DVD available at Amazon.com
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Release Date: May 23, 2006
Number of Discs: 5
Number of Episodes: 17
Running Time: 728 Minutes
MSRP: $49.98
Creator:
David E. Kelley
Cast:
James Spader……….Alan Shore
William Shatner……….Denny Crane
Candice Bergen……….Shirley Schmidt
Mark Valley……….Brad Chase
Rene Auberjonois……….Paul Lewiston
Monica Potter……….Lori Colson
Rhona Mitra………..Tara Wilson
Lake Bell……….Sally Heep
The show:
During the nineties there was a cultural shift in the entertainment business. Basic cable became a wasteland; even the most ardent supporters were growing tired of the idiot box. Movies were becoming more interesting and more profitable. When nobody is at home watching television the networks lose ad revenue. Through it all, people like Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley kept churning out legal and police procedurals. Series that focused more on the characters and the crime and less about fingerprint analysis and gunshot residue (GSR).
It wasn’t until movie honcho Jerry Bruckheimer decided to conquer the world of forensic science that television became popular again. Viewers may be enthralled by the special effects of CSI and all of its clones, as well as a good mystery, but nothing beats a good courtroom drama. Lawyers like Perry Mason and Matlock standing before the judge and jury. Legal and police dramas are formulaic from the start, but with an ensemble and a good script magic can happen.
David E. Kelley has been a fixture of prime-time television since the eighties. He worked with other TV wunderkind Steven Bochco on L.A. Law and the two created Doogie Howser, M.D. Branching out Kelley and his producing company became a part of the Twentieth Century Fox television production division. On the lot, he created such hits as Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal, and The Practice. Not bad for a lawyer from Boston.
His experiences as a lawyer surely played a role in each of his legal dramas. But it was his inclusion of tongue in cheek humor that helped offset all the gavels and legalese rhetoric. His latest television series, Boston Legal is the perfect blend of drama and comedy. If it were a spoof it could conveniently be called “Law and Disorder”.
Debuting in the fall of 2004, the show is a spin-off from Kelley’s other legal drama. A number of characters that would be incorporated in the fictional law offices of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt made their introductions during the last season of The Practice: Denny Crane (William Shatner), Alan Shore (James Spader), Sally Heep (Lake Bell), and Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra).
Watching the episodes from the first season Kelley and his team had their work cut out. Generally a spin-off tries to retain the charm of the show that came before. Boston Legal goes to great lengths to not be like its predecessor. It is a spin-off, yet to the unacquainted the show stands on its own.
At the law offices of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt the disposition is sunny as its lawyers tackle moral issues typically seen on the evening news. When they aren’t in the courtroom their days are filled with irreverent humor in which double entendres may be divulged. Somewhere in between the drama and the flippant discourse Boston Legal finds balance.
Most successful dramas have either a diverse ensemble or strong characters with which to build from. Each episode of BL may have cases tried before the court, but the focus is clearly about the lawyers and how they develop and interact as the season progresses. The first season definitely had some problems, but nothing a little tinkering can’t fix. Since they were already established during the waning season of The Practice, characters Crane and Shore were more at ease as compared to those who had to find their place on the show.
William Shatner plays Denny Crane. You know he must be important since his name comes first on the firm’s letterhead. Unquestionably, he is the best character on the show. As an aging attorney who claims to be undefeated, Shatner is so evocative in the role that I’m not sure he’s acting. Older clearly does not mean wiser in the case of Denny Crane. He objectifies women and refers to himself in the third person. “Denny Crane!” like its supposed to strike fear in the hearts of unsuspecting lawyers. A staunch Republican in a blue state, Crane is a man’s man. Loves guns. Doesn’t spend time wondering what tomorrow will bring. This is just a smoke screen; he’s denying the fact he’s getting older, having to deal with the onset of Alzheimer’s. Or, as he likes to call it, “the mad cow.”
Crane doesn’t worry about the preconceived notion of thinking before you speak, as he constantly makes lewd comments about sex, females, and political parties. When he tells his associates he’s got an erection, prior to a trial, you know he’s got his game face on. Denny Crane.
Alan Shore could be seen as the polar opposite of Denny, apart for his love of women, alcohol, and expertise in trying a case. With Shore you get the good, the bad, and the naughty, as his girlfriend, Tara (Rhona Mitra), would have you believe. Nice Alan goes to court as a defender for those wrongly accused, protecting their rights. Not so nice Alan is the type of guy who has the audacity to pay complete strangers to punch another man in the face. To him 300 dollars is a small price to pay for happiness. And of course the wayward side of his character involves him sexually harassing anything with stiletto heels and heaving breasts. Flirting with every girl in the law office, Shore can make even the most steadfast of females quiver. Narcissistic through and through Alan’s the kind of guy that can seemingly walk that invisible line between love and hate.
