'' was an American Legal Drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston, Massachusetts Law firm. The show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the Spin-off series '' Boston Legal '', which began airing in the fall of 2004 and deals with similar subject matter, though often taking a lighter, more character-oriented approach.
The first seven seasons of the show aired in Britain on ITV3 .
''The Practice'' originally focuses on the law firm of Donnell and Associates (which eventually becomes Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt, and finally Young, Frutt and Berluti), featuring the firm's involvement in a number of high-profile criminal and civil cases that often mirror events unfolding in the real world. There are a number of crossovers with other David E. Kelley shows, including '' Boston Legal '', '' Ally McBeal '' and the short-lived medical drama '' Gideon's Crossing '', but ''The Practice'' is overall one of David E. Kelley's more serious shows, lacking the comedic elements of ''McBeal,'' ''Legal'' and others.
When the show began it starred Dylan McDermott , Lisa Gay Hamilton , Steve Harris , Camryn Manheim and Kelli Williams (With the exception of McDermott, all cast members had previously appeared on Law & Order). Part way through season one Michael Badalucco joined the cast and at the beginning of the second season Lara Flynn Boyle joined as Helen Gamble, a role she played for six seasons.
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. In fact, Spader went on to win an Emmy 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 '' Boston Legal ,'' starring Spader, Mitra and William Shatner . {Link without Title}
At the start of the series, Bobby Donnel's only employees are associate attorneys Ellenor Frutt, Eugene Young (with whom Bobby started the practice some years earlier) and Lindsay Dole and receptionist Rebecca Washington, although within only a few episodes, Jimmy Berluti is added to the staff. Jimmy was a loan officer at a bank and an old friend of Bobby's. He falsified loan documents for Bobby and lost his job at the bank. Jimmy had worked as an attorney before, and Bobby hires him.
Bobby had opened the practice with idealistic dreams of protecting the innocent, but during the firm’s early days of financial struggle, Bobby quickly learned that drug dealers and other undeniably guilty clients tended to be the ones who provided enough business to keep the firm afloat.
Bobby maintained sole control over the firm until an ultimatum by Lindsay (and, to a lesser extent, Ellenor) motivated Bobby to name Ellenor, Eugene, Lindsay, and Rebecca as junior partners. To maintain control over the firm, Bobby wrote into the charter that each of them would get one vote in partnership meetings, while Bobby would get two, giving him limited veto power. While this decision prevented Lindsay’s power play from getting ugly, it temporarily caused some tension between Bobby and Jimmy, who, despite the fact that he had been with the firm for only a year and was still promised partnership after only one more year, felt insulted that he was the only one on staff who had not been named partner. Especially since Rebecca was made partner despite the fact that she was the receptionist, and not an attorney (Rebecca did eventually earn her law degree in season three).
Bobby and his associates all shared a friendship with A.D.A. Helen Gamble, who even shared a brief romance with Bobby – all highly unusual, considering how often Helen’s job placed her in opposition to the firm.
A recurring strategy used by the practice – especially by Eugene – was informally and internally known as the “this is America” defense, or the “United States of America” defense, an Appeal To Patriotism which would emphasize the rights of their client as Constitutional priorities that must be upheld by the jury. However, the firm was more notorious for using a strategy they internally referred to “Plan B,” which involved causing a jury to doubt their client’s guilt by accusing someone else of the crime. While the strategy was often effective, it would occasionally backfire once the D.A.’s office became familiar with the plan; it also invariably caused a great deal of emotional stress for the attorney employing the plan when they knew that the person they were accusing was most likely innocent, and in such cases, Plan B would be used only as a last resort. Despite the firm’s friendship with Helen Gamble, the practice’s use of Plan B, combined with the firm’s favorable win/loss ratio, attracted ire and scrutiny from the D.A.’s office, particularly in the case of senior A.D.A. Kenneth Walsh.
In 2003 Bobby Donnel left the firm, fearing he had become the 'blue-chip' lawyer he had long resented. He named Eugene as senior partner. Along with Ellenor, Eugene decided to make Jimmy a full named partner (but not Rebecca) and extended an offer to Lindsay (who had since left to start her own practice) and her associate Claire Wyatt to return to the firm. At some point this offer presumably fell through and Rebecca quit. Also during this period, the group's longtime friend/nemisis ADA Helen Gamble also presumably left Boston. It was never explained where Lindsay, Claire, Rebecca or Helen actually went or what became of them.
