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Boston Legal: Season 1 [2004]

Actors: William Shatner, James Spader, Candice Bergen, Monica Potter, Rene Auberjonois
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~Ł39.99~~
Buy New: Ł13.50
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Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

24 reviews
Sales Rank: 692

Format: Box Set, Pal
Languages: Danish (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Number Of Items: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5039036026833
ASIN: B000F7NP9G

Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: July 24, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new and still sealed. Quick despatch from the UK.

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
The classic combination of James Spader and William Shatner is just one of many reasons to savor the inaugural 17-episode season of Boston Legal. Making its highly rated ABC debut on October 3, 2004, this darkly comedic spinoff from The Practice looked like a formulaic reworking of creator David E. Kelley's previously successful series Ally McBeal, with similar plots and quirky characters enmeshed in personal and professional affairs of the heart at the prestigious Boston law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. It quickly became apparent that Kelley, co-executive producer Bill D'Elia, and the show's magnificent ensemble cast were onto something equally fresh, funny, and infectiously entertaining. Both Shatner and Spader won Emmys for their original roles on The Practice, and the priceless pairing of the erratic, egomaniacal senior partner Denny Crane (Shatner, doing the best work of his career) and ethically challenged attorney Alan Shore (Spader, likewise) signaled the arrival of one of the finest comedic duos in TV history. Waging a two-man war on political correctness, the boisterous has-been Denny loves the sound of his own name (the mere mention of "Denny Crane" qualifies as ego-stroking foreplay), unabashedly subjects female associates to his lascivious advances, and (in creator Kelley's words) "trades on the currency of his reputation" as an undefeated trial attorney. As the show's fascinating heart and soul, Alan Shore is a walking contradiction, and Spader plays him perfectly as a charismatic, self-loathing lothario who'll bend the law to suit his higher purposes. Deeply cynical yet fiercely committed to his own complex and compassionate moral code, he's brazenly open about his sexual appetites as he savors the affections of smart, sexy associates Sally Heep (Lake Bell), and Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra), whose relationship with Shore grows strained as the season progresses.

While senior partner Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois), senior associates Denise Bauer (Julie Bowen) and ex-Marine Brad Chase (Mark Valley), and junior associate Lori Colson (Monica Potter) struggle to maintain the firm's lofty reputation, the appearance of founding partner Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) elevates Boston Legal to an even higher plane of serio-comic perfection. A former flame of Denny Crane's, Schmidt arrives in episode 11 (appropriately titled "Schmidt Happens") as common-sense negotiator with a rapier wit and a clanking pair of big brass cojones, fully capable of holding her own against the Crane/Shore juggernaut. And while "An Eye for an Eye" (episode 5) is a sublime example of Boston Legal's deft combination of lunacy and courtroom complexity, it's the deeper implications of episodes like "Tortured Souls" (15) and season finale "Death Be Not Proud" (tackling a dubious death sentence in Texas) that cast these rich and wonderful characters into sharper relief, baring their souls and the courage of their convictions.

With surprising departures (Lake Bell, in episode 13), new arrivals (Kerry Washington, as new associate Chelina Hall, in episode 15) and stellar guest stars including Larry Miller (as the eccentrically unstable founding partner Edwin Poole), Philip Baker Hall, Frances Fisher, Carl Reiner, Freddie Prinze Jr., Shelley Long, and late-season regular Betty White, Boston Legal gained a large and loyal following with exceptional writing, timely social relevance, and that rare quality of chemistry that guarantees long-term appeal. Nowhere is this more apparent than the now-famous Spader/Shatner "balcony scenes" that quickly became an episode-closing tradition, with staunch Republican Denny Crane and passionate Democrat Alan Shore reflecting upon their careers, current issues, and their own devoted friendship over brandy and cigars. With these two actors together, virtually every episode ends on a high note of pensive introspection, and Boston Legal becomes even greater than the sum of its parts. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Inspired! Perfect! July 19, 2008
I rarely give fives. In fact, I think this may be the second.

But I recently saw an episode of Boston Legal on digital TV from series 3 and on the strength of that one episode, bought Series 1 and 2 on DVD. I made a good investment.

Quite frankly the best series to have come out of America in years. It is like Northern Exposure set in a legal firm, but with fewer morals and more laughs. It also has a shining star in the form of William Shatner who has never been known for great parts, but as Danny Crane, has found his perfect role. When teaming up with James Spader, the 2 are phenomenal.

Every show is fresh, intelligent, well scripted and acted and most importantly, constantly surprising. There has, honestly, not been a single episode that I have not adored. I rarely use expletives, rarely give high praise, but this is the best show I have seen in years.

Enjoy!

Because you surely will - Denny Crane!!!!

5 out of 5 stars

Kirk to Enterprise: it's TV, but much better than we know it! May 22, 2008
Fans of such diverse pleasures as The Sopranos and Huff may well find in this series a further oasis of quality TV. There's an attractive core cast and milieu, lovely production values and zappy dialogue, plus consistently and wickedly original legal shenanigans to keep us engaged.

Easily Boston Legal's best feature, of course, is the sustained double-act between James Spader and William Shatner. Spader has always been an eye-catching, nuanced and authentic cinema actor. Here, he makes the switch to TV with, if anything, an uplift in his work (mostly through the room he's given to inhabit and grow into his austere but enchanting character; which he clearly does, over the course of things).

Shatner, meanwhile, is a revelation in his ability to sustain self-deprecation within the persona of an outwardly gross and superficial character whose vulnerability (and occasional steel) is, again, beautifully developed across the series. His regular delivery of (and reaction to his delivery of) his own character's name - "Denny Crane" - is a constant joy.

The Spader-Shatner show is, in fact, a sustained double impersonation (or "interpretation" if you like) of an otherwise impossible comic-acting "dream team." Watching these two at work is nothing less than seeing a partnership between Charles Laughton and W. C. Fields brought to unlikely but fantastically effective life - and again, given the time and material to forge something really precious (and hilarious) between them.

Listen out for the sound Denny's mobile phone makes when he flips it open, by the way...

5 out of 5 stars

FAB !!!!! April 12, 2008
This is one of the best things ever made for TV.
William Shatner and James Spader are a match made in heaven !!
This is real laugh out loud stuff.
Well worth buying,a real treat.

5 out of 5 stars

must watch March 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I sat down and watched series 1 in a day - i missed it first time around on satellite - james Spader and william Shatner are superb - best comedy/legal show in years

5 out of 5 stars

Two Words.. Denny Crane February 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Boston Legal has suffered from being on LivingTV as nobody seems to have heard of it! This is an awesome series with some great performances from the entire cast - especially James Spader and William Shatner.
I originally watched this because I heard Shatner was great in it; I was hooked from the start and its now a favourite.

Howay Channel 4, buy the rights to Boston Legal and make it mainstream!!