Ally McBeal
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| Ally McBeal | |
 Ally intertitle in Season 5 |
|
| Format | Comedy-drama Romance |
|---|---|
| Created by | David E. Kelley |
| Starring | Calista Flockhart Courtney Thorne Smith Greg Germann Lisa Nicole Carson Jane Krakowski Vonda Shepard Portia de Rossi Lucy Liu Regina Hall James LeGros with Peter MacNicol also with Robert Downey Jr. (2000-2002) and Gil Bellows (1997-2002) |
| Opening theme | "Searchin' My Soul" by Vonda Shepard |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 112 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David E. Kelley Bill D'Elia |
| Running time | approx. 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | 20th Century Fox Television David E. Kelley Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | September 8, 1997 – May 20, 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Practice |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Ally McBeal is an American television series which ran on the FOX network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia. The series starred Calista Flockhart in the title role as a young lawyer working in the fictional Boston law firm Cage, Fish and Associates with other young lawyers whose lives and loves were eccentric, humorous and dramatic.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The show focused on the romantic and personal lives of the main characters, often using legal proceedings as plot devices to contrast or reinforce a character's drama. For example, bitter divorce litigation of a client might provide a backdrop for Ally's decision to break up with a boyfriend. Opposing legal arguments were also frequently used to explore multiple sides of various social issues.
Cage & Fish (which becomes Cage/Fish & McBeal or Cage, Fish, & Associates towards the end of the series), the fictional law firm where most of the characters work, is depicted as a highly sexualized environment, symbolized by its unisex public restroom. Lawyers and secretaries in the firm routinely date, flirt with, or have a romantic history with each other, and frequently run into former or potential romantic interests in the courtroom or on the street outside.
The show had many offbeat and frequently surreal running gags and themes, such as Ally's tendency to immediately fall over whenever she met somebody she found attractive, or Richard Fish's wattle fetish and humorous mottos ("Fishisms"), ran through the series. The show used vivid, dramatic fantasy sequences for Ally's and other characters' wishful thinking; particularly notable is the dancing baby.
The show also featured regular visits to a local bar where singer Vonda Shepard regularly performed (though occasionally handing over the microphone to the characters).
In the fourth season, Robert Downey Jr. joined the regular cast as Ally's boyfriend Larry Paul but was written out after the end of the season due to Downey's troubles with drug addiction.
The show was canceled after a significant ratings drop during its fifth season, which saw many regular characters disappear from the series without explanation (also a problem with David E. Kelley's shows Boston Public, Chicago Hope, and The Practice).
[edit] Criticism
Despite its success, Ally McBeal did receive some negative criticism from TV critics and feminists who found the title character annoying and demeaning to women, and specifically professional women,[1] because of her perceived flightiness, lack of demonstrated legal knowledge, and extreme emotional instability. Perhaps the most notorious example of the debate sparked by the show was the 25 June 1998 cover story of Time magazine, which juxtaposed McBeal with three pioneering feminists and asked "Is Feminism Dead?".[2]
[edit] Episode list
[edit] Ally the sitcom
In 1999, at the height of the show's popularity, a half-hour version entitled Ally [3] began being broadcast in parallel to the main program. This version, designed in a sitcom format, used re-edited scenes from the main program, as well as previously unseen footage. The intention was to further develop the plots in the comedy-drama in a sitcom style. It also focused only on Ally's personal life, cutting all the courtroom plots. The repackaged show did not catch on and was canceled partway through its initial run. While 13 episodes of Ally were shot, only 10 were broadcast.
