BOSTON LEGAL: HEAD CASES {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this darkly comic series focusing on a firm of brilliant but emotionally-challenged attorneys in Boston. In this episode, at the offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, the eccentric Denny Crane leads a staff meeting which is interrupted by the pantsless Edwin Poole in the midst of a breakdown. Edwin is taken away for medical attention, and Denny declares that he is gone for good. Senior partner Paul Lewiston tells junior partner Brad Chase that he should stay permanently rather than returning to D.C. in order to rein Denny in, and a client, Mrs. Toomy, arrives and requests a lawyer, saying that her daughter Sarah was not cast as Little Orphan Annie solely because she is black. Associate Alan Shore flirts with Sally Heep and banters contemptuously with Brad before taking on Sarah's case. Sharon Brant arrives in a panic, saying that Edwin missed her custody hearing, and Brad swoops in to help her. When Alan spots Brad and Sally arguing about the case, he correctly guesses that they have a romantic history. Mrs. Toomy admits that she is a "stage mother," but thinks that it was unfair to get Sarah's hopes up and then not cast her despite her talents. Sharon explains that she is a mother of twin boys and that their father is distant and uninvolved, but refuses to allow her to move to New York City with them for an important medical residence. Ernie Dell, an important client, tells Lori Colson that he wants to hire a private investigator to tail his cheating fifth wife, but Denny refuses to allow it, finally admitting to Lori that he himself is the "other man."
Lori awkwardly asks associate Tara Wilson to flirt with Ernie and talk him out of his plan, pointing out that she is highly attractive to men. Alan makes a bet with Brad over Sarah's case, and Brad suggests to Sharon that she should settle, but she maintains that her ex is vindictive and cares more about hurting her than he does about the boys. In court, Judge Sharpley decides to compare Sarah's performance as Annie with the white girl who was cast, and elsewhere, Tara comes on to Ernie and tries to convince him not to hire a P.I. Paul angrily confronts Denny about his "buffoonery," and an unaware Ernie asks Denny to help him with his wife. Best friends Alan and Denny talk about Edwin's breakdown and Alan asks if he fears for his own sanity, but Denny dismisses the question and instead tells Alan to "pull a rabbit out of his hat" in order to win Sarah's challenging case. Sharon's obnoxious ex Matthew arrives to debate custody, suggesting that they split up the boys "Sophie's Choice"-style, but she refuses and they argue bitterly. Denny bluntly tells Ernie not to bother with a P.I., pointing out that he married a materialistic younger woman to feel "relevant" rather than out of love. In court, the judge refuses to allow Sharon to leave Massachusetts with her sons, and Brad is unsure of his next move.
Sarah performs "Tomorrow" and impresses the court, but Sharpley says that casting directors have freedom of discretion. However, Alan's "rabbit," Reverend Al Sharpton, then arrives and gives an impassioned speech about racial equality being "always a day away," urging the judge to reconsider. Alan and Sally go out for a drink and Sally discusses Sharon's case, then admitting that it is hard to work alongside Brad, her ex, also asking him about Tara. She is then annoyed to spot Matthew flirting with a woman at the same bar and leaves. Denny updates Lori, who wonders if he too is feeling "irrelevant." Alan bombs in on Matthew at work and blackmails him with photographs of him with a prostitute, whom Alan hired to trap him, telling him that Sharon will take the boys to New York after all. Ernie confronts Denny, revealing that he hired his own P.I. and discovered the affair. He pulls a gun, but Denny just notes the unpleasantness of aging and feeling "less-than," and challenges him to shoot before pointing out that his weapon is actually a starter pistol. Alan reaches a compromise with the other lawyers and Sarah is made a part-time Annie, and as Brad complains to Lori that Alan mocks him, Sharon arrives and thanks him for winning her case. Brad confronts Alan about his underhanded tactics, informing him that they now "officially have a relationship." Alan and Denny share a drink and Alan again asks if he is scared, but Denny states that he does not live for "tomorrow." Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: October 3, 2004 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:85206
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama; Lawyers
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2004-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Burger King restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Citi Bank
- TV - Commercials - Claritin-D allergy medication
- TV - Commercials - Dyson vacuum cleaners
- TV - Commercials - Habitat For Humanity association
- TV - Commercials - Home Depot stores
- TV - Commercials - Jeep automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Lance Armstrong Foundation
- TV - Commercials - March of Dimes association
- TV - Commercials - MasterCard credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Oral B Sonic Complete toothbrushes
- TV - Commercials - Pillsbury rolls and biscuits
- TV - Commercials - Pontiac automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Quaker Oatmeal
- TV - Commercials - Red Lobster restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Sprint cellular services
- TV - Commercials - Toyota automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Trident chewing gum
- TV - Commercials - United States Marines
- TV - Commercials - United States Post Office website
- TV - Commercials - Visa Signature credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Wal-Mart stores
- TV - Commercials - Ziploc food storage containers
- TV - PSA - World Vision HIV/AIDS association
- TV - Promos - "Aladdin" special edition home video
- TV - Promos - "Boston Legal" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "Fahrenheit 9/11" home video
- TV - Promos - "Life As We Know It"
- TV - Promos - "Lost"
- TV - Promos - "Primetime"
- TV - Promos - "The Alamo" home video
- TV - Promos - "The Bachelor"
- TV - Promos - "Wife Swap"
CREDITS
- Bill D'Elia … Executive Producer, Director
- David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Scott Kaufer … Executive Producer, Writer
- Jeff Rake … Executive Producer, Writer
- Mike Listo … Co-Executive Producer
- Peter Ocko … Co-Executive Producer
- Steve Robin … Supervising Producer
- Jonathan Shapiro … Supervising Producer
- Lukas Reiter … Supervising Producer
- Janet Knutsen McCann … Producer
- Anne M. Uemura … Associate Producer
- Robert Breech … Consulting Producer
- Kerry Ehrin … Consulting Producer
- Danny Lux … Music by
- James Spader … Cast, Alan Shore
- Monica Potter … Cast, Lori Colson
- Rhona Mitra … Cast, Tara Wilson
- Lake Bell … Cast, Sally Heep
- Mark Valley … Cast, Brad Chase
- William Shatner … Cast, Denny Crane
- Larry Miller … Cast, Edwin Poole
- John Michael Higgins … Cast, Jerry Austin
- Melora Hardin … Cast, Sharon Brant
- Todd Stashwick … Cast, Matthew Calder
- Aisha Hinds … Cast, Beah Toomy
- Don McManus … Cast, A.D.A. John Lennox
- Anne Betancourt … Cast, Judge Isabel Hernandez
- Helen Eigenberg … Cast, Atty. Tompkins
- Rene Auberjonois … Cast, Paul Lewiston
- Sharon Lawrence … Cast, Judge Rita Sharpley
- Philip Baker Hall … Cast, Ernie Dell
- Al Sharpton … Cast, Himself
- Eric A. Payne … Cast, Halpern
- Tom Ormeny … Cast, New York Atty
- John F. Schaffer … Cast, Chicago Atty
- Simon Rhee … Cast, Tokyo Guy
- Kevin Owers … Cast, Nigel
- Jadzia Pittman … Cast, Sarah
- Rebecca Lin … Cast, CPS Receptionist
- Lisa Kaseman … Cast, Calder's Receptionist