I love it because the show is very funny. From the first episode, it was
clear that the show was going to have many funny lines and situations, even
though it was one hour and a spin-off from the very-serious "The Practice".
It's what you might call a light drama, but many times it's a flat-out
sitcom. We all like to put labels on our TV shows, but this one is hard to
pin down. Sometimes it can be very dramatic. Still, the best parts are the
hilarious lines spewed out by William Shatner, James Spader and the rest,
not to mention the very silly guest-stars. It's clear that David E. Kelley
is sometimes in full Ally McBeal mode when writing the show, and especially
in writing the quirky characters. Some of the very best scenes are between
Denny Crane and Alan Shore just sitting around, smoking cigars. I always
knew Shatner would be great in a comedy, from seeing him on shows like
"Saturday Night Live" and guesting on The Tonight Show. He's just a very
funny man. His broad humor is a great contrast to the subtle and dry humor
of James Spader's character. Even though Shatner has taken lots of criticism
over the years for his acting style, he even surprises us sometimes with
great dramatic acting on the show.
The second reason I love the show is how it takes on political issues of the
day, usually from a liberal standpoint. There aren't too many drama shows
that take on politics, and when they do, they are usually from a more
moderate or right-wing perspective. Boston Legal is very liberal most of the
time. Sometimes it can be downright preachy, but as long as it's a great
character like Alan Shore preaching to us, who cares?
The third reason I love the show is the legal drama, but just as it's third
place in my reasons, it's third place in the show's priorties as well. It's
pretty clear to anyone who pays attention to legal procedures or the law
that most of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt's cases would be thrown out before
they even get to court, let alone would be run in the ridiculous way they
are on the show. And of course the parade of ridiculous judges is
unrealistic, just as it was on Ally McBeal and even The Practice. But you
gotta love those judges, as they are fabulous and use some great classic
talent.
I have to admit that in season two, the show got off track quite a bit. This
was around the time that Brad Chase hit the priest with the ax. It veered
away from the liberal issues and was just not very funny. However, they got
right back on track in the latter part of the season and have been stellar
ever since! It is can't-miss-TV.
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