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Boston Legal is the enigma in the fall 2004 TV season. For one thing, it had an absolutely horrible series premiere, almost guaranteeing the series' downward crash and burn. Yet thanks to a wonderful lead-in like Desperate Housewives, people like this critic kept watching. Admittedly, the later episodes are pretty good. Then again; as soon as Desperate Housewives is no longer its lead in, will this show succeed? Only if it's given a second chance, because, man, those first episodes were bad!

Let's backtrack a bit. This is the fourth time series creator David E. Kelly has offered a show about a Boston law firm. First there was L.A. Law, which was by logic the first and best law stories Kelly had available. Then there was The Practice, where a little law firm offered the cases L.A. Law could not. Then there was the comedy Ally McBeal, where all the comical cases were handled. Granted; Kelly's repertoire is far more vast than these shows, but my point is: after over two decades of law shows of all shapes and sizes, is there anything left to cover?

Hold your answer to that question as we look at the premiere's "lead" case; a totally idiotic lawsuit where an African-American girl wants to be Annie. Allow me to provide affirmative action right up the yin-yang as I say: any little girl in 2004, who desperately wants to portray a half-century-old comic strip caricature, is more than a bit of a loon. Come on; is "The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow" worth wearing that outrageous bright red wig and dress? Yet we're supposed to feel for this girl because her grade-A showbiz mom claims she was "racially" excluded from the role of Annie. The thought is as inane as saying a white boy was racially excluded from the role of Malcolm X. This was the best they could offer in a series premiere?

Say what you will about this first case, though, but it's emotional. However, that's the very reason it was a bad choice as the first case of this series. Why have an emotional case, if you aren't going to have emotional characters to react to it? This case could immediately show which sides each lead character took in such a controversy, leading to a firm understanding as to which character feels what. Yet it is also the worst court case, for the least of law shows, which is what it becomes here. No debate is offered about this case --positive, negative, or otherwise-- to the point where all the characters seem unemotional, bland, and lifeless. Come on; a little girl strolls into a law office in a ridiculous Annie wig, and nobody talks about it?

This kid-gloves approach reaches fever pitch thanks to the court judge, played by a cardboard cutout resembling NYPD Blue's Sharon Lawrence. In quickly enters Al Sharpton, disrupting the courtroom by screaming about ethnic rights from the top of his lungs. There are two positions any typical judge would take: either they would call Sharpton in contempt of court, or she would debate with Sharpton, fair and impartially, over all his many controversial comments. It's moments like this that makes it clear when a story about racial issues is written by a white boy, because it's filled to the brim with reverse prejudice; yes, kids, it would've been a better story if the judge treated Sharpton as an equal, and discussed the issue with him. Instead, she gives this look as if she's seen a ghost --Al Sharpton in my court! Eek!-- and says nothing. This is just plain cornball.

Okay; series premiere over. Anyone still here? Bueller? Bueller...? Strange; you're still reading. That's probably because of two major assets: Alan (James Spader) and Denny (William Shatner). How cool are these guys as lawyers? Let's put it this way: in the laughably inept final season of The Practice, they bring in Spader to replace no less than half a dozen regular characters, and few of the series' remaining fans even noticed. He has fun with the role, and we have fun with him. Without him, this new series would be canned like tuna.

Even better for Spader are the admirable supporting cast members to bounce his one line zingers against. Rhona Mitra and William Shatner, who had guest starred in The Practice that last season, are regular characters here, as Spader's flirtatious better half and one of the law firm's founding members, respectively. Alongside Shatner as one of the firm's patriarchs is Rene Auberjonois; a longtime actor in both comedy and drama, who is perfect for the series' comedy-drama atmosphere. Alongside Mitra is Monica Porter; again, a good comedy-drama actress, from such films as Patch Adams. What's great about these four performers is how well they work together, even with Spader not in the scene. Porter and Auberjonois' characters' conflicts are best of all, given how one (Porter) is an emotional lawyer, while Auberjonois plays an old by-the-book lawyer. Their ethical clashes are very effective.

As for the remaining 2 supporting cast members; well...how do I put this? Let's just say I'm not one to call people bad actors, as much as performers placed in bad roles. That said, there really isn't much to the characters of Sally Heep (Lake Bell) and Brad Chase (Mark Valley), though admittedly as I write this, only half a dozen episodes have aired. In the premiere for example: Sally and Brad are bickering, leading to Alan bluntly discovering for himself that they had sex. Their silence answers the rhetorical question admirably, but...that's it? Six episodes later and nothing has happened that develops these characters further. What's more; they've not fought ever since. Really...? A heated argument in the first five minutes of the series premiere, and now they're totally cool about each other...? You'd almost wonder if it would take a black girl in a bright red curly wig to get these two characters to react to anything. Oops, that's right; that already happened...and they didn't. Time to demand better scripts guys.

In the end, what does this series do to warrant an on-the-bubble thumbs up? Quite frankly, it's got Spader, and a time slot after Desperate Housewives. It's really that simple, since it's really that simple of a law series. This isn't rocket science, nor is it another L.A. Law. This is simply another case of how David Kelly --the former heavyweight in the nighttime drama circles-- follows an abysmal failure (Brotherhood of Poland NH) by going back to his Boston Lawyer Drama roots...for the fourth time. That's all well and good, but please: stay away from the girls wanting to be cartoon characters, and maybe the cartoon-like characters of this series will not be so evident. Oh; and hold onto that cool time slot. As soon as those desperate Housewives move out of town, Boston Legal's court days are over.

	Final Rating : Small Crater. Not David Kelly's best work --and the concept of a Boston law office series is getting old-- but it is enough to keep you from turning off the TV after Desperate Housewives.
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Boston Legal

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