During the final year of the firm’s existence, the remaining attorneys were senior partners Ellenor, Eugene, and Jimmy, associate Jamie Stringer. The firm's long time receptionist, Lucy Hatcher had been replaced by Tara Wilson, a third year law student and paralegal. Ellenor hired an old friend, Alan Shore, the top anti-trust attorney in Massachusetts after he was fired from his firm Curruthers-Abbot for embezzling from a client. Alan’s addition to the firm was a mixed blessing; he attracted more than enough business and revenue to make up for Bobby’s retirement and the departures of Lindsay and Rebecca, but his unorthodox and often unethical methods created controversy and often clashed with Eugene, Jimmy, and to a certain degree Ellenor. Without consulting Ellenor, Jimmy and Eugene fired Alan. Despite bringing in over $6,000,000 in revenue to the firm, Alan was given a check for only $15,000 upon termination. Alan sued for wrongful termination and hired Matthew Billings and Denny Crane of megafirm Crane, Poole & Schmidt to represent him. After siding with Shore, Tara was fired by Eugene, and Lucy was brought back as a temporary receptionist. The jury decided that Young, Frutt, & Berluti were to pay Shore $2.3 million, which contributed to the dissolution of the firm. Shore offered to forfeit his winnings, but the offer was declined. Jimmy then departed to set up his own law firm, Eugene was appointed a judge and Ellenor retired to spend time with her daughter. Jamie joined Jimmy's firm. Alan and Tara were hired by Crane, Poole & Schmidt as an associate and paralegal respectively (though by Boston Legal Tara has passed the bar exam and is practicing as an attorney).
- Dylan McDermott as Bobby Donnell (1997-2003), senior partner of the firm. A deeply sensitive and compassionate man, Bobby often struggled with his conscience as he was forced to walk the line between his personal moral principles, and his ethical obligations to his clients -- a character trait mirrored to some extent by other members of the firm. Indeed, it was this conflict between Legal Ethics and personal morality that eventually led to his character leaving the show, as Bobby began to suffer from a nervous breakdown. He left the firm at the end of the 2003 season, subsequently returning as a guest star for the series' final two episodes. Contrast Bobby with his replacement as main character, Alan Shore (see below) who had no problem choosing morality over ethics.
- Michael Badalucco as Jimmy Berluti, an associate and, later, a partner at the firm. An Italian American from a working-class background, Jimmy often struggled with his own conscience, as well as having problems with gambling addiction. Jimmy, like Bobby, was raised as a Catholic , and his upbringing often played a part in his various ethical dilemmas.
- Lisa Gay Hamilton as Rebecca Washington (1997-2003). At the beginning of the series, Rebecca was the firm's receptionist and occasional paralegal. She passed the bar exam after attending law school at night for several years without the knowledge of anyone at the firm. She has worked for Bobby since he opened his first practice as a solo practitioner, and the two were very close. Rebecca left the firm for unknown reasons between the seventh and eighth seasons of the show. In reality, like a number of other cast members, Hamilton had been fired because of budget cuts.
- Steve Harris as Eugene Young , the second highest-ranking partner at the firm (and senior partner for the show's final season). Eugene also struggled with his conscience, but was more strongly devoted to the letter of the law than Bobby or Jimmy, largely due to the influence of his older brother, who died in prison after a coerced confession led to his being convicted of a crime he didn't commit. The first season made several references to the fact that Eugene is a former private investigator.
- Camryn Manheim as Ellenor Frutt , another partner at the firm. Ellenor, a single mother, had a child via artificial insemination, and often struggled with issues related to her weight and appearance. A running joke on the show was that nearly all of Ellenor's friends were murderers. This was because many episodes would open with Ellenor visiting or being visited by her previously unseen "friends" who would almost always reveal that they were being charged with murder, or that there was a body in their presence that they knew nothing about.
