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FindLaw's Insider TV Reviews Archives
Welcome to FindLaw's Legal TV Reviews, where top lawyers gave you their take on last season's leading law-related television shows.
Ally McBeal - Television's hottest attorney, Ally McBeal, is a Boston lawyer dedicated to short skirts, a pathological fantasy life, and the pursuit of true love. Emmy award-winning writer David E. Kelly has populated Ally's law firm with -- among others -- the craven founding partner Richard "bygones" Fish; nosey secretary Elaine Vassal; eccentric litigator John "the biscuit" Cage, Ally's former flame Billy; and his wife Georgia. These lawyers have never met a case too strange to try, or a thought too bizarre to voice, be it in the courtroom or their co-ed bathroom.
Ed - Ed Stevens is a former New York lawyer who returns to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio, after being fired and discovering his wife with another man. In an effort to relive is past, he pursues the most popular girl from his high school class, becomes roomates with his best friend Mike, and sets up his own solo practitioner law firm at the local bowling alley, where customers can pay $6 to bowl three games and get a free legal consultation. From the creators of The Late Show with David Letterman, this one-hour romantic comedy allows you to follow the life of Ed Stevens and discover whether you can ever really go home again.
Law and Order - In the first half hour of each episode, New York City police detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and his partner Edward Jordan (Jesse Martin), investigate homicides -- often lifted straight from the news headlines. In the second half, assistant district attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Abbie Carmichael (Angie Harmon) prosecute the case at trial. The show layers the brutality of the criminals against the dedication of the people whose lives are devoted to bringing the perpetrators to justice. In doing so, it explores the ethical dilemmas underlying our criminal justice system.
The Practice - A past Emmy-award winner for best t.v. drama, The Practice is the creation of former Boston attorney David E. Kelley. The show focuses on attorney Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) and his partners and associates, whose criminal law practice never fails to attract the dangerous and the weird. The show superimposes courtroom drama over the problems and politics of a small law firm, highlighting the pressures and conflicts inherent in each.
West Wing - The West Wing is a drama that takes us behind-the-scenes at the White House. From national crises to personal agendas, we witness life from the perspectives of the president's beleaguered press secretary (Allison Janney); cynical communications director (Richard Schiff); his assistant (Rob Lowe); the over-worked deputy chief of staff (Bradley Whitford); and current chief of staff (John Spencer). The show offers an insight into the myriad ways the personal and political can intersect in a place as complex as the West Wing.