The Practice

Favorite
76
ABC (ended 2004)

USER EDITOR

danbambridge

User Score: 134

8.8
out of 10
User Rating
721 votes
22

SHOW REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

The Practice

Show Summary

David E. Kelley's Emmy Award-winning legal drama, The Practice, had eight amazing seasons, with promising, provocative, issue-related stories, coupled with the writer's trademark humor. Set in Boston, The Practice centers on a firm of passionate attorneys to whom every case is important and every client worth a fight to the end. Legal maneuvering is the firm's modus operandi, and they have it down to a science, making even the most questionable arguments convincing. And while they can't - and don't - win every trial, the pursuit of justice remains the priority until the final verdict is announced … and sometimes afterwards. Pursuing justice, however, often confronts them with serious ethical and moral issues of conscience. The end of last season saw Bobby Donnell quitting the firm and leaving Eugene Young (Steve Harris) in charge. In the final season, we find Eugene not only tackling his new role as head of the firm, but also the new dynamic with co-workers Ellenor Frutt (Camryn Manheim), a single mom known for her fervent commitment to clients and for refusing to take "no" for an answer; Jimmy Berluti (Michael Badalucco), a hard-working "good guy" with a winning record and unparalleled loyalty to the firm; and a budding relationship with Jamie Stringer (Jessica Capshaw), a young associate recently out of law school. In addition to returning cast members Manheim, Harris, Badalucco and Capshaw, in the final season, Kelley injected the series with intriguing new characters, including acclaimed film actor James Spader, who will play Alan Shore, a complicated and ethically challenged lawyer, and Rhona Mitra, who will play Tara Wilson, a confident paralegal in her third year of law school who is also the firm's new tough-as-nails assistant. The multiple Emmy Award-winning drama has also earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series, a Peabody Award, a Viewers for Quality Television Award, an American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award and, most recently, a coveted Humanitas Award. Spin-offs: Boston Legal Other related shows (within the same "universe"): Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Gideon's Crossing Awards and Nominations 1998 Emmy Awards • Nominated Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (David E. Kelley for Betrayal) • Won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (John Larroquette for playing "Joey Heric" in Betrayal) • Won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Camryn Manheim) • Won Outstanding Drama Series1999 Golden Globe Awards • Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture (Camryn Manheim) (Tied with Faye Dunaway for "Gia") • Won Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama (Dylan McDermott) • Won Best TV-Series - Drama"The Practice" has received the award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series every full-length season. • John Larroquette as "Joey Heric" (Season 2) • Edward Herrmann as "Atty. Anderson Pearson" (Season 3) • James Whitmore as "Raymond Oz" (Season 4) • Michael Emerson as "William Hinks" (Season 5) • Charles Dutton as "Leonard Marshall" (Season 6) • Sharon Stone as "Sheila Carlisle" (Season 8) • William Shatner as "Denny Crane" (Season 8) Broadcast History ----------------- First telecast: March 4, 1997 Last telecast: May 16, 2004 Show type: Drama Number of episodes: 168 Newtork: ABC (Simulcast in HDTV for the 2000-2001 season through the 2003-2004 season) ------------------------------ Spinoff: Boston Legalmoreless
Rhona Mitra

Rhona Mitra

Tara Wilson (season 8)

Ron Livingston

Ron Livingston

A.D.A. Alan Lowe (episodes 102-115)

Dylan McDermott

Dylan McDermott

Bobby Donnell (seasons 1-7, recurring afterwards)

Michael Badalucco

Michael Badalucco

Jimmy Berluti (episodes 4-168, recurring previously)

Lisa Gay Hamilton

Lisa Gay Hamilton

Rebecca Washington (seasons 1-7)

Steve Harris

Steve Harris

Eugene Young

Wednesday
No results found.
Thursday
No results found.
Friday
No results found.
SUBMIT REVIEW
  • Captive with no way out

    10
    I've recently discovered the show and been captivated by its quality and content. I was watching it on Hulu only to find out that Hulu ends with season 3 (and was missing three from the season anyway).

    Where can I find the rest of the shows? Not Netflix or Blockbuster, best I can tell searching its web site they aren't on Hulu Plus.

    Any clues welcome (though I don't look forward to season 8, if I can ever view it. Sounds like it was a messy end to the series.moreless
  • A good show

    8.0
    It even had some moments of comedy
  • A great Drama show!

    9.0
    I'm only recently seen this show in 2012. This is a great show which stands up even after being years off the air. Even for one such as me who isn't greatly in love with lawyer shows finds it fascinating. The show does a good job in showing where morality and law come into conflict and how the lawyers who are human yet also officers of the court have to deal, argue the law, and accept the consequences.moreless
  • Best TV Drama Ever!!!!

    10
    This show truly is one of a kind. I was sad when it went off the air and have been craving another show like this since the finale. The acting was 2nd to none, the stories were fantastic and realistic. The struggles they faced in and outside of the courtroom were legit. I could go on forever. There was just something about this show that immersed you into the show and you felt like you were there. You felt like you knew them and could bump into them on the streets in real life. I have moved on and ejoyed other shows since The Practice but when comparing them to The Practice they always fail to match up next to it.



    I would do ANYTHING to get them to come back with this show with the exact same cast. The show could start 8-10 years later and show how their careers progressed and with todays society they could have some awesome episodes for sure. All these actors were great and never really broke though after and that blows my mind.



    I would love to start a petition to bring back The Practice.moreless
  • Gripping, thought provoking, engaging stuff!

    10
    This show is absolutely fantastic.

    As an aspiring lawyer myself, I found it to be the most entertaining and appealing drama I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

    This particular show, as far as I'm concerned, out-performs anything that David E. Kelly has ever produced, and, all other legal dramas to boot!

    I purchased volume one on dvd a while ago and have nearly worn it out! I hope the manufacturer gets wind of these reviews and releases the other seasons quickly. It's a phenomenal show and simply wrong if 13 episodes only ever got released. That concludes my submissions in support of my case for further releases!moreless
  • LISTS

    The Best TV Appearances by Oscar-Winning Actresses

    With the Academy Awards upon us, we've rounded up our favorite TV roles played by Oscar-winning actresses.

  • HUGH BONNEVILLE SIGNS ON TO PLAY LAWYER/DAD IN DAVID E. KELLEY'S LATEST LEGAL DRAMA.

    Hugh Bonneville goes Legally Mad for NBC

    Legally Mad, a new NBC project centered on the adventures of Brady Hamm (Charity Wakefield), a young woman who takes a job at her dad's law firm, has come one step closer to having a full cast. 2001 British

  • More
    Less

    More Info About This Show

    Themes

    cerebral, characters with double lives, characters with hidden agendas, city living, corruption