The Practice

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The Practice
The Practice (David E. Kelley Productions TV series) logo.svg
Genre
Created by David E. Kelley
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes168 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time44 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseMarch 4, 1997 (1997-03-04) 
May 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)
Related

The Practice is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Outstanding Drama Series, and spawned the spin-off series Boston Legal , which ran for five more seasons (from 2004 to 2008).

Contents

Conflict between legal ethics and personal morality was a recurring theme with light comedy being occasionally present. Kelley claimed that the show was intended to be something of a rebuttal to L.A. Law and its romanticized treatment of the American legal system and legal proceedings. [1]

Overview

In season 1, Robert Donnell and Associates features Bobby Donnell as the sole senior partner in a firm that he started a decade prior with his receptionist Rebecca Washington. Ellenor Frutt, Eugene Young and Lindsay Dole are his associates. Jimmy Berluti is hired as an associate after losing his job in finance in an attempt to help Donnell and Associates with a loan.

In season 2, Eugene, Lindsay and Ellenor become partners after Lindsay insists on equity. Robert Donnell and Associates becomes Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt. Helen Gamble, an assistant district attorney, becomes regularly entangled in the cases and personal lives of the employees of the firm. She is a personal friend of Lindsay and viewers learn several episodes into the season that Bobby and Lindsay have had an on-again/off-again secret affair. Her romantic relationship with Bobby ends after a high-profile murder case pits them against one another.

In season 3, Rebecca Washington, who had been attending law school in secret, becomes an associate after passing the bar exam. Lucy Hatcher is then hired as the new receptionist.

In season 4, Assistant District Attorney Richard Bay, like Helen, becomes a frequent ally and opponent of Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt.

In season 5, Lucy becomes a rape crisis counselor in addition to her job as the firm's receptionist. Richard Bay is later assassinated after refusing to throw a murder trial.

In season 6, Assistant District Attorney Alan Lowe becomes an antagonist of the firm for a short period of time.

In season 7, Lindsay leaves Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt to start a new law firm with Claire Wyatt. To fill the void left by Lindsay, Jamie Stringer is hired as an associate. Bobby later leaves the firm.

In season 8, Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt has been renamed to Young, Frutt and Berluti. Eugene has taken Bobby's place as a senior partner. Lucy has left the firm to become a full-time rape crisis counselor. Rebecca has also left the firm for unknown reasons. Helen is no longer present at the firm's cases. Tara Wilson is hired as a paralegal, and Alan Shore becomes an associate. After firing Alan and Tara – as well as being sued by the former – Young, Frutt and Berluti dissolve. Eugene then becomes a judge. Ellenor focuses her attention on motherhood. Jimmy and Jamie begin a new firm. Alan and Tara are hired by another firm, Crane, Poole and Schmidt and their story is continued in Boston Legal .

Main cast

Cast and characters of The Practice
NamePortrayed byOccupationSeason
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Bobby Donnell Dylan McDermott Lawyer Main Guest
Rebecca Washington LisaGay Hamilton Lawyer/Receptionist Main
Eugene Young Steve Harris Lawyer/Judge Main
Ellenor Frutt Camryn Manheim Lawyer Main
Lindsay Dole Kelli Williams Main
Jimmy Berluti Michael Badalucco Main
Helen Gamble Lara Flynn Boyle Assistant District Attorney Main
Lucy Hatcher Marla Sokoloff Receptionist Main Recurring
Richard Bay Jason Kravits Assistant District Attorney Recurring Main
Alan Lowe Ron Livingston Assistant District Attorney Main
Jamie Stringer Jessica Capshaw Lawyer Main
Claire Wyatt Chyler Leigh Main
Tara Wilson Rhona Mitra Main
Alan Shore James Spader Main

Recurring cast

Notable guest stars

The series holds the Emmy Awards record for most wins in the Guest Actor and Actress categories for a single series, as well as most nominations in those categories. Emmys went to John Larroquette, Edward Herrmann, James Whitmore, Beah Richards, Michael Emerson, Charles S. Dutton, Alfre Woodard, Sharon Stone and William Shatner. In addition, Tony Danza, Paul Dooley, Henry Winkler, Marlee Matlin, René Auberjonois and Betty White were nominated but did not win. Larroquette, who won for his guest appearance during the second season, was nominated again for an episode from the sixth season, but did not win. The series won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for five consecutive years (from 1998 to 2002).

