Review of Season OneThe classic combination of James Spader and William Shatner is just one  of many reasons to savor the inaugural 17-episode season ofBoston Legal. Making its highly rated ABC debut on October 3, 2004, this darkly comedic spinoff fromThe Practicelooked like a formulaic reworking of creator David E. Kelley's previously successful seriesAlly McBeal,  with similar plots and quirky characters enmeshed in personal and  professional affairs of the heart at the prestigious Boston law firm of  Crane, Poole & Schmidt. It quickly became apparent that Kelley,  co-executive producer Bill D'Elia, and the show's magnificent ensemble  cast were onto something equally fresh, funny, and infectiously  entertaining.Both Shatner and Spader won Emmys for their original roles onThe Practice,  and the priceless pairing of the erratic, egomaniacal senior partner  Denny Crane (Shatner, doing the best work of his career) and ethically  challenged attorney Alan Shore (Spader, likewise) signaled the arrival  of one of the finest comedic duos in TV history. Waging a two-man war on  political correctness, the boisterous has-been Denny loves the sound of  his own name (the mere mention of "Denny Crane" qualifies as  ego-stroking foreplay), unabashedly subjects female associates to his  lascivious advances, and (in creator Kelley's words) "trades on the  currency of his reputation" as an undefeated trial attorney. As the  show's fascinating heart and soul, Alan Shore is a walking  contradiction, and Spader plays him perfectly as a charismatic,  self-loathing lothario who'll bend the law to suit his higher purposes.  Deeply cynical yet fiercely committed to his own complex and  compassionate moral code, he's brazenly open about his sexual appetites  as he savors the affections of smart, sexy associates Sally Heep (Lake  Bell), and Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra), whose relationship with Shore  grows strained as the season progresses.While senior partner Paul  Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois), senior associate and ex-Marine Brad Chase  (Mark Valley), and junior associate Lori Colson (Monica Potter) struggle  to maintain the firm's lofty reputation, the appearance of founding  partner Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) elevatesBoston Legalto  an even higher plane of serio-comic perfection. A former flame of Denny  Crane's, Schmidt arrives in episode 11 (appropriately titled "Schmidt  Happens") as common-sense negotiator with a rapier wit and a clanking  pair of big brass cojones, fully capable of holding her own against the  Crane/Shore juggernaut. And while "An Eye for an Eye" (episode 5) is a  sublime example of Boston Legal's deft combination of lunacy and  courtroom complexity, it's the deeper implications of episodes like  "Tortured Souls" (15) and season finale "Death Be Not Proud" (tackling a  dubious death sentence in Texas) that cast these rich and wonderful  characters into sharper relief, baring their souls and the courage of  their convictions.With surprising departures (Lake Bell, in  episode 13), new arrivals (Kerry Washington, as new associate Chelina  Hall, in episode 15) and stellar guest stars including Larry Miller (as  the eccentrically unstable founding partner Edwin Poole), Philip Baker  Hall, Frances Fisher, Carl Reiner, Freddie Prinze Jr., Shelley Long, and  late-season regular Betty White,Boston Legalgained a large and  loyal following with exceptional writing, timely social relevance, and  that rare quality of chemistry that guarantees long-term appeal. Nowhere  is this more apparent than the now-famous Spader/Shatner "balcony  scenes" that quickly became an episode-closing tradition, with staunch  Republican Denny Crane and passionate Democrat Alan Shore reflecting  upon their careers, current issues, and their own devoted friendship  over brandy and cigars. With these two actors together, virtually every  episode ends on a high note of pensive introspection, and Boston Legal  becomes even greater than the sum of its parts. DVD extras are minimal  (two featurettes with cast and producers, plus deleted scenes from  episode 1) but enjoyably worthwhile.