Massachusetts is a blue state. God has no place here. (Denny Crane) (Boston Legal)

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	Boston Legal
Date:	18/03/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, takes the mickey out of life

Disadvantages: .

Boston Legal is one of the funniest programmes on the television at the moment. It can be found on Living TV in the late evening. It's won several Emmys and a Golden Globe, but don't let that put you off

Basically the show is about the most disfunctional group of lawyers you could ever have the misfortune to meet. The lawyers all work for Crane, Poole and Schmidt, Denny Crane is played by William Shatner and is slowly losing his mind, which he puts down to having mad cow disease. He also has a habit of shooting people, with little regard for the consequences.

Alan Shaw is Denny's best friend and bunk mate on occasion. He first appeared in a more serious legal drama, The Practice, but went on to join Crane, Poole and Schmidt. He has a habit of alienating judges by taking the mickey and generally being sarcastic toward them.

Other notable characters are Jerry, who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome and hops, and twitches his way through the programme, whilst making purring noises or other strange sound effects.

Previous characters include Clarence/Clarice a black cross dressing lawyer, who does his best work whilst dressed as Clarice, but also has a third ego in Clavent.

There are a couple of sensible lawyers to keep the show on an even keel, Shirley Schmidt, who is the object of Denny's affections (when he's mot marrying women within days of meeting them), and he has a blow up likeness of her in his office cupboard.

So as you can see the show is anything but politically correct, it doesn't mock illnesses or non conformist ways of living, but it doesn't wrap them in cotton wool either. It treats them as the average man on the street would.

I am not normally a person who likes 'stupid humour', I prefer sarcasm to slapstick, but for one reason or another Boston Legal tickles me every time I watch it. Denny and Alan work brilliantly together, and like most friends spend a lot of time happy in each others company, but can on occasion have falling outs. I have to say I'm not a fan of William Shatner, I don't think he's as good as he likes to think he is, but I like the character. On the other hand James Spader is an excellent actor and he plays Alan Shaw to perfection, he delivers his lines with cutting precision.

If the law courts were really like this, people wouldn't be sat watching TV, they'd all be in the courts watching their daily dose of comedy.

Summary: If you can catch up on the earlier seasons, it's well worth a look.