The Practice focused on the law firm of Robert Donnell and Associates (later becoming Donnell, Young, Dole, & Frutt, and ultimately Young, Frutt, & Berluti). Plots typically featured the firm's involvement in various high-profile criminal and civil cases that often mirror current events. Conflict between legal ethics and personal morality was a recurring theme. Some episodes contained light comedy. Kelley claimed that he conceived the show as something of a rebuttal to L.A. Law (for which he wrote) and its romanticized treatment of the American legal system and legal proceedings.
Season | From | To | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
All Seasons | |||
Specials | April 1998 | March 2001 | 4 |
Season 1 | March 1997 | April 1997 | 6 |
Season 2 | September 1997 | May 1998 | 28 |
Season 3 | September 1998 | May 1999 | 23 |
Season 4 | September 1999 | May 2000 | 22 |
Season 5 | October 2000 | May 2001 | 22 |
Season 6 | September 2001 | May 2002 | 23 |
Season 7 | September 2002 | May 2003 | 22 |
Season 8 | September 2003 | May 2004 | 22 |
Unassigned Episodes | 0 |
Season | From | To | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
Unassigned Episodes | 172 |
Season | From | To | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | 0 | ||
Unassigned Episodes | 172 |
Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
David E. Kelley | 140 | 03/04/1997 - 04/18/2004 | |
Jill Goldsmith | 8 | 12/06/1998 - 05/06/2001 | |
Todd Ellis Kessler | 6 | 11/08/1997 - 03/12/2000 | |
Ed Redlich | 5 | 04/08/1997 - 04/06/1998 | |
Michael R. Perry | 2 | 10/11/1997 - 10/18/1997 | |
Gardner Stern | 2 | 10/07/2001 - 10/21/2001 | |
Stephen Gaghan | 2 | 10/11/1997 - 10/18/1997 | |
Frank Renzulli | 2 | 03/30/1998 | |
Samantha Howard Corbin | 2 | 11/14/1999 - 01/09/2000 | |
Christopher Mack | 1 | 10/10/1999 | |
Larry Mollin | 1 | 02/02/1998 | |
Jeff Rake | 1 | 02/17/2002 | |
Alexis Ganya | 1 | 10/11/1997 | |
Pamela Wisne | 1 | 05/05/2003 | |
Bill Chais | 1 | 05/05/2003 | |
Catherine Stribling | 1 | 02/07/1999 | |
B.J. White | 1 | 12/20/1997 | |
James Solomon | 1 | 11/25/2001 | |
Jill Shapiro | 1 | 05/06/2001 | |
David Shore | 1 | 12/13/1997 | |
Andrew Smith | 1 | 11/15/1997 |
Name | Number of Episodes | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Dennis Smith | 20 | 04/27/1998 - 03/07/2004 | |
Jeannot Szwarc | 16 | 04/18/1999 - 11/30/2003 | |
Lukas Reiter | 14 | 10/29/2000 - 11/23/2003 | |
Alfonso H. Moreno | 11 | 11/29/1998 - 04/29/2001 | |
Peter Blake | 11 | 10/22/2000 - 01/18/2004 | |
Dylan McDermott | 9 | 04/25/1999 | |
Michael Schultz | 9 | 04/01/1997 - 03/11/2001 | |
Andy Wolk | 9 | 02/13/2000 - 01/11/2004 | |
Arvin Brown | 9 | 03/09/1998 - 03/03/2003 | |
Dwight Little | 9 | 03/30/1998 - 12/08/2002 | |
Michael Zinberg | 8 | 10/24/1999 - 02/15/2004 | |
Lynne E. Litt | 7 | 02/04/2001 - 11/25/2001 | |
Duane Clark | 7 | 04/30/2000 - 03/10/2003 | |
Kelli Williams | 6 | 03/14/2004 | |
Alex Graves | 6 | 10/25/1998 - 02/11/2001 | |
Christina Musrey | 6 | 01/27/2003 - 04/18/2004 | |
Dennie Gordon | 6 | 04/08/1997 - 02/17/2002 | |
Oz Scott | 6 | 11/08/1997 - 11/28/1999 | |
