Ordinary Gweilo

Monday nights on ATV World used to be "David E Kelley" night.  First Ally McBeal at 9 pm, then The Practice at 10, two series about lawyers written by Mr Kelley, and both set in Boston.

Ally McBeal lasted for five seasons, which was rather too long for what was a very whimsical concept.  Had Robert Downey Jr. managed to stay "clean" it might have lived into middle age, but without him the fifth and final season was always going to be the last.  It will probably be remembered for having more scenes in the toilet (unisex, natch) than any other drama series, and for always ending with a song.

The Practice was altogether more serious, and staggered on for eight seasons, each one more over-wrought and insane than the last.  Until, that was, ABC took an axe to the budget, which led to the departure of several of the stars and an end to the far-fetched storylines about serial killers and lawyers having people bumped off.  A definite improvement, but the damage was done and the network cancelled the show at the end of season 8. 

However, Kelley was able to extend the franchise (as I believe they say) with Boston Legal.  It was theoretically a spin-off from The Practice, insofar as it features two characters (Denny Crane & Alan Shore) from the final series of that program, but actually it seems to owe more of a debt to Ally McBeal.  Crane (William Shatner), seems to be in mould of some of the crazier characters from Ally McBeal, and although Alan Shore (James Spader) shows signs of insanity (such as his morbid fear of clowns), he is more in the vein of the kind-hearted but unscrupulous lawyers in The Practice.

In fact, I wouldn’t put it past Kelley to bring Richard Fish or John Cage into the mix at some stage.  They would surely be at home in the offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. 

The show’s biggest strength is the double act of James Spader and William Shatner, but the supporting cast (including Candice Bergen) are an integral part of its success, as is usually the case with Kelley’s shows.   

The fourth season will start in the Autumn in the States, with some of the supporting cast (though not Candice Bergen) being replaced by new faces.  I’ve no idea when Hong Kong viewers will be able to watch the show – ATV dropped The Practice around series six and Boston Legal has not been picked up by either of the terrestrial channels.  The first series was shown on Star World, but there is no sign of the second series appearing in their schedule.