- Kelli Williams as Lindsay Dole (1997-2003), a partner at the firm, Bobby's ex-girlfriend and eventually his wife. Lindsay was stalked and terrorized by no less than three mentally unbalanced clients over the course of the show's run, the last of whom she was convicted of murdering after he began following her, and then showed up unexpectedly at her home in the middle of the night, forcing her to shoot him in what she claimed was self-defense (the verdict was later reversed because of prosecutorial misconduct). She and Bobby have a child together, but eventually divorced after Bobby had an affair with a former colleague. Lindsay then left to start her own legal practice. At the end of the seventh season, Lindsay was invited back to join Bobby's practice, but she vanished without explanation before the eighth season. In reality, Williams was fired from the show as a result of budget cuts.
- Lara Flynn Boyle as Helen Gamble (1997-2003), an Assistant District Attorney who often prosecuted cases in which the firm was involved. Helen, a personal friend of many of the firm's partners, is nevertheless relentless in her attempts to prosecute those who do wrong, sometimes even crossing the line of legal ethics. During the series, Helen was a roommate to both Lindsay and Ellenor. Helen vanishes without explanation after the seventh season, as Boyle was fired from the show due to budget cuts.
- Marla Sokoloff as Lucy Hatcher (1998-2003), the firm's wise-cracking receptionist. Lucy was hired after Rebecca passed the bar exam and became an associate. Lucy is also a counselor for rape victims. Lucy initially vanished without explanation after the seventh season (like many other cast members, Sokoloff was fired due to budget cuts), but she returned for the final episodes of the show.
- Jason Kravits as Richard Bay (1999-2001), a hard-nosed Assistant District Attorney. A frequent nemesis of the firm, Richard was killed by associates of a man that he successfully prosecuted. He was close friends with Helen Gamble, and in fact on several occasions tried to initiate a romantic relationship with her.
- Ron Livingston as Alan Lowe (2001-2002), who replaced Richard Bay as the firm's recurring adversary for a while. However, his character was underutilized and vanished without explanation after just one season.
- Jessica Capshaw as Jamie Stringer (2002-2004), a high-strung Harvard Law School graduate and associate at the firm. Jamie joined the practice after Lindsay was convicted of murder, and eventually became involved in a short-lived romantic relationship with Eugene. When the firm dissolved, she joined Jimmy in his own practice.
- Chyler Leigh as Claire Wyatt (2003), Lindsay's associate at her new practice. In the seventh season finale, she was invited to join the firm, but she vanished without explanation prior the eighth season. Leigh was fired following her initial appearance on the show due to budget cuts.
- James Spader as Alan Shore (2003-2004), a highly unethical friend of Ellenor's who was hired by the firm at the beginning of the show's final season. He became the lead character of the series '' Boston Legal ''.
- Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson (2003-2004), another associate. She was fired after revealing privileged information to Alan Shore. Along with James Spader, Mitra also joined the cast of ''Boston Legal'' after ''The Practice'' ended.
- Bill Smitrovich as Kenneth Walsh, Helen Gamble's Mentor and an experienced Assistant District Attorney, and chief prosecutor for the DA's office. Walsh hates criminal defense attorneys. He once coerced a man charged with Murder in order to obtain a confession. Bobby Donnell , who was still young and inexperienced at the time, 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 to the crime years earlier. Moved by remorse, Donnell represented the innocent man in a Lawsuit seeking compensation for his 15-year incarceration. Walsh is also the D.A. who convicted Lindsay Dole. It was eventually discovered that he had concealed evidence which might have supported a Self-defense plea, and this was the Grounds which allowed Lindsay's conviction to be overturned. He once told Helen Gamble there was a time when he could have befriended Criminal Defense Attorneys , but that time had long since passed.
- Holland Taylor as Judge Roberta Kittleson. She has a relationship with Jimmy during a few seasons of the show. When Lindsay is being threatened by an unknown stalker, Jimmy wrongly believes that Judge Kittelson may be the culprit, which leads to tensions between them. They eventually break up.
- Linda Hunt as Judge Zoey Hiller, a recurring Judge the firm has had in many cases. She goes by the law and by reasoning, in some occurrences. There is a relationship between her and Bobby, more like a good friendship. Though they have arguments and quarrels, they both have some sort of respect for each other.
- Ray Abruzzo as Detective Mike McGuire.
