Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

S.R. Dipaling As NBC's staple show "ER" enters the rarefied air of a fourteenth season,entirely planted atop the vaunted position of 10 eastern/9 central slot on Thursdays,it embarrasses me a little to have to stop and recall that THIS show occupied that slot with some of that same sticking power. From its second season onward,this show was a stalwart of "Must See Thursday" and,for much of that run,carried the banner ably and even proudly.The exploits of the Los Angeles law firm of McKenzie,Brackman and(by season three)Becker covered the work and(to greater or lesser degrees)their lives. Even though the show had its ostensible "stars"(at the onset,it was Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey as firm mates Michael Kuzak and Grace VAn Owen,later it was Jimmy Smits as fiery attorney Victor Sifuentes,Corbin Bersen as perpetually sleazy divorce attorney Arnie Becker or Blair Underwood as smooth,black lawyer Jonathan Rollins),this show was as much about supporting players(most notably Horror/Sci-Fi staple Larry Drake as the gentle,high-functioning retarded office worker Benny Stulwicz,Alan Rachins as the upright,uptight head of litigation Douglas Brackman,John Spenser as rumpled,recovering alcoholic lawyer Tommy Mulaney and,of course,veteran actor Richard Dysart as senior partner Leland McKenzie)and the writing,which tackled a whole smörgåsbord of issues of the day as well as a variety of cases ranging from the absurd to the morose(sometimes in the same episode!). The show had some dark turns(most notably around season five,when the show changed producers for the first of two times)and the cast became a revolving door of "main" characters,but all in all,it still evened out to make a good run. I probably haven't laid eyes on an episode of this show in at least five years,but it would feel pretty familiar if I did. Creator Steven Bochco(post-"Hill Street Blues",pre-"NYPD Blue") and co-producer/writer David Kelley(before "Picket Fences","Boston Legal","The Practice","Ally McBeal",etc.)made a fine offering of television that I recall favorably. While I may not run out to buy the eps on DVD,I wouldn't rule out watching an episode if I run across one in the vast landscape that is cable reruns.

policy134 All of the main characters on L.A. Law were quirky in some way but to go into all of them would take up more space than is allowed here. So I will simply name a few: 1) Michael Kuzak: The social conscience who went out of his way to take cases of the underdogs but also had a goofy side, especially when dealing with his lady love A.D.A. Grace van Owen. 2) Grace van Owen: Very much like Kuzak, except she has higher ambitions than just being a lawyer. She has a reputation of being distant around her colleagues but does let her guard down in one particular moment, involving a technical aspect of the use of an animal by-product. 3) Arnold Becker: Divorce lawyer (this was before the term Domestic lawyer became more accepted). He craves to take high profile entertainment cases and generally loves anything flashy, sport cars and beautiful women in particular. 4) The Markowitz's: Unlikely married couple. The man (Stuart) short and kind of plain and very amiable and the woman (Ann - knee Kelsey) who is beautiful but has a short fuse. He is a tax lawyer and she mostly deals with civil law and is also prone to take cases for the underdog like Kuzak. 5) And finally the two managing partners Douglas Brackman and Leland Mckenzie: Brackman, with every single inferiority complex known to human and also lives in the shadow of his father who was the senior partner before him. Mckenzie, the strict but fair senior partner with a soft spot for his firm and kind of a father figure to all of his associates.Like the earlier Bochco show Hill Street Blues, the emphasis on one day at a time is very much a mainstay in L.A. Law. The lawyers go through every case in the courtroom over very little time that in the real world would take years and although it is not really what trials are like, it is entertaining and if you are looking for something more realistic then you should try seeing an actual televised trial. Outside of the courtroom there are tons of weirdos and sexy women that the characters come in contact with and some of their actions become deadly (eg. the lawyer who shoots himself in open court). But there is also room for comedy like Kuzak showing up at a wedding, where he is most definitely not invited in a gorilla suit and Becker screwing over one of the aspiring associates in more ways than one. All this is pure TV entertainment but what I like about this show is that it tries to take the high road once in a while and the comic relief is usually hysterical. This mix is rarely pulled off in a successful way but Bochco has created such a great universe that when he stumbles there is always a new try at every turn.

todd trotter A beautifully crafted legal drama with characters that last a lifetime. Not since "The Practice" have we had a legal drama as well made as "LA Law." I recently read the pilot script and the show came to life as if I was watching it on television. Incredible stuff!

niceguywacooltie Kerplunk. LA Law shows the importance of the executive producer in episodic television. The first few seasons where fantastic. Then David Bochco left. The best part of the first three years is that one never knew who to root for, the most successful characters were the slimiest, the nice guys never got ahead, that's life and LA Law wasn't afraid to say it though it always challenged the audience to consider what this meant. Then Bochco left and the tone of the show changed to something more conventional. Boring. Those who are tired of the simple moralizing which has become standard fare on hour long tv should check out the first few seasons.