L.A. Law

Plot synopsis:
The show often combined humor and drama in the same episode. In the pilot episode of the series, only the back and hand of law partner Chaney, gripping the pages of a tax manual while seated at his desk, are seen after he succumbed to a fatal heart attack. One of Chaney's final acts was to hire a new secretary, who began work on the morning Chaney's body is discovered. Later in that episode, in front of his partners, friends and his wife, the secretary at Chaney's eulogy reveals that she is transsexual, and details how she first met the gay Chaney at a gay bar. Chaney had been financially supporting her gender transition, and hired her as part of her real life test. She is then promptly fired from her job by Douglas Brackman, in an act of transphobia.
A running gag throughout the series was the overtly promiscuous lifestyle of divorce lawyer Arnie Becker, and his chronic and constant liaisons with women, up to and including bedding some of his own clients. This once caused problems when a client used him to set up her (estranged) husband to be murdered. Series producer Steven Bochco used a similar incident in Hill Street Blues when a woman bedded one of the police officers in the squad and tricked him into shooting her ex-husband when he (apparently) broke into her house.
A running gag during Harry Hamlin's tenure was to have his character, Michael Kuzak, always shown picking, scrutinizing, and eating pastries or fruit at the morning staff meetings. He was the only one who ate from the mountains of food provided.
To some extent, the sexual peccadilloes of almost the entire cast would become fodder for episodes of the series.
After Grace van Owen makes a comment that Michael Kuzak would have to be a monkey before she'd be interested in him, he woos her on the courthouse steps (where she is about to get married) in a gorilla suit. Douglas Brackman becomes involved with a sex therapist. Benny Stulwicz, an intellectually disabled clerk at the office, has sex with the intellectually disabled daughter of a client of the firm. Leland McKenzie and Rosalind Shays, antagonists, secretly become lovers.
The show tied itself into the events of the Los Angeles riots of 1992, which were prompted by the acquittal of four white police officers who were put on trial for the videotaped beating of African American motorist Rodney King. In a scene reminiscent of the Reginald Denny incident, tax attorney Stuart Markowitz is struck on the head by a rioter, and ends up having serious head injuries, causing a number of problems for him and his wife for several episodes as a result. Douglas Brackman, their boss, is also arrested in the mayhem of the riots as he is on his way to get remarried.
In one scene later in the series, the writers enacted an inside joke: "The easiest way to get rid of a soap opera character is to just have them fall down an elevator shaft." In her final scene, the character of Rosalind Shays steps into the empty shaft (expecting an elevator car when the doors open) and falls to her death.
The show did not shy away from controversy, with a scene in the episode "He's a Crowd" where one of the female lawyers, Abby Perkins, has an on-screen romantic kiss with C.J. Lamb, another female lawyer who is openly bisexual.
The name Chaney remains in the name of the law firm, despite numerous changes in personnel and the death of Chaney in episode 1. When Michael Kuzak leaves, it is announced that new stationery will arrive without Kuzak's name on the letterhead. In a line heard off-screen and in the background, Arnold Becker states: "I think we should drop Chaney's name."

Tags: murder

Review:
Tall gorgeous handsome sexy six figure prominent attorney with an incredibly great personality and a command on the world that respects him as well as loves the fact that he is young and good looking!!
Steven Eckhold plays the gorgeous hunk attorney who is just too good to be true...This is why he is a television character, and not a real guy just walking around in downtown Los Angeles somewhere!!
I love Steven Eckholdt...I loved him in a great number of things, but I really loved him in L.A. Law,,,he is so incredibly handsome and I just go crazy thinking about dating a guy like that...He was the true hunk on L.A. Law and some of the other guys were OK!!
Nothing really all that special...Television is of course supposed to be entertainment, and looking at a hunk like Steven Eckholdt is very entertaining to me..
As a matter of fact, Steven Eckholdt would be the perfect blind date...upon feasting my eyes on him and then finding out that he is L.A.'s most prominent attorneys, the first thing I would say to him would be, yes I will marry you!!!.
At the end, as many drama's have happen, it became somewhat stale and may cause many to forget the gripping storylines Bochco, Kelley etc.
As the show expanded Law brought forth additional characters played by Dey, Smits, Greene, Underwood, Donohoe, Spencer, Drake, Muldaur etc.
These actors made their roles and characters as unforgettable as the originals made there's.Probably the best thing that can be said about this show is that no one player was the focal point.
