Boston Legal - Season One
by Allison Liddi, Arlene Sanford, Bill D'Elia, Charles Haid, Daniel Attias
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Candice Bergen, James Spader, Mark Valley, Rene Auberjonois, William ShatnerDirector: Allison Liddi, Arlene Sanford, Bill D'Elia, Charles Haid, Daniel Attias
Brand: Fox
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.1; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.1; French (Dubbed)
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 739 minutes
Published: 2006
DVD Release Date: 2006-05-23
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product features:
- Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery
- Boston Legal - Season One
- Civil Law | Eccentric
- Spin Off Legal
- Cigar Smoking
Movie Reviews of Boston Legal - Season One
Movie Review: LOCK AND LOAD
Summary: 5 Stars
LOCK AND LOAD ~ Denny Crain......
Making his career in the early days of the classic, "LA Law" in 1987, David Kelley started as a writer for Steve Bochco, then moved on to producing. Kelley learned a lot from Bochco, notably how much it pays to have a warped sense of humor carried into the great American landscape in the form of a television drama that's really all about comedy. Much of the humor was delivered just through the name of the weekly offering - an example? 1991's Emmy winning - "On the Toad Again". Kelley also learned how invaluable it can be to have a great ensemble cast prepared to deliver your version of insanity.
Television's darling in the late `90's and early part of the decade, Kelley scored quietyl as the creator of "Picket Fences" and "Chicago Hope" and moved on to his zenith with the quirky "Ally McBeal". After Ally's success, the networks burned him out of ideas by latching on too quickly to "The Practice" and "Boston Public", two more serious shows in the Boston-based genre. Although both shows enjoyed success, his "Girls' Club" and "The Law Firm" both died quick, deserved deaths. "Ally" wrapped in 2002 as it was fading, and "Boston Public" eked on until 2004. Strangely, once he was down to just one survivor, the less original "The Practice", on shaky legs in season 7, was renewed in a surprise move by ABC. Thank goodness. Because it was in Season 8 that Kelley undertook a revival of his comedic genius by introducing the larger than life characters in the dying show.
Sharon Stone took a 3 episode stint, Ed Asner and Betty White came back from Mary Tyler Moore fame, Jill Clayburgh showed up from LA Law, Patrick Dempsey took a tour of duty, character actor James Spader showed up in mid-season....but the chemistry and quirky that Kelley wanted didn't start to happen until the faded and fading William Shatner (once a Captain, now with Priceline) came to the show, prepared to be as over the top as aging lawyer Denny Crane, as Kelley would let him. They added James Spader back to the mix for the final two shows, and "Boston Legal" was born.
I didn't pay much attention to "BL" for the first couple of shows, and then the buzz began about the Spader/Shatner mix, and a show ostensibly about civil law began to take shape. Kelley returned to writing, instead of just the production end, and enticed television legend Candice Bergen (5 Emmy's 2 Golden Globes) into the show at mid-year as Shirley Schmidt.
Boston Legal has wonderful chemistry. Spader's Alan Shore may be the smarmiest lead character ever on television, but he's a great attorney. He's also wonderfully patient with Shatner's Denny Crane, who is himself a lawsuit waiting to happen. Both of them are allowed to let the veil slip from time to time by referring to "this episode" or "next week's episode". There is a landmark scene in, I believe most or all of the episodes, where the two share a city vista and a cigar and the audience looks onto them from the back, enjoying the humor. And although there are some outrageous bits in this part of the show, they are coupled with Kelley's ability to convey camaraderie and respect between the two attorneys. Bergen gets to be the voice of reason, the only one who seems able to exercise a bit of control over the two. Twisted and a bit vile, Alan Shore and Denny Crane are perfect with comedic timing and deadpan when they need to be.
There's a fabulous supporting cast for Legal, and each of them gets to portray both the serious and the funny side of the script, while showcasing the leads. And what a wonderful list of guest stars grace the first season: The Rev. Al Sharpton (yes,really!), Dana Delaney, Betty White, Chi McBride, Sharon Lawrence, Henry Gibson, Freddie Prinze, Jr and Shelley Long took turns.
Despite having its Sunday run cut short by Grey's Anatomy, being aired a couple of times on Friday night, and finally having the last 5 episodes relegated to the next season (there are only 17 in this DVD set) "Boston Legal" may not have outdrawn "Desperate Housewives" or "Lost", but it was arguably the best show on ABC and probably on TV in the 2004-2005 season. And for as long as Kelley is writing and Spader and Shatner are carousing as larger than life, it may continue that run.
Highlights of this DVD set? I'm a big fan of the episode "'Til We Meat Again", where Denny and Shirley upset a law that outlaws red meat in a small town, and Alan gets into a bar brawl. There are a couple of great feauturettes that focus on how the show and the Shore/Shatner partnership came to be, and some great outtakes from the pilot episode.
Worth the money! A true classic.
Summary of Boston Legal - Season One
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