The Practice

1997
The Practice

Seasons & Episodes

  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP1 We the People Sep 28, 2003

Eleanor defends a man accused of killing his wife and unborn son. He contests that it was suicide. Eugene and Jimmy defend a woman who shot a crack dealer on her street. Alan Shore comes to Eleanor looking for a job after he was fired for embezzlement. He is given a case where a woman files charges against a homeless man who ""Halle Berry'd"" her (came out of nowhere and kissed her). He uses insurance fraud to coerce her into dropping the charges.

EP2 The Chosen (1) Oct 05, 2003

Alan Shore agrees to help friend Sheila Carlisle, a successful attorney who claims God speaks to her, and who has subsequently been fired from her law firm for being mentally incompetent. Meanwhile there are startling new developments in the case of Brad Stanfield, whom Ellenor and Jamie are defending for allegedly poisoning his pregnant wife.

EP3 Cause of Action (2) Oct 12, 2003

Eccentric attorney Sheila Carlisle, whom Alan Shore hired on a temporary basis without consulting anyone else, takes on a lawsuit on behalf of the firm; and Ellenor finds herself in a moral dilemma when faced with the truth about her client.

EP4 Blessed Are They (3) Oct 19, 2003

Alan Shore is troubled by Sheila Carlisle's increasingly erratic behavior and fears for her mental - and legal - competence. Meanwhile, Shore is ordered by the court to represent a man who refuses to divulge his identity for fear that the unsavory nature of his crime will be made public

EP5 The Heat of Passion (1) Oct 26, 2003

A complex murder case implicating a white supremacist embroils Eugene; malpractice fears haunt Jamie; the defense of accused killer Roland Huff embattles Shore, whose tactics astonish Tara and precipitate a run-in with a judge.

EP6 The Lonely People (2) Nov 02, 2003

Eugene and Jimmy's defense of the leader of a white supremacist group takes an unexpected turn when surprising new developments come to light. Meanwhile, Shore continues in his quest to free Roland Huff from prison, and Jamie and Eugene must come to terms with their differences.

EP7 Rape Shield Nov 09, 2003

A rape case rattles Jimmy, ill-prepared to defend a client who maintains his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him. Also, ethics violations catch up to Shore, who has a showdown with Eugene.

EP8 Concealing Evidence Nov 23, 2003

Alan Shore uses questionable, if not illegal, tactics in representing his clients — Ted Grayson, a mentally unstable man accused of murder, and Karen Evanson, a woman who claims her husband's suicide was induced by a prescription drug.

EP9 Victims' Rights Nov 30, 2003

Alan Shore defends a twelve-year-old girl who is trying to escape an arranged marriage in her home country. Meanwhile, Eugene tries to help a man who is seeking justice for the brutal murder of his wife.

EP10 Equal Justice Dec 07, 2003

Alan Shore uses unorthodox tactics when he's appointed by the court to defend a young man accused of murder. Meanwhile, Tara must try her first case when she's thrown into covering Shore's previously scheduled client.

EP11 Police State Jan 11, 2004

When the police torture a man they believe shot one of their own, Eugene, barely able to contain his emotion, takes the lead in seeking justice.

EP12 Avenging Angels Jan 18, 2004

Jimmy Berluti and Jamie Stringer defend an elderly man, Walter Josephson, who is accused of killing a member of the local Irish mob, and Alan Shore agrees to help a friend — by any means necessary — who discovers his wife is cheating on him.

EP13 Going Home (1) Feb 15, 2004

When his best friend from childhood is accused of murdering his mistress, Alan Shore returns home to defend him.

EP14 Pre-Trial Blues (2) Feb 22, 2004

An ongoing, sensational murder case besets Shore with pre-trial anxieties centering on jury selection; a hostile judge; a priest's confession; and suspicions of malpractice that involve a manipulative witness for the prosecution.

EP15 Mr. Shore Goes to Town (3) Mar 07, 2004

Fireworks erupt at Dr. Stewart's trial when shocking testimony is elicited from the defendant's strong-willed mother, a conflicted priest and a crackpot.

EP16 In Good Conscience (1) Mar 14, 2004

There are major shake-ups at the firm, as tensions rise between Eugene and Alan Shore. Meanwhile, the firm takes the case of a young man who is suing the doctor he feels is responsible for the death of his wife during childbirth.