[edit] US Ratings
| Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997-1998 | 11.4 million | FOX | #59 [1] |
| 2 | 1998-1999 | 13.8 million | FOX | #20 |
| 3 | 1999-2000 | 12.4 million | FOX | #35 |
| 4 | 2000-2001 | 12.0 million | FOX | #40 [2] |
| 5 | 2001-2002 | 9.4 million | FOX | #65 |
[edit] Main cast
- Calista Flockhart - Ally McBeal
- Greg Germann - Richard Fish
- Jane Krakowski - Elaine Vassal
- Peter MacNicol - John Cage (episode 2–103; recurring otherwise)
- Lisa Nicole Carson - Renee Raddick (seasons 1–4; one guest appearance in series finale)
- Portia de Rossi - Nelle Porter (episodes 34–112; recurring previously)
- Lucy Liu - Ling Woo (episodes 33–96; 103; recurring previously)
- Gil Bellows - Billy Alan Thomas (episodes 1–62; recurring afterwards)
- Courtney Thorne-Smith - Georgia Thomas (seasons 1–3; recurring afterwards)
- Robert Downey Jr. - Larry Paul (season 4; uncredited appearances afterwards)
- Hayden Panettiere - Maddie Harrington (episodes 102–112)
- Vonda Shepard - herself (seasons 2–5; recurring previously)
- James LeGros - Mark Albert (season 4; recurring previously)
- Regina Hall - Corretta Lipp (season 5; recurring previously)
- Julianne Nicholson - Jenny Shaw (episodes 91–103)
- Josh Hopkins - Raymond Millbury (season 5)
- James Marsden - Glenn Foy (episodes 91–103)
[edit] Guest stars
The singers who would perform at the bar (most often Vonda Shepard) were accompanied by a trio of back-up singers often referred to as the Ikettes. The singers/actresses who portrayed the Ikettes were:
- Renee Goldsberry
- Vatrena King
- Sy Smith
Whenever Goldsberry, Smith or King were unavailable, they would be replaced by:
- Cynthia Calhoun
- Melanie Taylor
The show also featured many guest stars, some of whom would return for an extensive number of episodes. Guest stars included:
- Jon Bon Jovi – Victor Morrison (Season 5 / 10 Ep.): A plumber who was Ally's boyfriend for a short period of time
- Dyan Cannon – Judge Jennifer 'Whipper' Cone (Season 1–3 / 17 Ep.): Judge who had a relationship with Richard Fish for a while. She later started her own law firm together with Renee Raddick
- Gerry Becker - Myron Stone (Season 1-5) : a Boston lawyer who frequently came up against the members of Cage and Fish in court. He was also a friend of Billy Thomas and invited him to join a self-help group which Stone himself appears to run.
- Taye Diggs – Jackson Duper (Season 4 / 10 Ep.): a lawyer who worked at Cage and Fish for a while and was a love interest for Ling Woo
- Lisa Edelstein – Cindy McCauliff (Season 4 / 5 Ep.): a transsexual whom Mark Albert dated for a while
- Josh Groban – Malcolm Wyatt (Season 4–5 / 2 Ep.): A teenager who hires Ally and ends up taking her to his high school prom; gets help from Ally with the loss of his mother. (also sings "You're Still You" and "To Where You Are")
- Albert Hall – Judge Seymore Walsh: A stern judge with little sense of humor and a general dislike of the Cage and Fish law firm (50 Episodes)
- Anne Heche – Melanie West (Season 4 / 7 Ep.): A school teacher who had Tourette syndrome. She dated John Cage for a while
- John Michael Higgins – Steven Milter (Season 4–5 / 13 Ep.): An attorney who was also Ally's therapist for a while
- Jennifer Holliday – Lisa Knowles (Season 1–4 / 6 Ep.): Lead choir singer at the local church who had a history with the reverend
- Barry Humphries (credited as Dame Edna Everage) – Claire Otoms (Season 5 / 12 Ep.): A client of Cage & Fish who later started working at the firm as a secretary
- Gregory Jbara - Reverend Compton (Season 4 / 1 Ep.): Reverend who testifies about his relationship with the nymphomaniac whose husband is seeking an annulment from the very marriage for which the reverend had performed the ceremony in the episode titled "Reach Out and Touch".
- Phil Leeds – Judge Dennis 'Happy' Boyle (Season 1–2 / 5 Ep.): A very old judge who was obsessed with dental hygiene
- Jesse L. Martin – Dr. Greg Butters (Season 1–2 / 11 Ep.): A doctor whom Ally dated for quite a while
- Harrison Page – Reverend Mark Newman (Season 1–4 / 6 Ep.): The reverend at the local church, who had a history with lead choir singer Lisa Knowles
- Matthew Perry – Attorney Todd Merrick (Season 5 / 2 Ep.)
- Gina Philips – Sandy Hingle (Season 3 / 13 Ep.): Billy Thomas' secretary whom he briefly dated after his divorce
- Christina Ricci – Debbie 'Liza' Bump (Season 5 / 7 Ep.): a lawyer who worked at Cage and Fish and married Richard Fish in the last episode
- Tracey Ullman – Dr. Tracey Clark (Season 1–3 / 6 Ep.): Ally's unusual therapist; recommended to her by John Cage
- Bruce Willis – Dr. Nickle (Season 2 / 1 Ep.): Filling in for Ally's therapist, Dr. Tracey Clark
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas - Chris 'ThunderThighs' Emerson (Season 3 / 19 Ep.): Ally's online underage lover
Apart from these frequently recurring actors the show also saw a lot of cameo appearances by singers (as themselves), along with numerous other one-off celebrity guest stars:
- Loretta Devine: Appeared in the third season in Ally's hallucinations.
