Boston Legal



Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley and produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, to December 8, 2008. The series, starring James Spader, with Candice Bergen, and William Shatner, is a spin-off of the long-running Kelley series The Practice, following the exploits of former Practice character Alan Shore at the legal firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt.

Production details
Prior to the show's premiere, it had a working title of Fleet Street, an allusion to the real street in Boston where the fictitious Crane, Poole & Schmidt had its offices. The working title was later modified to The Practice: Fleet Street, but this title was dropped in favor of Boston Legal. The real building shown as the law office is located at 500 Boylston Street, 1.4 miles away from Fleet Street.

The American producers of the series also hired British writer Sir John Mortimer, QC, (creator of the UK legal series Rumpole of the Bailey) as a consultant for Boston Legal.

The show's pilot was originally produced with former The Practice stars James Spader and Rhona Mitra, guest stars William Shatner and Lake Bell, and Mark Valley. It featured an expanded storyline with Larry Miller as Edwin Poole and John Michael Higgins as senior partner Jerry Austin. Monica Potter was later cast as junior partner Lori Colson and René Auberjonois as senior partner Paul Lewiston, replacing John Michael Higgins. The pilot premiered on ABC on October 3, 2004.

On November 30, 2004, it was announced that Candice Bergen would join the cast as senior partner Shirley Schmidt, a character the producers had planned to introduce for several months. Lake Bell left the series mid-season, and René Auberjonois was promoted to main cast member. Anthony Heald and Betty White also made regular guest appearances, having both appeared as the same characters on The Practice.

On April 5, 2005, the series was renewed for a second season, although ABC chose not to screen the final five episodes of Season 1 until April 24, 2005 to allow greater exposure of mid-season series Grey's Anatomy to a larger audience. The success of Grey's Anatomy placed Boston Legal on hold until autumn 2005, when it returned for an extended season of 27 episodes. Both Rhona Mitra and Monica Potter left the series during the hiatus, while Julie Bowen was cast as Denise Bauer. Ryan Michelle Bathe and Justin Mentell were later cast as junior associates Sara Holt and Garrett Wells. The second episode of Season 3 introduced Craig Bierko as Jeffrey Coho and Constance Zimmer as Claire Simms. In Episode 11, guest star Gary Anthony Williams joined the cast, with Craig Bierko leaving in Episode 15.

On June 4, 2007, TV Guide announced that René Auberjonois, Julie Bowen, Mark Valley, and Constance Zimmer would not return for Season 4. On June 13, 2007, it was announced that actor John Larroquette (former The Practice guest star) would join the cast as a senior partner transferred from the New York offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, with actress Tara Summers joining as a young associate. Christian Clemenson (former The Practice guest star), who had guest-starred occasionally as Jerry Espenson (a brilliant but socially inept lawyer) – was promoted to main cast. Production also stated that René Auberjonois, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen, and Constance Zimmer may return in guest roles. On July 2, 2007, it was reported that both René Auberjonois and Mark Valley would return in recurring roles; It was also announced that Taraji P. Henson would join the cast in Season 4, with Saffron Burrows appearing in a recurring role. Burrows later became a full-time cast member.

On May 13, 2008, ABC announced that Boston Legal would return for a fifth (and final) season in the fall. Saffron Burrows did not return as a series regular, having joined the cast of My Own Worst Enemy. The final season consisted of 13 episodes to reach the "100" episode mark, which facilitated successful syndication. There was speculation that Boston Legal might receive an additional episode-order if the show had another strong showing in the Emmy Awards and produced solid ratings in its new fall time slot. 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. 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 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 7, 2008 that it was ABC's decision to end Boston Legal, and that he "had to fight to bring it back for a short season of 13 episodes".

The series features a trademark routine whereby characters would occasionally break the fourth wall and make comments implying they are aware that they are characters in a television show. Shatner, being famous for portraying Captain Kirk, also makes occasional Star Trek references.

The series aired on TV Land in the past.

The Practice characters

 * James Spader as Alan Shore (seasons 1-5; The Practice season 8)
 * William Shatner as Denny Crane (seasons 1-5; The Practice season 8)
 * Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson (season 1, recurring 2; The Practice season 8)
 * Lake Bell as Sally Heep (season 1, guest 3; The Practice season 8)

Main characters

 * Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt (episodes 11-101)
 * René Auberjonois as Paul Lewiston (seasons 1-3, recurring 4-5)
 * Mark Valley as Brad Chase (seasons 1-3, recurring 4)
 * Monica Potter as Lori Colson (season 1, recurring 2)
 * Julie Bowen as Denise Bauer (seasons 2-3, guest 5)
 * Ryan Michelle Bathe as Sara Holt (season 2)
 * Justin Mentell as Garrett Wells (season 2)
 * Christian Clemenson as Jerry Espenson (seasons 4-5, recurring 2-3)
 * Constance Zimmer as Claire Simms (season 3)
 * Craig Bierko as Jeffrey Coho (season 3)
 * Gary Anthony Williams as Clarence Bell (seasons 3-4)
 * Taraji P. Henson as Whitney Rome (season 4)
 * Saffron Burrows as Lorraine Weller (season 4)
 * Tara Summers as Katie Lloyd (seasons 4-5)
 * John Larroquette as Carl Sack (seasons 4-5)

Ratings and audience profile
According to Nielsen 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).

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Boston Legal on ABC.

''Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. All times mentioned in this section were in the Eastern and Pacific time zones.''

Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards:
 * 2005 Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (James Spader)
 * 2005 Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (William Shatner)
 * 2006 Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Christian Clemenson)
 * 2007 Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (James Spader)
 * James Spader also won the 2004 Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the same role on "The Practice".

Golden Globe Awards:
 * 2004 Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie (William Shatner)

Peabody Awards
 * 2005, as David E. Kelley Productions, in association with 20th Century Fox Television