similar.

Why do these sorts of shows get cancelled and others are still on TV that simply should not be there.

Any chance of a further spin-off, as James and William were great? I know if was already a spin-off.

At the moment of the show to watch - Big Bang Theory, Dexter, V, Justified (but only for Walton) and I am struggling to find any others.

Buy the entire series on DVD, Boston Legal is worth it.

Denny Crane is so lovable. But what intrigued me most were the excellent arguments on points of law that were put forrh throughout, and especially by James Spader's character. James Spader is a delight to watch. There is a magic about how he delivers his dialogues and makes his point. I have watched it again and again just because of Spader. Excellent.

What a fantastic series this is. I do like a courtroom drama. Over the years there have been a wealth of quality slick U. S courtroom dramas and I honestly think this is the best one off them all. Very very funny and the acting is superb from the whole cast. Im not sure how or why it hasn't won more awards and accolades . William Shatner is just excellent is the aging superstar attorney, providing most of the laughs with his failing mental health and crazy behaviour (Denny Crane) BUT James Spader is on another level, giving us the dramatic closing speeches that are wonderfully written and wonderfully delivered. But the thing with this series that makes it even better is the character development. Shatner and Spaders man to man love of each other is a joy to watch and see grow, Ive not seen this type of story between 2 leading actors in a series ever before. Mixed into this is Spaders characters loneliness and vulnerability, you come away feeling sad for him. It's one of the very few programs I look forward to sitting down and watch, the last one being House MD. Candice Bergen is the grownup mother type character who seems like the only sane lawyer in the building. I watch this show and just smile, its funny/poignant and touching. Im just starting the third series. I really hope it remains this good to the end. I really think there's a spin off to be had with this program, showing Denny Crane as a younger lawyer at the start of his career, to see why his is so awesome and why his name alone can win cases. American writers show again why they are the best in the world.

Love the banter . Its hilarious

DENNY DENNY DENNY CRANE.

Now in 2023, I rediscovered this gem of a TV series. Funny, poignant, politically insightful, beautifully recorded. I laughed outloud at the antics of William Shatner and James Spader plus all the other terrific performers (check the cast list!). This MUST be enjoyed again!

I remember when we were first married I used to watch this... I went to college near Boston, so much of the scenery grabbed my attention. Having watched The Practice, also set in a law firm in Boston, I was quickly hooked by this spinoff.

Watching it again now was like putting on a comfortable pair of flannel lounging pants and putting my feet up.

LOVED every second of this, now as a more mature adult (also now a Granddad).

Do yourself a favor... love this all over again, too!

BOSTON LEGAL was one of the very few smart shows on TV that conveyed a lot of important factual information through wonderfully told stories and done with brilliant humor - all at the same time.

David Kelley is a TV genius - no surprise to read he went to Princeton and Boston U Law School and that he was an attorney - in Boston. No wonder the whole thing seems so authentic. The guy who created the show actually knows what he's writing about.

Shatner's Denny Crane is outrageous and far sharper than most people realize.

Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt is brighter than ever - it's nice to see smart women on TV instead of the Tyras and Brittneys of the world.

James Spader, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen and Rene Auberjonois were all excellent in the cast.

Seasons one and two are on DVD.

My only fear is that the show may be too smart to continue to draw a big enough audience over a long run.

UPDATE: In the 2007 Fall season, major cast changes, story lines and characters seem to have taken a downhill turn. The relationship between Denny Crane and Alan Shore has gotten particularly weird.

Boston Legal's best days are definitely in its past.

If the perfect show exists, Boston Legal is it.

It is so ridiculously over the top in terms of the cases these lawyers handle, that you can't help but laugh at the very ideas they pull from their hats.

And on top of that, the acting is brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen a character quite as compelling as Jerry Espenson, or as utterly insane but at the same time brilliant as Denny Crane. Add to that the horribly arrogant but even more brilliant attorney Alan Shore, and you have the perfect cast to laugh your behind off, but that's only a fraction of the amazing characters in this show.

Now, one might say that this show is utterly unrealistic in that the lawyers succeed in winning even the most insane cases. But to that I will say: Television doesn't have to be realistic, it has to be fun. And that's exactly what Boston Legal is: fun. And honestly, in a perfect world these cases could very well be real, so in a sense it's a motivation for all of us to improve the world.

The only thing that I rest to say is: if you haven't seen this show, please do. I guarantee you you will not regret a single second.

I don't think this is too bad of a show under the right conditions. I tolerated the first season.

Unfortunately, this is a show about lawyers who aren't really lawyers. God forbid anybody actually go to law school based on these shows, which I had heard was the case when I watched some interviews of the show. It just made me gag a bit.

That aside, Spader and Shatner, who are supposed to be the stars of the show, are the most annoying. While this might be a compliment in some situations, it's certainly not here. Their constantly harassing the women on the show is funny at first. But since that's what they're doing literally all the time, I've realized that this is as deep as the show is going to get. Trying to intersperse some serious, dramatic, and even tear-jerking moments in the middle of this mockery of a real show fails to compensate for the progressive loss of interest I've been experiencing trying to enjoy the show.

Alan Shore's flamboyant and gratuitous "public service announcements" where he spouts off his opinions do not impress. Denny Crane is just annoying. I was embarrassed for him and for the writers of the show for Crane's speech wearing a colonial outfit.

I'm giving two stars because there are moments where I thought the show's attempts to deal with some contemporary issues were done with care.

I think the show's writers became aware that the sexual harassment displayed by Denny and Alan was getting overbearing even to those who were more inviting of them from the start. The thing is, I don't care if the sexual harassment treatment in the show is done well, but I just felt that the writer was insulting me with artificially implanting sexual banters all over the show in the hopes that my libido will keep me coming back for more. I'm not a teenager anymore, and I think this show is promising if its goal wasn't to cater to the lowest common denominator to get ratings.

Of course, I'm writing this after I realized that it's really not gonna get much better than this. It's a shame because it's one of those shows I'd love to love.