--Jeff ShannonReview of Season TwoImpressive in qualityandquantity, the 27 episodes ofBoston Legal's second season (2005-06) are a dazzling showcase for one of TV's greatest ensembles. Everything that madeseason 1so entertaining is refined here, often to the point of perfection: As  the resident bad boys of the prestigious Boston legal firm of Crane,  Poole & Schmidt, senior partner Denny Crane (William Shatner) and  maverick attorney Alan Shore (James Spader) continue their campaign of  rampant indiscretion, combining unabashed sexism and political  incorrectness with Denny's egotistical fat-cat sense of entitlement (and  a touch of "Mad Cow") and Alan's passion for justice and courtroom  theatrics. The departure of his girlfriend Tara (season 1's Rhona Mitra)  has left Alan pensively lonely, so his male-bonding with Denny becomes  the series' emotional core, even as it reaches new heights of hilarity  in episodes like "Finding Nimmo," an instant classic in which Denny  introduces Alan to the pleasures of fly-fishing. Back at the office,  semi-regular cast member Betty White turns from murder to robbery, only  to find herself redeemed as the new "sandwich lady" at C, P & S. And  while senior partner Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois) juggles the  firm's ethical dilemmas and a rocky reunion with his drug-addicted  daughter (superbly played by Jayne Brook), founding partner Shirley  Schmidt (Candice Bergen) dodges advances from her soon-to-be-remarried  ex-husband (Tom Selleck) while suspecting Denny's soon-to-be-sixth-wife  (Joanna Cassidy) of high-stakes gold-digging. In the midst of it all,  Denise (Julie Bowen) faces threatening competition from a new attorney  (Parker Posey) and elusive love with a dying billionaire (Michael J.  Fox) while playing "friends with benefits" with colleague Brad (Mark  Valley), who's only too willing to indulge their arrangement.Expanded roles for Bowen and Valley are just two of this season's  welcome improvements; along with Bergen and Auberjonois, they add  engaging counterbalance to the Spader/Shatner juggernaut, while  newcomers Justin Mentell and Ryan Michelle Bathe (as legal assistants)  add youthful appeal in roles that necessarily remained marginal for most  of the season. As always, series creator David E. Kelley (aided by a  new writing staff) maintains a constant flow of outrageous behavior  (most of it Denny's) and compelling courtroom trials based on hot-button  issues including assisted suicide, the war in Iraq, private school  discrimination, medical malpractice, tax evasion and a variety of other  cases in which belligerent judges (played by Henry Gibson, Anthony  Heald, Howard Hesseman, Shelley Berman, and others) play antagonistic  foils to Alan Shore's impassioned defense. (It's here where Spader  excels; Shore may be a lascivious lothario, but you offend his moral  conscience at your peril.) A stellar array of guest stars, impeccable  editing and cinematography, and glossy office production design makeBoston Legala constant feast for the eyes and ears, with breezy emphasis on the  farcical goings-on at Crane, Poole & Schmidt. (The series' writing  and production values are explored in brief but enjoyable bonus  featurettes included on the final DVD in this seven-disc set.)With Denny and Alan's season-ending visit to Los Angeles (where they defend a sexy celebrity played byStar Trek: Voyager's Jeri Ryan), it's delightfully obvious that Shatner and Spader are the heart and soul ofBoston Legal,  which is ultimately about the mutual affection of two men whose  viewpoints are often as polarized as their friendship is compassionately  co-dependent. Bolstered by clever allusions to Shatner'sStar Treklegacy and throwaway references to their own status as characters in a  TV show (as Kelley and his writers deliberately demolish the "fourth  wall" of TV for comedic effect), Spader and Shatner quickly turned their  episode-closing balcony scenes into an honorable tradition, where  differences dissolve in the taste of fine scotch and slowly-savored  cigars. They're bringing us the finest "dramedy" that primetime network  television has to offer, and we'll gladly follow them as their crazy  lives continue.--Jeff ShannonReview of Season ThreeIn year 3,Boston Legalcontinues to toggle with ease between  comedy and pathos. The season begins on a bittersweet note as Denise  (Julie Bowen) gets engaged to the terminally ill Daniel (Michael J.  Fox), who disappears to try an experimental treatment. Enter two new  litigators, smart-talking associate Claire Sims (Constance Zimmer) and  cocky partner Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko). Once Daniel exits the  picture, Jeffrey and Brad (Mark Valley) compete for Denise's affections.  