Doji Grovesai

Boston Legal Spotlight

For the most part, this season of TV has really bit the big one. Granted, I don't have expanded cable, so I'm only getting about 20 channels. And with 2 spanish, 2 CSPAN, 2 religious, 1 public access and 2 shopping channels, I'm really limited to network television. So that's where I'm coming from.

Anyway, one new show this season has me hooked. Boston Legal is about a high-end law firm. Boasting James Spader and , it's a spinoff from David E. Kelley's previous legal vehicle The Practice.

I didn't care for the practice. It was like a soap opera when it started, mediocre in the middle, and jumped the shark hardcore in the end. Boston Legal is not The Practice.

While I do consider myself a fan of Star Trek, I am not one to run after everything William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, or any other Trek cast member touches. In fact, seeing the two previously mentioned sci-fi stars doing Priceline commercials made my stomach turn. Not to mention the plethora of VH1 crap that Shatner has participated in. I was interested, however, when they mentioned James Spader. Spader has always managed to interest me, even as a rejected, eccentric Egyptologist (I expect a comment from Tony about Stargate on that remark). And, that's what initially brought me to the show.

The Practice was a feel-good kind of legal show. The lawyers all had one glaring flaw, and they all learned how to overcome their faults and rise above, and touchy-touchy feely-feely blah blah blah. Meh. Boston Legal is a different animal altogether. One of the partners has gone insane, Denny Crane (Shatner) is a once-phenomonal lawyer backsliding into a sort of hubris-induced laziness, and Alan Shore (Spader) is the Machiavelli of lawyer-ness. The supporting cast consists of the hot, blonde, "I want to make sure everybody is ok" lawyer, and the hot, brunette newbie, who, though very talented has clearly slept her way to her current position (at least it seems that way). Characterwise, it does not make you "feel good."

Since it's only 5 episodes in, I'm not expecting some kind of over-arching plot, but there is still continuity with events, and the characters evolve (again, so far). On top of that, Shatner really impresses me here. I didn't expect that. I honestly expected Shatner to be a big name to get the show going, and then get dropped like a bad habit. His performance is very good, however limited in scope compared to the whole show. While his role is no James T. Kirk, he brings a different sort of presence.

Only 5 episodes in, so this is really all I have to say. I mainly wanted to talk about it, and put a TV review up here. The show deserves at least two episodes of viewing. With NBC pushing out duds and CBS cranking out CSI:Simi Valley (or some other contrived spin-off), the show should stay on with no mid-season replacement. I hope it does.