In an interview for the 100th show Richard Dysart, who played Leland McKenzie, the paternal "glue" of McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney, Kuzack, and Becker, told Jane Pauley that the actors weren't the genius of the show...the writers were.
It's the L.A. law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak.
In the pilot opening, divorce lawyer Arnie Becker (Corbin Bernsen) and his secretary Roxanne Melman (Susan Ruttan) find senior partner Norman Chaney dead in his office.
They and the other various characters over the years deal with court as well as life.Steven Bochco created one of the most popular series of the '80s.
It's a legal drama about a law firm in L.A. It featured some great actors who created some iconic characters.
Much of the cast contributed significantly to the success of this series, Tom Verica and Steve Eckholdt were very enlightening and auspicious factors to making "L.A. Law" popular in the latter years of the show's existence!!
"L.A. Law" was the harbinger of things to come in terms of relevant and legally germane script writing which was pertinent to the authenticity of a law office in the 1980's!!
The original made for T.V. movie signified a revelation in television law shows!!
Candor about legal settlements, and situations involving ethics with relation to salaries and status quo behavior, became a staple to the modus operandi of L.A. Law!!
"L.A. Law" lasted eight seasons, only three were really excellent!!
There were a few highlights to the show in it's last couple of years, guys like Steve Eckholdt added to the show tremendously!!
Even with his talent, he was not enough to re-establish the reputation "L.A. Law" had at one time for being one of the best shows on television!!.
It was an amazing program that, when it focused on the intriguing cases that came to the firm, was arguably the best show on television in the late 80s and early 90s.
If I recall correctly only Hill Street Blues, The West Wing, and L.A. Law won 4 Emmys for best drama (now maybe Mad Men?).
There's a reason this show ranks in the upper echelon of television dramas.To be fair to its critics, however, I can't remember ANY program that was this good that, almost abruptly, became so bad!
Although I continued to watch it until the end, it was hit-and-miss at best, and sometimes just plain terrible after the fifth season..
This show concerning the lives of lawyers at an LA law firm was a breakout hit during its first season for its well written plots and great characters.
This of course was because of some incredible writers and great actors.
However as the show entered about it's sixth season the best writers and actors began to leave en masse the plotlines fell apart and the show became much more stale.
The previous post was less than favorable to this incredible show ("great actors, flawed writing"), so I just had to weigh in.
For a moment, forget that "L.A. Law" presented some of the most compelling and unusual legal cases as drama (some of them so unusual, in fact, showrunner David E.
"L.A. Law" brought black comedy back to television and presented sexuality and sensuality that actually advanced its storylines.
The latter were core character traits of Corbin Bernsen's Arnold Becker and Jill Eikenberry's and Michael Tucker's Ann Kelsey and Stuart Markowicz, respectively.
Whether surgeons should be obligated to operate on AIDS patients, the right for the terminally ill to die, the lives of the mentally challenged, sexual dysfunctions, the pressures and responsibilities of the police -- these and other episodes paved the way for the shows we're watching today.
"L.A. Law" stood on the shoulders of giants, yes, but it became a giant in its own right.Arguably the show created by Stephen Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher suffered with the departure of David.
The guys who used to run "St. Elsewhere" had a brief stint as showrunners, and viewers began tuning out when the show became less about L.A. lawyers and more about various medical maladies.That fifth season was especially dramatic, too, as several cast members also were leaving, which freed the writers from some of the constraints of series television -- namely, that characters could not change significantly from week to week.To dismiss "L.A. Law" as a show about yuppie lawyers is to misjudge a deep, poignant, and important book by its slick, glossy cover.
Steven Eckholdt Is Too Handsome And To Die For!!.
I love Steven Eckholdt, he is so incredibly handsome, and he was my favorite part of the show "L.A. Law"!
I think that Steven has one of the best looking faces that I have ever seen.
Steven's acting is superb, and I believe he got a really good start on "L.A. Law", he had been in other television presentations prior to "L.A. Law" but, his role as Patrick Flanagan put him on the map!!
Amongst the many shows that Steven Eckholdt has been a guest star on, his quasi-regular role of Patrick Flanagan on " L.A. Law" was extremely excellent!!
"Law and Order" "Boston Legal" "West Wing" "Wings" and so many others!!
The short lived series "It's Like You Know" was tremendously bolstered by Steven Eckholdt, and I thought he was really good in "Leaving Drew" as well!!
The best part of Steven Eckholdt with his role as Patrick Flanagan on "L.A. Law" was that he was a character who was flawlessly feasible.