The firm soon welcomes a third new face: legal secretary Clarence (Gary  Anthony Williams)--also known as Clarice, Clavant, and Oprah.As  before, cases vary from minor to major. Story arcs include the murder  of a judge's wife (with Ashton Holmes as the suspect and Katey Sagal as  his mother) and an outrageous peeping tom (David Dean Bottrell) with a  jones for Shirley (Candice Bergen). Denny Crane (William Shatner),  meanwhile, finds love with diminutive attorney Bethany (Meredith  Eaton-Gilden)--and her mother, Bella (Delta Burke). And Alan (James  Spader, who scored a second Emmy to add to the one he received forThe Practice)  helps former co-worker Jerry "Hands" Espenson (Christian Clemenson) out  of a few jams. By the end of the season, Jeffrey is gone, while Jerry  returns to Crane, Poole & Schmidt.Throughout the year, the  firm tackles a variety of timely issues, ranging from religious freedom  to immigration law. Reporter Gracie Jane (Jill Brennan), a Nancy Grace  doppelgänger, also comes in for some ribbing. Aside from recurring  characters, like Jane Lynch (as a sexual surrogate), the third season  counts a few actors behind the camera, such as Eric Stoltz ("Dumping  Bella") and Adam Arkin ("Nuts"), from David E. Kelley'sChicago Hope. The featuretteCharacter Witnesslooks at the year's most colorful characters--turns out Spader and Clemenson are old friends--andOut of Orderlooks at the judges, notably Gail O'Grady, Howard Hesseman, and Shelley Berman. --Kathleen C. FennessyReview of Season FourAs in Munchkinland, people seem to come and go so quickly at the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. Out the door asSeason Fourbegins are cast members Mark Valley, Julie Bowen, Rene Auberjonois, and  Constance Zimmer (a tough loss). But the more things change the more  they stay the same. Introduced to sweet, pretty and capable new lawyer  Katie Lloyd (Tara Summers), it takes Alan Shore (James Spader) all of  one second to come on to her. It takes Denny Crane (William Shatner)  five. The most stellar addition to the firm isNight CourtEmmy-winner John Larroquette as Carl Sack from the New York office. He  has come not to shake things up so much as to tone them down, and "wring  out some of the madness." "We are in the business of law," he  pronounces. "A law firm has to be discreet, conservative." Good luck  with that, Carl, especially when one of the lawyers keeps popping up on  YouTube dressed as his female alter-ego, and the senior partner is one  minute arrested for soliciting a prostitute, and the next caught in his  own Larry Craig bathroom incident, and the next courting a  discrimination suit after firing a female associate for being  overweight. That, of course, would be addled loose cannon Denny Crane,  who seems to be more of a distraction this season, but who rises to the  occasion in an excellent episode in which he and Alan find themselves on  opposite sides in the case of a Massachusetts town that wants to secede  from the United States. "Every time someone counts me out of the game, I  surprise them," he tells Carl.Boston Legalis nothing if not surprising, as witness the story arc involving a woman (formerSaturday Night Liveensemble member Mary Gross) with Aspergers whose budding romance with  Jerry Espenson (Christian Clemenson) is threatened by her romantic love  for inanimate objects (the condition exists; look it up). Another new  addition to the firm, Lorraine (Saffron Burrows), herself an object of  Alan's obsession, reveals explosive secrets from her past. But more  compelling is the dramatic case of a woman (guest star Mare Winningham)  who efficiently plots the murder of her daughter's killer, but wants  Alan to plead temporary insanity. Spader, a three-time Emmy-winner as  Alan, is at his best when he is on his (and series creator David  Kelley's) "soapbox" ("Don't you get tired going on and on like that?"  Denny affectionately chides him). His verbal smackdown of the United  States Supreme Court justices in the episode, "The Court Supreme," is  one of the season's most memorable moments. Carl Sack may not succeed in  making Crane, Pool & Schmidt "a normal law firm," but as one is  heard to remark, "It's not everyday you encounter compelling characters,  is it?"--Donald LiebensonSeason FivePlease rise for the end of pure legal chaos at the law firm of Crane Poole & Schmidt, asBoston Legal - Season 5(2008) rests its case with the final season on DVD. This final  installment of the show that put a facetiously refreshing spin on the  legal drama genre tackles controversial judicial and personal issues  without objection in these 13 episodes, including the 2008 presidential  election, Mad Cow disease, gay marriage rights, and health regulations  for an unapproved Alzheimer's drug. Headlining the outstanding ensemble  cast are James Spader and William Shatner, starring in their respective  Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning roles as Alan Shore and Denny Crane,  two unlikely kindred spirits among the brigade of high-priced  litigators at Crane Poole & Schmidt. Matching forces in her  Emmy-nominated role is Candice Bergen playing the vigilant founding  partner Shirley Schmidt, along with four-time Emmy winner and former TV  lawyer John Larroquette as Carl Sack. This final round of drinks and  cigars includes appearances from previous seasons' guest stars,  including Rene Auberjonois and Betty White, as well as new clients  including William Daniels, Roma Maffia, Jane Lynch, Brenda Strong, and  Ming-Na.