Budget reduction and major revamp

By the end of the seventh season, faced with sagging ratings, ABC conditioned the show's renewal on a drastic budget reduction. As a result, Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Chyler Leigh, Marla Sokoloff, and LisaGay Hamilton were fired as regulars. McDermott and Sokoloff reappeared as special guest stars and a recurring character respectively in the eighth season. The addition of James Spader and Rhona Mitra to the cast somewhat revived the ratings as Spader went on to win an Emmy for his appearance. However, ABC announced that The Practice would not return for a ninth season on March 11, 2004. Instead, Kelley would create a new spin-off series called Boston Legal which starred Spader, Mitra, Lake Bell, William Shatner [2] and Candice Bergen.

Episodes

The Practice had 8 seasons and a total of 168 episodes.

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 6March 4, 1997 (1997-03-04)April 8, 1997 (1997-04-08)
2 28September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)May 11, 1998 (1998-05-11)
3 23September 27, 1998 (1998-09-27)May 9, 1999 (1999-05-09)
4 22September 26, 1999 (1999-09-26)May 21, 2000 (2000-05-21)
5 22October 8, 2000 (2000-10-08)May 13, 2001 (2001-05-13)
6 23September 23, 2001 (2001-09-23)May 19, 2002 (2002-05-19)
7 22September 29, 2002 (2002-09-29)May 5, 2003 (2003-05-05)
8 22September 28, 2003 (2003-09-28)May 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)

    Crossovers

    Additionally, Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) appears in the Ally McBeal season 1 finale "These Are the Days", while Lara Flynn Boyle and Michael Badalucco each make cameos in "Making Spirits Bright" and "I Know Him by Heart".

    Lara Flynn Boyle had an uncredited guest appearance as a rebuttal witness, opposite of guest star Heather Locklear's character in the season 5 episode "Tom Dooley".

    Home media

    The Practice, Volume 1, was released as a four-disc DVD set in North America on June 12, 2007. The set includes all six episodes of season 1 and the first seven episodes of season 2. It also includes a featurette, "Setting Up The Practice". [3] The set was also released in Region 4 on June 6, 2007 [4] and in Region 2 on June 29, 2008. [5]

    On January 3, 2014, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1 and would release the final season on DVD on April 15, 2014. [6]

    In 2012, Medium Rare Entertainment acquired the rights to the series in Region 2 and released the first and second seasons on DVD in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2012. [7]

    In 2014, StudioCanal released the first and second seasons over three volumes in Germany with German and English audio. The third, fourth, and eighth seasons have also been released in 2016 with plans to release the fifth and sixth at a later date.

    Volume 1 was released in Italy and Greece on July 1, 2007.

    In March 2019, all seasons and episodes of The Practice were released on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. By 2021, seasons 1–8 became available on the streaming service Hulu.

    DVD NameEp#Region 1Region 2Region 4
    The Practice: Volume 113June 12, 2007June 29, 2008June 6, 2007
    The Practice: The Complete First and Second Seasons34February 27, 2012 [7]
    The Practice: The Complete Third Season23January 21, 2016 (Germany)
    The Practice: The Complete Fourth Season22January 21, 2016 (Germany)
    The Practice: The Final Season22April 15, 2014April 7, 2016 (Germany)

    U.S. television viewership

    Viewer numbers per season of The Practice on ABC.

    Note: Each US network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. The first two seasons include the household rating. Seasons 4 and 5 reached the top 10 rankings.

    SeasonTimeslot
    (Eastern & Pacific Time)
    Season PremiereSeason FinaleTV SeasonViewers
    (in millions)
    Viewer
    Rank
    1Tuesday 10:00PMMarch 4, 1997April 8, 1997 1996–1997 9.1 [8] 45 [8]
    2Saturday 10:00PM
    (September 20, 1997, to
    January 3, 1998)


    Monday 10:00PM
    (from January 5, 1998)
    September 20, 1997May 11, 1998 1997–1998 10.0 [9] 82 [9]
    3Sunday 10:00PMSeptember 27, 1998May 9, 1999 1998–1999 12.7 [10] 34 [10]
    4September 26, 1999May 21, 2000 1999–2000 19.3 [11] 9 [11]
    5October 8, 2000May 13, 2001 2000–2001 18.3 [12] 9 [12]
    6September 23, 2001May 19, 2002 2001–2002 12.9 [13] 26 [13]
    7Sunday 10:00PM
    (September 29, 2002, to
    December 15, 2002)


    Monday 9:00PM
    (from January 27, 2003)
    September 29, 2002May 5, 2003 2002–2003 9.8 [14] 55 [14]
    8Sunday 10:00PMSeptember 28, 2003May 16, 2004 2003–2004 9.1 [15] 63 [15]

    The exposure from its January 30, 2000, post-Super Bowl episode (attracting 23.8 million viewers) plus their weekly lead-in from early 2000 to mid-2001, the then mega-hit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire , helped the series reach its ratings peak.