EP17 War of the Roses (2) Mar 21, 2004

Tensions between Shore and Eugene rise to the boiling point when Shore retains the services of a high-profile law firm to go head-to-head with Young, Frutt & Berluti in the face of his abrupt firing from the firm.

EP18 The Case Against Alan Shore (3) Mar 28, 2004

Eugene and his firm stand against Alan Shore and his ""new"" firm. The entire episode revolves around Eugene, Ellenor, and Jimmy testifing that Alan doesn't deserve the amount of money Alan proposed. Can Ellenor really testify against her friend? How will Alan go against his old firm?

EP19 The Firm Apr 18, 2004

Friction at the firm gets to Jimmy, who's torn between loyalties and principles. Meanwhile, tension besets Shore as he crosses swords with his brilliant but erratic new boss, whose behavior raises questions of competence.

EP20 Comings and Goings Apr 25, 2004

Eugene is presented with an offer he finds hard to refuse, and Ellenor is shocked when she hears the news, knowing full well that any departure by Eugene would mean the beginning of the end of the practice. Meanwhile, Jimmy is confronted by crooked lawyer Lenny Pascatore), who claims that the neighborhood only has room for one practicing attorney. Across town at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Denny Crane ruffles some feathers by making Tara his personal paralegal, and Hannah Rose enlists Shore's help in handling an assault case involving two hockey players.

EP21 New Hoods on the Block May 02, 2004

Eugene considers an exciting new offer for his future... could this mean the end of the practice? Meanwhile, Jimmy is shaken by an ominous run-in with neighborhood lawyer Lenny Pescatore, as their turf war heats up, and Ellenor clashes with sexy and ruthless attorney Hannah Rose of Crane Poole & Schmidt.

EP22 Cheers (a.k.a Adjourned: Series Finale) May 16, 2004

How it all ends for the cast: The Firm Closes, Eugene becomes a Judge, Jimmy and Jaime become Neighbourhood Lawyers with their own firm, Ellanor takes a hiatus from practicing law to raise her daughter, Alan Shore hooks up with Sally and continues working for Denny Crane. The final shot is of old music playing as the camera moves through the firm's offices which are packed up and all the lights are still on. Bobby Donell is sitting at his old desk crying. Despite all he had said he was the only person not to move on
7.7| 0h30m| TV-14| en| More Info
Released: 04 March 1997 Ended
Producted By: 20th Century Fox Television
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their scrappy boss, Bobby Donnell. The show's forte is its storylines about “people who walk a moral tightrope.”

