The Practice


The Practice is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Outstanding Drama Series, and spawned the spin-off series Boston Legal, which ran for five more seasons.
Conflict between legal ethics and personal morality was a recurring theme with light comedy being occasionally present. Kelley claimed that the show was intended to be something of a rebuttal to L.A. Law and its romanticized treatment of the American legal system and legal proceedings.

Overview

In season 1, Robert Donnell and Associates features Bobby Donnell as the sole senior partner in a firm that he started a decade prior with his receptionist Rebecca Washington. Ellenor Frutt, Eugene Young and Lindsay Dole are his associates. Jimmy Berluti is hired as an associate after losing his job in finance in an attempt to help Donnell and Associates with a loan.
In season 2, Eugene, Lindsay and Ellenor become partners after Lindsay insists on equity. Robert Donnell and Associates becomes Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. Helen Gamble, an assistant district attorney, becomes regularly entangled in the cases and personal lives of the employees of the firm. She is a personal friend of Lindsay and viewers learn several episodes into the season that Bobby and Helen have had an on-again/off-again secret affair. Her romantic relationship with Bobby ends after a high-profile murder case pits them against one another.
In season 3, Rebecca Washington, who had been attending law school in secret, becomes an associate after passing the bar exam. Lucy Hatcher is then hired as the new receptionist.
In season 4, Assistant District Attorney Richard Bay, like Helen, becomes a frequent ally and opponent of Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. At the end of the season, Bobby and Lindsay get married.
In season 5, Lucy becomes a rape crisis counselor in addition to her job as the firm's receptionist. Richard Bay is later assassinated after refusing to throw a murder trial. Bobby and Lindsay have a son together.
In season 6, Assistant District Attorney Alan Lowe becomes an antagonist of the firm for a short period of time.
In season 7, after she is convicted of murder and her conviction is overturned, Lindsay leaves Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt to start a new law firm with Claire Wyatt. To fill the void left by Lindsay, Jamie Stringer is hired as an associate. Bobby leaves the firm in the season finale.
In season 8, Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt has been renamed to Young, Frutt and Berluti. Eugene has taken Bobby's place as a senior partner. Lucy has left the firm to become a full-time rape crisis counselor. Rebecca has also left the firm for unknown reasons. Helen is no longer present at the firm's cases. Tara Wilson is hired as a paralegal, and Alan Shore becomes an associate.
After firing Alan and Tara – as well as being sued by the former – Young, Frutt and Berluti dissolve. Eugene then becomes a judge. Ellenor focuses her attention on motherhood. Jimmy and Jamie begin a new firm. Bobby mourns the loss of the law practice. Alan and Tara are hired by another firm, Crane, Poole and Schmidt, and their story is continued in Boston Legal.

Main cast

  • Dylan McDermott as Bobby Donnell, the senior partner of the firm who struggles with his conscience and the idea of being a lawyer.
  • LisaGay Hamilton as Rebecca Washington, the firm's first receptionist and paralegal. She later passed the bar exam and became an associate.
  • Steve Harris as Eugene Young, the second highest-ranking partner at the firm and later senior partner who is more strongly devoted to the letter of the law and legal ethics than his colleagues. Later he even becomes a judge.
  • Camryn Manheim as Ellenor Frutt, an associate and later senior partner at the firm who brought in various nefarious clients. A recurring gag on the show was that the men she dated often turned out to be murderers.
  • Kelli Williams as Lindsay Dole, an associate at the firm and, later, wife of Bobby Donnell.
  • Michael Badalucco as Jimmy Berluti, an associate and later partner at the firm from a working-class background. Jimmy often struggles with his conscience, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, and a gambling addiction.
  • Lara Flynn Boyle as Helen Gamble, an Assistant District Attorney and friend of the firm partners who was relentless in her attempts to prosecute those who do wrong.
  • Marla Sokoloff as Lucy Hatcher, the firm's wise-cracking, nosy receptionist who was hired after Rebecca became an attorney. She later became a part-time counselor for rape victims in addition to her job as a receptionist.
  • Jason Kravits as Richard Bay, a diminutive, hard-nosed Assistant District Attorney who believed in the guilt of all those he prosecuted.
  • Ron Livingston as Alan Lowe, an Assistant District Attorney who replaced Richard Bay.
  • Jessica Capshaw as Jamie Stringer, a high-strung, promiscuous Harvard Law School graduate and associate at the firm.
  • Chyler Leigh as Claire Wyatt, Lindsay's associate at her new practice.
  • Rhona Mitra as Tara Wilson, a paralegal and law student. She would later appear in Boston Legal as an attorney.
  • James Spader as Alan Shore, an amoral associate and an old friend of Ellenor. He would later appear in Boston Legal.

    Recurring cast

  • Ray Abruzzo as Detective Mike McGuire
  • Holland Taylor as Judge Roberta Kittleson
  • Linda Hunt as Judge Zoey Hiller
  • Bill Smitrovich as A.D.A. Kenneth Walsh
  • Richard McGonagle as Judge Patrick Wilcox
  • James Pickens, Jr. as Detective Mike McKrew
  • Frank Birney as Judge Warren West
  • Herb Mitchell as Judge Rodney White
  • Michael Monks as George Vogelman
  • Edward Herrmann as Anderson Pearson
  • Anna Gunn as A.D.A. Jean Ward
  • Kate Burton as A.D.A. Susan Alexander
  • Bruce Davison as Scott Wallace
  • Paul Dooley as Judge Philip Swackheim
  • Lynn Hamilton as Judge Fulton
  • Billee Thomas as Kendall Young
  • Susan Blommaert as Judge Rudy Fox
  • Steven Gilborn as A.D.A. Gavin Bullock
  • Vince Colosimo as Matthew Billings
  • Norman Lloyd as D.A. Asher Silverman

    Notable guest stars

The series holds the Emmy Awards record for most wins in the Guest Actor and Actress categories for a single series, as well as most nominations in those categories. Emmys went to John Larroquette, Edward Herrmann, James Whitmore, Beah Richards, Michael Emerson, Charles S. Dutton, Alfre Woodard, Sharon Stone and William Shatner. In addition, Tony Danza, Paul Dooley, Henry Winkler, Marlee Matlin, René Auberjonois and Betty White were nominated but did not win. Larroquette, who won for his guest appearance during the second season, was nominated again for an episode from the sixth season, but did not win. The series won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for five consecutive years.
By the end of the seventh season, faced with sagging ratings, ABC conditioned the show's renewal on a drastic budget reduction. As a result, Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Chyler Leigh, Marla Sokoloff, and LisaGay Hamilton were fired as regulars. McDermott and Sokoloff reappeared as special guest stars and a recurring character respectively in the eighth season. The addition of James Spader and Rhona Mitra to the cast somewhat revived the ratings as Spader went on to win an Emmy for his appearance. However, ABC announced that The Practice would not return for a ninth season on March 11, 2004. Instead, Kelley would create a new spin-off series called Boston Legal which starred Spader, Mitra, Lake Bell, William Shatner and Candice Bergen.