    Awards and nominations

    YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
    2001 American Society of Cinematographers Award Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series Dennis Smith (For episode "The Deal")Nominated
    ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top TV Series Marco Beltrami and Jon Hassell Won
    2002Won
    2003Won
    2000 BMI Film & TV Awards BMI TV Music AwardPeter ScaturroWon
    2001Tom Hiel and Peter ScaturroWon
    2002Won
    2001 Casting Society of America's Artios Award Best Casting for TV, Dramatic EpisodicJanet Gilmore and Megan McConnellNominated
    1998 Edgar Allan Poe Award Best Episode in a TV Series Michael R. Perry, Stephen Gaghan and David E. Kelley (For episode "First Degree")Nominated
    2002Jonathan Shapiro, Lukas Reiter, Peter Blake and David E. Kelley (For episode "Killing Time")Nominated
    2004 Peter Blake and David E. Kelley (For episode "Goodbye")Won
    1999 Genesis Award Television - Dramatic Series"The Food Chain"Won
    2003"Small Sacrifices"Won
    1998 GLAAD Media Award Outstanding TV - Individual Episode"Civil Rights"Nominated
    1999 Golden Globe Award Best Television Series – Drama Won
    Best Actor – Television Series Drama Dylan McDermott Won
    Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Camryn Manheim Won
    2000Best Television Series – DramaNominated
    Best Actor – Television Series Drama Dylan McDermott Nominated
    2001Best Television Series – DramaNominated
    Best Actor – Television Series Drama Dylan McDermott Nominated
    2002 Humanitas Prize 60 Minute Category Lukas Reiter and David E. Kelley (For episode "Honor Code")Won
    2003 David E. Kelley (For episode "Final Judgment")Won
    1998 Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing - Television Episodic - Dialogue & ADRNominated
    2000T.W. Davis, Donna Beltz, Ken Gladden, H. Jay Levine and Debby Ruby-WinsbergNominated
    1999 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Steve Harris Nominated
    2000 Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
    Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Steve Harris Nominated
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series LisaGay Hamilton Nominated
    2001Outstanding Drama SeriesNominated
    Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Steve Harris Nominated
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Beah Richards Nominated
    2002Outstanding Drama SeriesNominated
    Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Steve Harris Nominated
    2004Won
    2005Nominated
    1999 Peabody Award ABC and David E. Kelley ProductionsWon [16]
    PGA Award Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television David E. Kelley, Robert Breech, Jeffrey Kramer, Christina Musrey, Gary M. Strangis and Pamela J. WisneWon
    2001Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, DramaNominated
    1998 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Drama Series David E. Kelley, Jeffrey Kramer, Robert Breech, Ed Redlich, Gary M. Strangis, Alice West, Jonathan Pontell, Christina Musrey and Pamela J. WisneWon
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Camryn Manheim Won
    Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series David E. Kelley (For episode "Betrayal")Nominated
    Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series John Larroquette Won
    1999Outstanding Drama Series David E. Kelley, Jeffrey Kramer, Robert Breech, Gary M. Strangis, Christina Musrey and Pamela J. WisneWon
    Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Dylan McDermott Nominated
    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Michael Badalucco Won
    Steve Harris Nominated
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Lara Flynn Boyle Nominated
    Camryn Manheim Nominated
    Holland Taylor Won
    Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Tony Danza Nominated
    Edward Herrmann Won
    Outstanding Casting for a SeriesJanet Gilmore and Megan McConnellNominated
    Outstanding Cinematography for a Series Dennis Smith (For episode "Happily Ever After")Nominated
    Outstanding Costuming for a SeriesShelly Levine and Loree Parral (For episode "Of Human Bondage")Nominated
    Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama SeriesClark King, Harry Andronis, David John West and Kurt Kassulke (For episode "Happily Ever After")Nominated
    2000Outstanding Drama Series David E. Kelley, Jeffrey Kramer, Robert Breech, Gary M. Strangis, Christina Musrey and Pamela J. WisneNominated
    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Michael Badalucco Nominated
    Steve Harris Nominated
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Holland Taylor Nominated
    Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Paul Dooley Nominated
    James Whitmore Won
    Henry Winkler Nominated
    Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Marlee Matlin Nominated
    Beah Richards Won
    Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series Janet Gilmore and Megan McConnellNominated
    2001Outstanding Drama Series David E. Kelley, Robert Breech, Christina Musrey, Gary M. Strangis, Pamela J. Wisne, Joseph Berger-Davis and Todd Ellis Kessler Nominated
    Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series René Auberjonois Nominated
    Michael Emerson Won
    Outstanding Casting for a Drama SeriesJanet Gilmore and Megan McConnellNominated
    Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series Dennis Smith (For episode "The Deal")Nominated
    Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a SeriesSusanne Malles (For episode "The Day After")Nominated
    Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a SeriesClark King, David John West, Eric Clopein and David Dondorf (For episode "The Day After")Nominated
    2002Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Charles S. Dutton Won
    John Larroquette Nominated
    2003Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Alfre Woodard Won
    2004Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series James Spader Won
    Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series William Shatner Won
    Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Sharon Stone Won
    Betty White Nominated
    2004 Prism Award Performance in a Drama Series Episode Steve Harris Nominated
    1999 Satellite Award Best Actor – Television Series Drama Dylan McDermott Nominated
    2000 Best Television Series – Drama Nominated
    Best Actor – Television Series Drama Dylan McDermott Nominated
    Best Actress – Television Series Drama Camryn Manheim Won
    Kelli Williams Nominated
    2001Best Television Series – DramaNominated
    1999 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
    2000Nominated
    2001Nominated
    1998 Television Critics Association Award Outstanding Achievement in Drama Nominated
    1999 Program of the Year Nominated
    Outstanding Achievement in DramaNominated
    Individual Achievement in Drama David E. Kelley Won
    Camryn Manheim Nominated
    Dylan McDermott Nominated
    2000Outstanding Achievement in DramaNominated
    TV Guide Award Favorite Drama SeriesNominated
    1998 Viewers for Quality Television Award Best Quality Drama SeriesWon
    Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series Dylan McDermott Nominated
    Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series Michael Badalucco Nominated
    Steve Harris Won
    Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series Camryn Manheim Nominated
    Kelli Williams Nominated
    Best Recurring Player Linda Hunt Nominated
    John Larroquette Won
    1999Best Quality Drama SeriesWon
    Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series Dylan McDermott Nominated
    Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series Michael Badalucco Nominated
    Steve Harris Won
    Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series Camryn Manheim Won
    Kelli Williams Nominated
    2000Best Quality Drama SeriesNominated
    Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series Dylan McDermott Nominated
    Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series Michael Badalucco Nominated
    Steve Harris Nominated
    Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series Camryn Manheim Nominated
    1999 Writers Guild of America Award Episodic Drama David E. Kelley (For episode "Betrayal")Nominated
    Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor Billie ThomasNominated
    2002 Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor Marc John JefferiesNominated
    Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young ActressJamie LaurenNominated
    2003 Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress Nominated