A young, good looking, and successful attorney working in a high profile law firm in Los Angeles is going to be very arrogant, and, basically, he is going to feel like he is above the law!!
Towards the end of the series "L.A.Law", Steven Eckholdt was a big reason why I watched the show!!
I know a lot of people who just think that Steven Eckholdt is absolutely spectacular!!.
All of the main characters on L.A. Law were quirky in some way but to go into all of them would take up more space than is allowed here.
So I will simply name a few: 1) Michael Kuzak: The social conscience who went out of his way to take cases of the underdogs but also had a goofy side, especially when dealing with his lady love A.D.A. Grace van Owen.
2) Grace van Owen: Very much like Kuzak, except she has higher ambitions than just being a lawyer.
He craves to take high profile entertainment cases and generally loves anything flashy, sport cars and beautiful women in particular.
He is a tax lawyer and she mostly deals with civil law and is also prone to take cases for the underdog like Kuzak.
Mckenzie, the strict but fair senior partner with a soft spot for his firm and kind of a father figure to all of his associates.Like the earlier Bochco show Hill Street Blues, the emphasis on one day at a time is very much a mainstay in L.A. Law. The lawyers go through every case in the courtroom over very little time that in the real world would take years and although it is not really what trials are like, it is entertaining and if you are looking for something more realistic then you should try seeing an actual televised trial.
But there is also room for comedy like Kuzak showing up at a wedding, where he is most definitely not invited in a gorilla suit and Becker screwing over one of the aspiring associates in more ways than one.
This mix is rarely pulled off in a successful way but Bochco has created such a great universe that when he stumbles there is always a new try at every turn..
This show had one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory, at least for a drama series.
Entertainment In Legal Series Expanded.
Kelly first started writing television scripts with Doogie Howser MD & then went straight to this.
While this series has some comedy, it has a much more serious tone than Ally McBeal or House MD which have been his later work.
This series not only presents more serious issues than those later shows, but also better draw more realistic characters as well.The acting & production quality of this is very good.
Richard Dysart seems the perfect actor to be the foundation of this law firm.
A retrospective could be fun.Towards the end of the series, more of David E Kelly's humor started showing up.
In fact, the last season very much resembles a trial run of Ally McBeal in it's tone.
Kelly has continued to develop his talents in that direction since.If you like House MD or Ally McBeal, you will like this series.
There's no better legal drama.
I grew up watching L.A. Law as a teenager in the 1980s, right through to 'Finish Line' in 1994.
It had so many elements that drew me to it, including the story lines that focused both in the professional & personal lives of the characters.
In particular, these were Michael Kuzak, Grace Van Owen, Victor Sifuentes, Benny Stulwicz (the role that earned 'Darkman' Larry Drake an Emmy), Leland McKenzie, Ann Kelsey & Stuart Markowitz.
Memorable episodes included the one where Benny goes before Judge Richard Lobel (Stanley Grover) to exercise his right to vote, one in which Jonathan Rollins (Blair Underwood) cross-examines an ethically bankrupt financial adviser (Richard Masur) into a fatal heart attack, one in which Grace prosecutes a gang member for a prison guard's murder then is targeted herself, one in which the despicable Rosalind Shays (Diana Muldaur) falls to her death in an open elevator shaft, and the Earl Williams trial in which Kuzak squares off against A.D.A. Margaret Flanagan (played by Veronica Cartwright of 'Alien' fame).
In later years, some of the characters came & went (as with any series); some of the new ones (such as A.D.A. Tommy Mullaney, Jane Galloway, C.J. Lamb & A.D.A. Zoey Clemmons) were quite likable, while others (Susan Bloom, Frank Kittridge) bordered on loathsome.
The original characters were what really held the series together and made it so popular.
Some of today's well- known actors (Larry Drake of 'Darkman' and Dann Florek of 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order:SVU') got their big start with supporting roles in this series.20 years after it ended its run, L.A. Law still has a popular following.
From its second season onward,this show was a stalwart of "Must See Thursday" and,for much of that run,carried the banner ably and even proudly.The exploits of the Los Angeles law firm of McKenzie,Brackman and(by season three)Becker covered the work and(to greater or lesser degrees)their lives.