LisaGay Hamilton | 6 | 04/21/2003 | |
Kay Foster | 4 | 04/30/2000 - 04/22/2001 | |
Adam Armus | 4 | 04/30/2000 - 04/22/2001 | |
Christina M. Musrey | 3 | 01/07/2001 - 10/06/2002 | |
Daniel Attias | 3 | 01/19/1998 - 04/29/2001 | |
Crystal Nix Hines | 3 | 10/14/2001 - 02/17/2002 | |
Joseph Telushkin | 3 | 12/20/1997 - 10/04/1998 | |
Joseph Berger-Davis | 3 | 03/31/2003 - 03/21/2004 | |
Allen Estrin | 3 | 12/20/1997 - 10/04/1998 | |
Keith Samples | 3 | 02/28/1999 - 04/22/2001 | |
Mel Damski | 3 | 02/02/1998 - 04/02/2000 | |
Adam Nimoy | 2 | 03/16/1998 - 12/06/1998 | |
James Frawley | 2 | 03/25/1997 - 11/14/1999 | |
Christopher Reeve | 2 | 03/24/2003 | |
Marc Guggenheim | 2 | 01/14/2001 - 04/22/2001 | |
John Patterson | 2 | 11/15/1997 - 03/07/1999 | |
Stephen Cragg | 2 | 01/12/1998 - 04/06/1998 | |
Cindy Lichtman | 2 | 03/07/1999 - 01/27/2003 | |
Bill D'Elia | 2 | 11/23/2003 - 03/28/2004 | |
Michael Pressman | 2 | 03/11/1997 - 09/20/1997 | |
John Tinker | 2 | 03/10/2002 - 10/20/2002 | |
Lee Bonner | 2 | 09/27/1997 - 10/18/1997 | |
Thomas Schlamme | 1 | 09/23/1997 | |
Jesús Salvador Treviño | 1 | 05/11/1998 | |
Robert Mandel | 1 | 01/05/1998 | |
Steve Gomer | 1 | 03/18/2001 | |
Martha Mitchell | 1 | 01/10/1999 | |
Steve Miner | 1 | 11/29/1997 | |
Charles McClelland | 1 | 02/18/2001 | |
Joe Napolitano | 1 | 10/11/1997 | |
Simon Curtis | 1 | 10/19/2003 | |
Wendy West | 1 | 03/11/2001 | |
Mick Jackson | 1 | 03/04/1997 | |
Leslie Libman | 1 | 10/05/2003 | |
Elodie Keene | 1 | 05/04/1998 | |
Allan Arkush | 1 | 01/17/1999 | |
David Jones | 1 | 12/20/1997 | |
Nick Gomez | 1 | 10/26/2003 | |
Mark Silver | 1 | 12/12/1999 | |
Jace Alexander | 1 | 10/04/1998 | |
Kathy McCormick | 1 | 10/14/2001 | |
Jonathan Pontell | 1 | 02/12/2001 | |
Alex Genya | 1 | 10/18/1997 | |
Rod Hardy | 1 | 03/24/2003 |
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A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film's narrative. Legal dramas have also followed the lives of the fictional attorneys, defendants, plaintiffs, or other persons related to the practice of law present in television show or film. Legal drama is distinct from police crime drama or detective fiction, which typically focus on police officers or detectives investigating and solving crimes. The focal point of legal dramas, more often, are events occurring within a courtroom, but may include any phases of legal procedure, such as jury deliberations or work done at law firms. Some legal dramas fictionalize real cases that have been litigated, such as the play-turned-movie, Inherit the Wind, which fictionalized the Scopes Monkey Trial. As a genre, the term "legal drama" is typically applied to television shows and films, whereas legal thrillers typically refer to novels and plays.
The shared universe of The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, and Boston Legal was created by David E. Kelley and is set in Boston, with various characters and settings crossing over from time to time, along with a more traditional spin-off from The Practice into Boston Legal.
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