    References

    1. Villarreal, Yvonne (October 13, 2016). "After swearing them off, David E. Kelley returns to law shows with 'Goliath' — but not for a network". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 13, 2021.
    2. "How James Spader saved 'The Practice'". Associated Press/CNN. February 23, 2004. Archived from the original on May 19, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
    3. "The Practice – Date, Details & Artwork For The Practice – Volume 1 Hits Retailers". TVShowsonDVD.com. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on March 24, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
    4. "Practice, The – Vol. 1 (4 Disc Set)". ezydvd.com.au. EzyDVD Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on August 11, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
    5. "The Practice - Season 1". Amazon.co.uk.
    6. "The Practice DVD news: Release Date for The Practice - The Final Season". TVShowsonDVD.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014.
    7. 1 2 "The Practice (Season 1 and 2) [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
    8. 1 2 The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "1996-97 Ratings History". thetvratingsguide.com. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
    9. 1 2 "The Final Countdown". Entertainment Weekly . No. 434. May 29, 1998. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
    10. 1 2 "TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket, A Final Tally Of The Season's Show". Nielsen Media Research. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2010 via GeoCities.
    11. 1 2 "TV Ratings 1999–2000". fbibler.chez.com. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
    12. 1 2 "The Bitter End". Entertainment Weekly. No. 598. June 1, 2001. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
    13. 1 2 "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today . May 28, 2002. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
    14. 1 2 "Rank And File". Entertainment Weekly. No. 713. June 6, 2003. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
    15. 1 2 "I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210". abcmedianet.com (Press release). ABC. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
    16. 58th Annual Peabody Awards, May 1999.