The Practice
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The Practice was a long-running (March 4 1997 - May 16 2004, eight seasons) ABC legal drama TV series created by David E. Kelley about a Boston, Massachusetts law firm. Among its many awards are the 1997 and 1998 Emmys for best drama series. It led to the spin-off legal comedy-drama series, Boston Legal, which began in fall 2004.
The show is aired in Britain on the popular channel ITV3.
The Practice originally focused on the law firm Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt, featuring the firm's involvement in a number of high-profile criminal and civil cases that often mirrored events occurring in real life. There were a number of crossovers with other David E. Kelley shows, including Boston Public, Ally McBeal and the short-lived medical drama Gideon's Crossing, but The Practice is overall one of David E. Kelley's most serious shows.
The main theme of the series as a whole is the uneasy balance between moral ethics and legal ethics. The problem in several episodes involved a dilemma between the two. One classic example is the episode in which Jimmy Berluti learned that a young boy had an aneurysm in his brain that could pop at any moment. But he was in the employ of the insurance company, and the client did not want to disclose the aneurysm. Berluti decided to let the parents know about the aneurysm. The boy was operated on before the aneurysm could cause any damage, but Berluti was nearly disbarred.
Very often the lawyers needed to remind themselves and others that they defended murderers and rapists for the common good of all people.
Another important theme of the series was lawyers being fooled by their clients. Joey Heric (played by guest star John Larroquette) literally got away with murder in every episode in which he hired Donnell, Young, Dole & Frutt. Another example is the psychotic William Hinks, who convinced his therapist and later Lindsay Dole that he was a serial murder wannabe rather than the real thing.
By the end of the seventh season, faced with sagging ratings, ABC conditioned the show's renewal on a drastic budget reduction. As a result, six cast members were fired: Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Chyler Leigh, Marla Sokoloff, and Lisa Gay Hamilton. The addition of James Spader and Rhona Mitra to the cast for the eighth season helped to revive the ratings somewhat. Spader would go on to win an Emmy Award for his one season on the show. However, on March 11, 2004, ABC announced that it would not renew the series for a ninth season, but that Kelley would instead create the new spin-off series starring Spader, Mitra and William Shatner, who began appearing as Denny Crane during the final months. [link]
Season overviews
Season 4
The fourth season further develops and wraps up the George Vogelman storyline from the previous season. Bobby and Lindsay cement their relationship by moving in together, leading to increasing tension between the now engaged couple, and the unusual combination of Ellenor and Helen Gamble sharing an apartment. Bobby witnesses the sad downfall of his mentor, Raymond Oz. Rebecca continues to earn her stripes as a defense attorney by passionately defending a client willing to take another man’s place in jail for money, a murderer who blames her crimes on childhood abuse, and a police officer ex-boyfriend accused of shooting a young teenager for no reason other than prejudice.
Lucy’s privacy is once again invaded without her knowledge, this time by Bobby’s cousin. Eugene’s already tense relationship with his son and ex-wife is rocked further when a man is murdered in their home in broad daylight. Lindsay struggles to overcome the emotional scars left by her stabbing through representing a serial killer arguing he has recovered and is ready for release. Jimmy defends an unrepentant murderer who is proud to have shot the man who raped her, and sees his friendship with community dentist Henry Olson (guest-star Henry Winkler) crumble after Olson is convicted of murder whilst Olson's son, the real culprit, hangs himself after Jimmy confronts the boy against his father’s wishes. Jimmy also ends his fling with Judge Kittleson after his ex-girlfriend Susan walks back into his life and her reproductive eggs lawsuit turns him broody.
Assistant D.A. Richard Bay begins a losing streak that sees him becoming increasingly frustrated with the justice system and leads him closer to the already jaded Helen Gamble, who Bay tries to woo with mixed success. The D.A.s don’t have much luck this season as first Gamble is mugged by one of Bobby’s oldest clients in the courtroom while the ever stubborn Judge Swackheim refuses to declare a mistrial, and then her attempt to use a police officer friend to exact a confession results in Bobby humiliating her in court. Meanwhile, Richard Bay suffers yet another crushing courtroom humiliation in the same episode as Gamble, this time at the hands of Ellenor, as Bay's attempt to utilise Ellenor's liar of a rejected witness backfires.
Lindsay works through her wedding jitters with Bobby by successfully settling a friend’s claim against a cigar firm for breaking up her marriage. Virtually the entire practice temporarily ups sticks to Los Angeles for two episodes to defend an old acquaintance of Lindsay’s against a puzzling murder charge that narrowly avoids the innocent client's execution. Jimmy and Bay try to overcome their problems by cheating the system together in order to secure a much needed manslaughter conviction for Bay and Henry Olson’s release for Jimmy. Eugene and Rebecca face prejudice from the snooty opposing council during a plastic surgery negligence case. Bobby gets kidnapped by a former client, defends a suspected female serial killer and struggles to deal with the memories of his mother’s death.