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Reviews

michaelthompson-98713 Dear David E. Kelley,Why oh why did you write this superb television series, and then ditch the formula and half the regular cast from season 8 ???????????The Practice easily knocks spots of anything shown today that comes from your country, America.Watching The Practice took me back to the days of Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey, L.A Law, NYPD Blue. American Drama Television writing at its best.But The Practice beat the lot hands down.However, James Spader's introduction threw The Practice into second gear , and without the full regular cast the heart went out of the programme as far as I was concerned.At the tail end of the series, Steve Harris who played Eugene Young to the hilt, made it to the bar and became a Judge. Might I suggest with your excellent writing skills, you develop a new series here around his success as a Judge. ?In general The Practice, series 1 to 7 only, has been an excellent American Drama, the best ever.. Characters you warmed to, and cared about. Series 8 was cold. James Spader was totally miscast. Well done David E. Kelley and all concerned in the series.
policy134 David E. Kelley was of course a major asset for L.A. Law because of his experience as a lawyer. Therefore, he had an insider's knowledge and his scripts were also considered the show's best. Here we get basically the same premise but instead of focusing on wealthy lawyers from the West, we get blue collar lawyers (if such a thing exists) from the east. The sunny atmosphere of L.A. Law has been darkened considerably and I think that every single character has some kind of depressive side to them. That makes it hard to even think of them as the good guys, also because of the questionable clients they represent.The Bobby Donnell character, played by Dylan McDermott, is nowhere near as sleazy as his fellow lawyers think he is but McDermott plays him like an angry loner and that does not spell mega appeal to many. So why did this show survive so many seasons? I think it mainly has to do with the oddball guest stars, like John Larroquette as a totally despicable and narcissistic killer or the self-serving female judge who uses sexual blackmail and then abuses her power when her advances are not reciprocated. There seems to have been a combined effort of everybody to make everything as bleak as possible in sharp contrast to the sister show, Ally McBeal but that could only be counted as a blessing since that show tried too hard to be quirky. Like so many other shows featuring lawyers it got a little melodramatic at times but for the most part the courtroom action was exciting and the few times the case at hand wasn't that interesting the next episode featured a case that was totally worth the wait.Anybody that has seen just a few episodes will probably not like it at once because it takes a little time to get totally into it. If you can be addicted to seeing human misery, the name of the drug is called "The Practice".
miriammatzeder There is no question in my mind that "The Practice" was the best thing available on television for a long, long time. It is the only show for which I can recall a sense of mourning at show's end. My favorite character was Eugene. I admit to have had a feeling of panic to think the familiarity of the show would be broken up by a "movie star," but James Spader injected a lot of the thrill that David E. Kelley initially devoted to the show. The only bad thing I can say about the show is that I believe it began to sink when too much was invested in the unsubstantial relationship between Bobby and What's-her-name. The strength of the show was the characters' relationships with one another as LAWYERS, not LOVERS. The case details and the rotation of unusual plaintiffs and defendants were the attractions. The only other shows I bother viewing are the CSI programs, but I'm always going to miss "The Practice." Especially the character, Eugene, who bopped that child molester in his head right there in the courtroom. That single scene deserved an Emmy. I very much look forward to "Boston Legal." I just hope the thrill of James Spader and Denny...Denny Crane won't blot out the case-specific details, characters and truth and justice issues we so loved about "The Practice."
bentley3461 I was an avid watcher of THE PRACTICE when ABC was still spitting out new episodes, especially from seasons five through seven, though I have seen episodes from all the seasons and I watched a lot at the end of season eight. THE PRACTICE, first off, is a first-rate, thoughtful, intelligent, witty show. It is a shining star in the smog-filled sky that is TV today. The stars were made on that show, a good reflection of how great the show is. I love the way there would often, but not always, by that third or fourth act be an AH HA! moment, just enough to make one start to nod in unison with the characters.Bobby Donnell as the lead character, until the last season, was so smart at times, making a really good path in life and as an attorney. And at times he was so self-destructive and stupid one wonders if he had been cloned or had an identical but dumb twin. Bobby also let his cases get too personal some, but not all of the time. Lindsay Dole was somebody who you could always root for. But, she was definitely flawed. She was stubborn to the point of ridiculous behavior sometimes. She looked at her relationship with Bobby through all stages as one where she always had to do something about that big lug, due to his clearly compromised sense of what was appropriate in any given situation. She truly and sincerely thought that she was ALWAYS right. She didn't know she was being unfair, rude, and arrogant and walking all over Bobby. At least I'm pretty sure of all that. Otherwise she was just a callous, cruel person.I found Eugene and Eleanor's treatment of Rebecca strange at the end of the seventh season. Eugene seemed to structure decisions without regard to how they would impact Rebecca or maybe he hoped to alienate her and force her to quit and take her talents elsewhere. Now I must stress, I'm not trying to say what she did or did not do, but that's what Eugene seemed to want, regardless of what Bec did after learning of an authoritarian directive.I think the differences between David E. Kelly's L.A. LAW and David E. Kelley's THE PRACTICE have to be made clear. L.A. LAW was fantastic and excellent most, if not all, of the time. THE PRACTICE was great most, if not all, of the time. Both shows feature high-quality character development, but that takes something of a back seat on THE PRACTICE to bizarre murders. Both series explore the impact of one's actions on more than the just the obvious players. On THE PRACTICE that is less subtle and more integral to the show. But most keenly is the difference in the fair, just outcome vs. the actual outcome of the trials. On L.A. LAW one comes away saying, 'It may have been harsh' or 'It may have been too lenient in some ways' but either way (USUALLY) 'That verdict was fair and just'. On THE PRACTICE, one usually comes away saying 'That was HARSH' or 'I can't believe that person just got put back on the streets' but either way saying 'That jury must be insane or decided to intentionally give the wrong verdict just to complement the defendant's impeccable grooming habits and fine manners'. I don't think, given how the setting is the U.S.A. in the present day, that the outcome is almost ever realistic. TV viewers want some escapism, but not LAW AND ORDER: ANIMAL HOUSE-STYLE. The bizarre murders highlighted repeatedly probably result from the number of juries that don't believe in convicting people or are anarchists.Overall, THE PRACTICE is a series one must decide to watch to enjoy the first fifty-five minutes, and not for the sake of enjoying the last five (when the verdict is read).