- Kate Burton as A.D.A. Susan Alexander. She played this role in many episodes from the pilot through the series finale.
- Edward Herrmann as Anderson Pearson. Lindsay's former law professor. An opponent, client and expert on legal ethics.
- Anna Gunn as A.D.A. Jean Ward.
The series holds the Emmy Award record for most wins in the Guest Actor and Actress categories for a single series, as well as most nominations in those categories. Emmys went to John Larroquette , Edward Herrmann , James Whitmore , Beah Richards , Michael Emerson , Charles S. Dutton , Alfre Woodard , Sharon Stone and William Shatner . In addition, Tony Danza , Paul Dooley , Henry Winkler , Marlee Matlin , Rene Auberjonois and Betty White were nominated but did not win. Larroquette, who won for his guest appearance during the second season, was nominated again for an episode from the sixth season, but did not win that time either.
The series won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for five consecutive years (from 1998-2002).
- Ed Asner appeared as two different judges in seasons 2 and 8
- Rene Auberjonois
- Dylan Baker
- Lake Bell as Sally Heep (final four episodes of season 8)
- Gil Bellows as Billy Alan Thomas ("Axe Murderer", Season 2 - crossover with '' Ally McBeal '')
- Andre Braugher as Dr. Ben Gideon ("Gideon's Crossover", Season 5 - crossover with '' Gideon's Crossing '')
- Tony Danza as Tommy Silva (three episode story arc, Season 3)
- Bruce Davison as Scott Wallace.
- Rebecca De Mornay as Hannah Rose (final four episodes of Season 8)
- Paul Dooley
- David Dukes
- Charles Durning as Stephen Donnell ("Passing Go", Season 3; and "Death Penalties", Season 4)
- Charles S. Dutton as Leonard Marshall ("Killing Time", Season 6)
- John Finn
- Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal ("Axe Murderer", Season 2 - crossover with '' Ally McBeal '')
- '')
- Gregory Itzin (five appearances different characters through the show's entire run)
- John Larroquette as Joey Heric (six episodes of Seasons 2, 3 and 6)
- Virginia Madsen
- Marlee Matlin as Sally Berg ("Life Sentence", Season 4)
- Chi McBride as Steven Harper ("The Day After", Season 5 - crossover with '' Boston Public '')
- Michael Monks
- Chris O'Donnell as Brad Stanfield (four episode story arc, Season 8)
- Vincent Pastore as Lenny Pescatore (final three episodes of Season 8)
- C.C.H. Pounder as Helene Washington ("The Day After" and "Awakenings", Season 5)
- Robert Prosky
- Kim Raver as Victoria Keenan ("Reasonable Doubts", Season 2)
- Beah Richards
- Emmy Rossum
- Ernie Sabella as Harland Bassett (four episodes in season 4 and 5 including "The Case of Harland Bassett", Season 5)
- William Shatner as Denny Crane (five of the final six episodes of Season 8)
- Sharon Stone as Sheila Carlisle (three episode story arc, Season 8)
- Betty White as Katherine Piper (Episode 13, 14, and 15, Season 8)
- James Whitmore as Raymond Oz
- Henry Winkler
- D.B. Woodside as Aaron Wilton ("The Means", Season 2)
- Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Paul Stewart (three episode Arc, Season 8)
See Also: List of The Practice episodes
The Practice had 8 seasons and a total of 168 episodes.
20th Century Fox has released the first season of The Practise on DVD in Region 1,2 & 4 for the very first time.
Viewer numbers per season of ''The Practice'' on ABC .
''Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May Sweeps .''
The first season was a 6-episode run on Tuesdays 10:00pm (Eastern & Pacific Time) from March 4 , 1997 to April 8 , 1997 . No ratings information were found for this episode run.
The exposure from its January 30 , 2000 post- Super Bowl episode (attracting 23.8 million viewers)12 plus their weekly lead-in from early 2000 to mid- 2001 , the then mega-hit '' Who Wants To Be A Millionaire '', helped the series reach its ratings peak from 1999-2001.
In Season 5, Episode 22, reference is made to the broadcast of the television series '' Boston Public '' to help establish a time with regard to a suspected murder. In episode 14 of the same season, characters of both shows interact with each other.
|