Shatner and James Spader may be the program’s dynamic duo, but the rest of the supporting players more than carry their weight. Candice Bergen doesn’t make her appearance until eleven episodes into the season. As Shirley Schmidt, she has a very no nonsense attitude when it comes to practicing law. Denny Crane is infatuated with her. Anytime she utters his name it gives him pause. When I wrote that Alan could seduce any female, I didn’t mean Shirley Schmidt. Even the suggestion of lust causes Schmidt to retort drolly, “Go subscribe to National Geographic. Make a list of the places you’ll never get to visit. Add to that list, Schmidt.”
Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonis) is the wizard behind the curtain, dealing with Crane’s antics and trying to keep the firm’s transgressions from the media. Trying to keep a leash on Denny is Brad Chase (Mark Valley), a Gulf War veteran turned successful attorney. Marine. Lawyer. Captain America wannabe. The three women that complete this ensemble – the conflicted Lori Colson (Monica Potter), Sally Heep (Lake Bell), and Tara – are assessed throughout the season. The writers took their time trying to see what worked and what didn’t. But as the season comes to a close, and that gavel is about to fall, the writers pretty much have the characters pinned down.
The backbiting that occurs in the law offices of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt is surreal. At the start of the season everybody is stepping on each other’s toes. Some want to fire Shore but he’s too valuable a lawyer. There’s a great deal of male posturing as Shore and Chase try to outperform each other. Sure, Brad may be higher up on the totem pole, but Alan is just a “slut for authority.” The bickering over significant others are common practice for the females of the firm. With Crane’s Alzheimer’s making him a liability, Lewiston is always looking for ways to remove him. Regardless of the spitefulness, the lawyers are capable of burying the hatchet at the end of the working day.
And what better way to end on a high note than by watching Denny Crane and Alan Shore chew the scenery with grace and style. A cigar in one hand some hard liquor in the other.
Score: 8.5/10
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The DVD:
THE VIDEO
(Presented with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio)
Watching a show like The Practice and then seeing Boston Legal the atmosphere is like night and day. While the former was gritty and coarse, the latter has a vibrant array of colors. Even Shirley Schmidt’s scowl can’t be dampened by this transfer. The office is lively, partly due to the characters. But its ambiance radiates on screen. The video also sparkles in the courtroom and drinking establishments. Occasionally the image has some softness or features a little grain, but the transfer remains better than its original broadcast.
Score: 7.5/10
THE AUDIO
(Dolby 2.0 Surround)
A 5.1 track would have been a better alternative, as the show’s kinetic energy would have been pleasing to the aural senses. The presentation does offer TV broadcast acoustics and that’s about it. No hiccups in the quality department and the volume level is decent. Subtitles are available for English, Spanish, and French.
Score: 7/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: Skip directly to disc #5.
With only the final episode on the fifth disc, one might expect an assortment of extras to fill out the package. Sadly, the viewer is given a little over 30 minutes of supplemental material.
The first featurette, Court is Now in Session: How Boston Legal Came to Be, is an 11-minute piece on the show’s creation. What David E. Kelley wanted for this show was for it to be One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest in a courtroom. Kelley is a contributor to the feature as are many of the cast members. Most of the time is given to clips from the show with just a few moments of behind-the-scenes footage.
Fans of the show’s favorite tandem are sure to enjoy An Unlikely Pair: Alan Shore and Denny Crane (5:20). Spader, Shatner and Kelley all talk about the characters and their relationship. Both actors give on-set sound bites and Kelley, with his Emmy awards conveniently on display behind him, is in his office. If viewers are watching this extra after seeing the 17 episodes in the set, you won’t be getting much insight. More fluff rather than substance I’m afraid.
The last extra is a collection of deleted scenes from the Pilot episode “Head Cases”. Following a short introduction by Kelley and executive producer Bill D’Elia, the scenes play back-to-back. Though the two don’t reveal why they were cut, it is pretty obvious. The Pilot was in the can, but Kelley re-wrote the script for a third time. He wasn’t quite satisfied with the end result. The scenes they ended up cutting have no bearing on the series, but it is fun to see Crane and Chase doing push-ups.
Score: 3/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for Boston Legal | |