- Barry White: Appeared for one of John Cage's birthday party and at Richard Fish's wedding
- Al Green: Ally saw him in her hallucinations
- Gladys Knight: Appeared in one of Ally's Al Green hallucinations
- Tina Turner: Ally won a contest to appear as backup singer for her
- Gloria Gaynor: In Season 3, she stalks Ally singing 'I Will Survive'.
- Barry Manilow: He appears in one of Ally's hallucinations when Larry goes to Detroit to visit his son. He sings at the bar later that night and Ally tries to punch him thinking him to be her hallucination.
- Mariah Carey: Appears as Candy Cushnip, a woman in a trial against a company claiming to find the perfect match for everybody. She carries a technician with a spotlight at all times because she believes "...a woman is prettier when she feels good about herself."
- Macy Gray: Performs in the bar in one episode ("Hope and Glory", episode 20 of season 3)
- Randy Newman: In Season 3, episode 21, Randy Newman appears as singer/piano player while the protagonists celebrate John's 35th birthday in the bar.
- Chubby Checker: In Season 4, episode 11, a twist contest is held in the bar where Chubbie Checker appears as himself.
- Sting: In Season 4, episode 20, Sting sings with Larry on Ally's birthday at the bar. The scene is preceded by a case in which Sting is sued by a jealous husband and hires Larry as his attorney.
- Anastacia: In Season 4, episode 16 John and Richard make a trip to LA where they visit a club in which Anastacia performs.
- Elton John plays with his band in the bar in Season 5, episode 5. It is mentioned in the show that the appearance is intended as a rehearsal for Elton John's forthcoming US-Tour.
[edit] Broadcasters
[edit] DVD releases
Due to music rights issues, the first complete season of Ally McBeal has not been made available on DVD in the United States (only 6 random episodes can be found on the R1 edition), though it has been available in Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Mexico, Taiwan, Australia, Brazil and the Czech Republic. In the UK and Ireland all seasons are available in a complete boxset.
| DVD Name | Ep# | Region 1 | Region 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 23 | N/A | February 21, 2005 |
| The Complete Second Season | 23 | N/A | February 21, 2005 |
| The Complete Third Season | 21 | N/A | February 21, 2005 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 23 | N/A | May 9, 2005 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 22 | N/A | May 9, 2005 |
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Awards won
- Outstanding Comedy Series (1999)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Peter MacNicol (2001)
- Best TV Series-Comedy/Musical (1998-1999)
- Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Comedy/Musical Calista Flockhart (1998)
- Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series Robert Downey Jr. (2001)
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1999)
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Robert Downey Jr. (2001)
[edit] Awards nominated
- Outstanding Comedy Series (1998)
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Calista Flockhart (1998–1999, 2001)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Peter MacNicol (1999–2000)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Robert Downey Jr. (2001)
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Lucy Liu (1999)
- Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Bernadette Peters (2001)
- Best TV Series-Comedy/Musical (2000–2002)
- Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Comedy/Musical Calista Flockhart
- Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series Jane Krakowski (1999)
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1998, 2000–2001)
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Calista Flockhart (1998–2001)
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Lucy Liu (2000)
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Peter MacNicol (1999–2001)
[edit] References
- '^ Michelle L. Hammers, "Cautionary Tales of Liberation and Female Professionalism: The Case Against Ally McBeal" Western Journal of Communication 69 2, April (2005): 168. "The ease with which McBeals depictions of women are reincorporated into dominant masculinist discourses ... is particularly problematic for professional women. The increased danger that co-optation poses for professional women is due to the complex ways in which the discursive sedimentation that surrounds the female body, particularly as it has been traditionally sexualized and linked to emotionality, operates as a barrier to women's full and effective participation in professional spheres. Thus, McBeal operates as a cautionary tale about the dangers presented by the co-optation of postfeminist and third-wave feminist discourses as they relate to current professional discourses surrounding the female body.
- ^ "Is Feminism Dead? (Chat Transcript)". Time Magazine. June 25, 1998. http://www.time.com/time/community/transcripts/chattr062598.html.
- ^ "Ally" (1999)
[edit] External links
- Ally McBeal at the Internet Movie Database
- Ally McBeal at TV.com
- Ally at the Internet Movie Database
- Ally McBeal: Woman of the '90s or Retro Airhead
- Ally McBeal on Paramount Comedy
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