Series synopsis
Boston Legal is an American comedy drama television series that premiered on ABC on October 3, 2004. It ended on December 8, 2008. It was created by David E. Kelley. It stars James Spader, William Shatner, Candice Bergen and Mark Valley.
Alan Shore and Denny Crane lead a brigade of high-priced civil litigators in an upscale Boston law firm in a series focusing on the professional and personal lives of brilliant but often emotionally challenged attorneys. A spin-off of long-running series The Practice.
Premise
Alan Shore and Denny Crane lead a brigade of high-priced civil litigators in an upscale Boston law firm in a series focusing on the professional and personal lives of brilliant but often emotionally challenged attorneys. A spin-off of long-running series The Practice.
Premise: Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the courtroom.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- James Spader as Alan Shore
- William Shatner as Denny Crane
- Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt
- Mark Valley as Brad Chase
- Julie Bowen as Denise Bauer
- Saffron Burrows as Lorraine Weller
- John Larroquette as Carl Sack
- Tara Summers as Katie Lloyd
Supporting cast
- Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson
- Monica Potter as Lori Colson
- René Auberjonois as Paul Lewiston
- Christian Clemenson as Jerry Espenson
- Gary Anthony Williams as Clarence Bell
- Taraji P. Henson as Whitney Rome
- Constance Zimmer as Claire Simms
Guest cast
- Craig Bierko as Jeffrey Coho
- Ryan Michelle Bathe as Sara Holt
- Justin Mentell as Garrett Wells
- Lake Bell as Sally Heep
- James Eckhouse as Dr. Adam Carter
- Joel McKinnon Miller as Robert Berrin, Zozo the Clown
- John Berg as Judge Hober
- Richard Riehle as Dr. Barry Glouberman
- Richard Fancy as Father Michael Ryan
- Nicole Sullivan as Joan Rubin
- Allan Louis as Ande Mkeba
- Ken Davitian as Mr. Kahanov
Episodes
This series spans 6 seasons with 113 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 12 | ||
| Season 1 | 17 | October 3, 2004 | March 20, 2005 |
| Season 2 | 27 | September 27, 2005 | May 16, 2006 |
| Season 3 | 24 | September 19, 2006 | May 29, 2007 |
| Season 4 | 20 | September 25, 2007 | May 21, 2008 |
| Season 5 | 13 | September 22, 2008 | December 8, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Superbowl | |
| 3 | Court is Now in Session: How Boston Legal Came to Be | |
| 4 | An Unlikely Pair: Alan Shore and Denny Crane |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Head Cases A civil-rights issue hinges on the casting choice for a version of "Annie"; a child-custody battle turns ugly; an adultery case involves Crane. |
October 3, 2004 |
| 2 |
Still Crazy After All These Years An ex-lover haunts Shore, who secures the woman's release from a psychiatric hospital where she was confined after trying to kill him. Elsewhere, Crane fights an opposing counsel's sanction charges. |
October 10, 2004 |
| 3 |
Catch and Release A client of Crane, Poole & Schmidt want to build a shopping mall on an area where salmon are spawning and Denny's son is the environmental lawyer defending the area. Alan and Lori take a sexual harassment case and learn that Christine, whom he recently helped get released from a mental institution and who he now fears is stalking him, is opposing counsel. Sally has her first trial case where she defends a man who is accused of stealing a wallet. |
October 17, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Black Widow Alan Shore and Brad Chase represent Kelly Nolan who is on trial for poisoning her husband. Meanwhile, Tara Wilson second-chairs for Shirley Schmidt and is shocked to find that the opposing counsel is her former lover, Malcolm Holmes. Garrett Wells and Sara Holt assist Denise Bauer on a case where a Jewish man felt violated when his Christian co-workers held Bible readings in the workplace. To make things worse, Denise is served with divorce papers. |
September 27, 2005 |
| 2 |
Schadenfreude The Kelly Nolan trial continues, but Alan, Denny and Brad run fear the worst when Kelly's cold demeanor begins to turn off the jury. Meanwhile, Garrett and Sara are enlisted to help Denise in her divorce settlement and Malcolm convinces Tara to represent Johnny Damon, Edwin Starr's nephew, whose performance of War strikes a nerve at a nightclub. |
October 4, 2005 |
| 3 |
Finding Nimmo Denny takes Alan to Nimmo Bay, British Columbia, Canada, to help him get over his breakup with Tara. Catherine confesses to Bernard's murder. Sara and Garrett take extreme measures to help Denise challenge her husband's alimony demands in their divorce proceedings. |
October 11, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Can't We All Get a Lung? Terminally ill Daniel Post needs Denise and Shirley's help after running afoul of the law. Meanwhile, Alan defends Jerry after his driving habits lead to trouble. |
September 19, 2006 |
| 2 |
New Kids on the Block Crane Poole & Schmidt's new lawyer makes his mark while defending a man charged with killing a judge. Meanwhile, Denny's Internet romance creates trouble at the firm, and Alan helps a cross-dresser who's out of a job. |
September 26, 2006 |
| 3 |
Desperately Seeking Shirley Shirley finds an unlikely--but familiar--foe in court when her ex-husband, Ivan, wants to get rid of his postnuptial agreement to his current wife. Meanwhile, Coho engages in questionable practices in an important case, and Denny's online date avers that size doesn't matter. |
October 3, 2006 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Beauty and the Beast Senior partner Carl Sack clashes with Denny after the latter is arrested. Meanwhile, Shirley needs Alan's help when a university wants a donation, and Jerry assists another new attorney in a homicide case. |
September 25, 2007 |
| 2 |
The Innocent Man A new lawyer at the firm draws instant attention from Alan, who is busy helping Jerry and Katie on a murder trial and fielding an offer from Gloria to be the father of her child. Meanwhile, Clarence and Lorraine represent a woman whose affair with her pastor resulted in a loss of her faith. |
October 2, 2007 |
| 3 |
The Chicken and the Leg Denny believes a bet against Carl Sack in a cockfighting case is a sure thing; Alan and Lorraine represent an HIV-positive girl in a suit against her school; a widow hires Katie and Jerry after her husband commits suicide. |
October 9, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Smoke Signals Alan answers a call for help from Bethany Horowitz in a suit against a tobacco giant, but he suffers a crisis of confidence when the opposing counsel turns out to be an old girlfriend. Meanwhile, Denny is plagued by a case of performance anxiety. |
September 22, 2008 |
| 2 |
Guardians and Gatekeepers A close call for Denny involving prescription drugs inspires Alan to go after a pharmaceutical company for its unscrupulous advertising tactics. Meanwhile, Carl defends Shirley's 17-year-old granddaughter after she's caught voting illegally, and Jerry and Katie help a girl who was sexually assaulted in a private detention facility. |
September 29, 2008 |
| 3 |
Dances with Wolves Denny is arrested on concealed-weapon charges after shooting a man who tried to rob him and Jerry. Meanwhile, a case gets personal for Alan when he tries to help a sex surrogate in a custody battle for her daughter. |
October 6, 2008 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 3, 2004 |
| Last aired | December 8, 2008 |
| Runtime | 42 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Monday at 22:00:00 |