Series finale
The remaining members of the law firm go their separate ways. Eugene becomes a judge. Ellenor focuses more on her family. Jimmy and Jamie become neighborhood lawyers. The final scene shows Bobby Donnell behind a desk thinking about his law firm and the impact it has made.
Main cast
- Dylan McDermott as Bobby Donnell (1997-2003, 2004), head of the firm. Bobby often is forced to toe the line between ethical obligations and the obligations to a client. He left the firm in the 2003 season and subsequently returned at the show's end to close it up.
- Steve Harris as Eugene Young (1997-2004), co-partner of the firm (and head of the firm for the final season). Eugene often came off as heartless in court, but his ex-wife and his son bring out his emotions.
- Camryn Manheim as Ellenor Frutt (1997-2004), co-partner of the firm. Ellenor, a single mother, had a child via artificial insemination, a process that took her to court fighting for custody of her child.
- Kelli Williams as Lindsay Dole (1997-2003), Bobby's wife and a lawyer/co-partner at the firm. Lindsay was convicted of murdering a cannibalistic client who went after her, but the verdict was reversed on a technicality.
- Michael Badalucco as Jimmy Berluti (1997-2004), a lawyer, and later co-partner at the firm. Jimmy is a compulsive gambler, and many storylines involved dealing with his gambling problems. Jimmy is also a strong Catholic, and as a result of his faith, more inclined to shun his legal responsibility for moral superiority.
- Lara Flynn Boyle as Helen Gamble (1997-2003), the Assistant District Attorney who often prosecuted cases in which the firm was involved. Helen, a personal friend of the firm's members, is nevertheless relentless in her attempts to prosecute those who do wrong, sometimes even crossing the line of legal ethics.
- Lisa Gay Hamilton as Rebecca Washington (1997-2003), a lawyer at the firm. At the beginning of the series, Rebecca was the firm's receptionist, and occasional paralegal, until she passed her bar exam. She and Bobby are very close personally, and she has clearly worked for him for many years.
- James Spader as Alan Shore (2003-2004), a highly unethical friend of Ellenor's who was hired by the firm in the final season. The popularity of the character led to the spinoff, Boston Legal.
Supporting cast
- Jason Kravits as Richard Bay (1999-2001), a hard-nosed District Attorney. Richard was gunned down after prosecuting a murder trial, despite numerous death threats.
- Marla Sokoloff as Lucy Hatcher (1998-2003), a wise-cracking receptionist for the firm. Lucy is also a counselor for rape victims.
- Ron Livingston as Alan Lowe (2001-2002).
- Jessica Capshaw as Jamie Stringer (2002-2004), a high-strung Harvard graduate and lawyer at the firm. Jamie was brought in when Lindsay was convicted of murder.
- Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson (2003-2004), Alan's assistant. Tara left the firm when Alan did, in the final few episodes of the original series.
- Chyler Leigh as Claire Wyatt (2003), Lindsay's assistant. After Lindsay's conviction was overturned, she left the firm to found her own, and she hired Claire. Claire's character only lasted for about a half-season.
- Bill Smitrovich as Kenneth Walsh, Helen Gamble's mentor and an experienced Assistant District Attorney, Walsh hates criminal defense attorneys. In the past, he coerced a man charged with murder in order to obtain a confession. The defense attorney, Bobby Donnell, who still hadn't too much experience on the job, believed his client was guilty and didn't try to reverse the sentence. 15 years later, a DNA test requested by the innocence program revealed the identity of the real murderer, a man who had confessed the crime right after the wrongful conviction. Moved by remorse, Donnell represented the innocent man in a lawsuit seeking compensation for spending 15 years in prison. Walsh is also the one who got Lindsay Dole convicted. He was hiding evidence which could support a self-defense plea and this became the technicality which helped her out. He once told Helen Gamble there was a time when he could befriend criminal defense attorneys but this time was over since they've started to use technicalities to help criminals and that's why prosecution must now use unethical ways to put criminals in prison.
- Holland Taylor as Roberta Kittleson.
- Linda Hunt as Zoey Hiller.
- Ray Abruzzo as Mike McGuire
Outstanding Guest Stars
- James Whitmore as Raymond Oz
- William Shatner as Denny Crane
- John Larroquette
- Anthony Heald
- Charles S. Dutton
- Dylan Baker
- Virginia Madsen
- Emmy Rossum
- John Finn
- Bruce Davison
- Michael Monks
- Robert Prosky
- David Dukes
- Beah Richards
- Chris O'Donnell
- Charles Durning
- Marlee Matlin
- Sharon Stone
- D.B. Woodside
Trivia
- Every member of the main cast, except Dylan McDermott and Lara Flynn Boyle, had a guest starring role on Law & Order before starring on The Practice.
External links
- [ABC site for The Practice]
- [Bobby4Helen forum]
- [TVshow.com listings and episode guide]
- [The Practice Forum]
- [TV Forum-including "The Practice"]
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