Even though the show had its ostensible "stars"(at the onset,it was Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey as firm mates Michael Kuzak and Grace VAn Owen,later it was Jimmy Smits as fiery attorney Victor Sifuentes,Corbin Bersen as perpetually sleazy divorce attorney Arnie Becker or Blair Underwood as smooth,black lawyer Jonathan Rollins),this show was as much about supporting players(most notably Horror/Sci-Fi staple Larry Drake as the gentle,high-functioning retarded office worker Benny Stulwicz,Alan Rachins as the upright,uptight head of litigation Douglas Brackman,John Spenser as rumpled,recovering alcoholic lawyer Tommy Mulaney and,of course,veteran actor Richard Dysart as senior partner Leland McKenzie)and the writing,which tackled a whole smörgåsbord of issues of the day as well as a variety of cases ranging from the absurd to the morose(sometimes in the same episode!).
The show had some dark turns(most notably around season five,when the show changed producers for the first of two times)and the cast became a revolving door of "main" characters,but all in all,it still evened out to make a good run.
Creator Steven Bochco(post-"Hill Street Blues",pre-"NYPD Blue") and co-producer/writer David Kelley(before "Picket Fences","Boston Legal","The Practice","Ally McBeal",etc.)made a fine offering of television that I recall favorably.
While I may not run out to buy the eps on DVD,I wouldn't rule out watching an episode if I run across one in the vast landscape that is cable reruns..
Besides quality acting by some great actors, the writing was superb.
For those waiting it on DVD as much as me, you can look it up on AMazon (under L.A. Law) and enter your email for information on when it will be available.
Hi All, I live in Taiwan, I really love these shows, I watch it every Saturday night back to the 1980s, it was the in the end of 1980s, I really miss these old time, I'd like to know where I can find it in DVD?It's OK if there are only tapes available.
A beautifully crafted legal drama with characters that last a lifetime.
Not since "The Practice" have we had a legal drama as well made as "LA Law." I recently read the pilot script and the show came to life as if I was watching it on television.
LA Law shows the importance of the executive producer in episodic television.
The best part of the first three years is that one never knew who to root for, the most successful characters were the slimiest, the nice guys never got ahead, that's life and LA Law wasn't afraid to say it though it always challenged the audience to consider what this meant.
The cast of "L.A. Law".
I want to say that L.A. Law is the best show on TV.
I want to meet the cast members especially Blair Underwood.
Less than two dozen reviews for a show which, like the Buffy/Angel series which was yet to come, essentially changed the face of prime time drama?
In the 60 and 70s, TV dramas (eg- Perry Mason, Mannix) were about the stories not the characters.
If you wanted to learn about the characters, you had to infer the information from things that happened in the main narrative.
Every now and then the writers might give the viewer a treat and actually do an episode about the main character himself/herself, but these were few and far between.
Shows like this one by Bochko (and his HILL STREET BLUES, which preceded it) paved the way for the type of work that Whedon (and others) would deliver later.
Ultimately we would end up with programming in the current generation like Arrow (also reviewed by this scribe in the IMDb) where the line between dramatic narrative and soap opera has become indistinguishable, and no one, not even the Head Writer, really knows where the series is headed.
It also did not hurt that Harry Hamelin was voted at the time "sexiest man alive;" and that in an early episode, Bochko presented the viewer with an office party where the short, dull, nerdy lawyer (nicely played by Michael Tucker) got drunk and made a pass at the tall blonde Nordic-goddess lawyer played by Jill Eikenberry.
I saw the first few seasons of L.A. Law and some story lines really stuck out.
This was a terrific legal drama about a hodgepodge of lawyers in an upscale legal firm in Los Angeles, and it focused on their cases and their lives.
The story lines were terrific as were the characters, like the womanizing Arnie (a character you usually find in sitcoms!), the retarded office worker Bennie, the Hispanic attorney Victor who knew he had been hired to meet racial status quos, and the nasty attorney who met her end when she fell down the elevator shaft.
Anyone who likes legal dramas will love this show.
Allot of people give Steve Bochco all the credit for the shows success as well they should because he read a screen play called From The Hip ands in turn hired the writer of said screen play.
While Bochco wrote many amazing moments in Hill Street, it was David E.
Hardest thing for this writer is every show after it was compared to LA Law. People complained about that in the case of Harry's Law. But at least it was considered in the shadow of Boston Legal.
Although LA Law is entertaining enough, the more episodes that I view the more nauseated that I get.
But LA Law would have us believe that not only are lawyers "Whores with a Heart", but that they are "Whores with a Heart" who happen to be "Beautiful People" as well.
The portrayal of lawyers in LA Law would be Utterly Hilarious, were it not for the fact that naive and inexperienced viewers are led to believe that lawyers are actually Good Guys who really care about their clients.