The lawyers of Crane, Poole, & Schmidt return for a third season of crazy cases and judges who are neither nancys nor pansys but who are characters. This season continues the hilarious show and it just keeps getting better and funnier.
Denny Crane! (William Shatner), Alan Shore (James Spader), Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen), Brad Chase (Mark Valley), Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois), and the other lawyers of Crane, Poole, & Schmidt are back.
The firm also picks up two lawyers from the New York branch, Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko) and Claire Simms (Constance Zimmer). We also add both Clarence and Clarice (both Gary Anthony Williams). This season finds the firm in the middle of a big legal case involving the murder of a judge but also finds Denny hooking up with a “little” friend.
Disc 1:
New Kids on the Block: Newcomer Jeffrey Coho makes a splash by taking on a high-profile murder case, while Alan represents a transvestite who has been fired for taking maternity leave. Denny, meanwhile, faces a small problem of his own.
Desperately Seeking Shirley: Ivan Tiggs (Tom Selleck) hires Alan to help invalidate a postnuptial agreement originally drafted by Shirley. And, as Jeffrey gathers information by unethical means, Denny squares off against his petite nemesis, Bethany (Meredith Eaton-Gilden).
Fine Young Cannibal: As the Scott Little (Ashton Holmes) murder case continues to rock the city, Alan and Shirley take on the case of a homeless man accused of cannibalism. And, with passions on the rise, Alan and Denny wrestle for Shirley’s affections.
Disc 2:
The Verdict: Jeffrey and his legal team find themselves scrambling in the wake of some shocking allegations made by Scott Little’s father, and Alan’s renewed relationship with Sally leads to feelings of inadequacy.
Trick or Treat: It’s Halloween at Crane, Poole, & Schmidt, and as Denise embarks on a heady quest, Alan defends Jerry Espenson yet again, this time for perjury. Elsewhere, Denny’s meeting with Bethany’s mother (Delta Burke) is truly memorable.
Lincoln: As he waits anxiously to find out whether or not he’s dating his own daughter, Denny is put off by the increasing erratic behavior of his new client, Lincoln Meyer (David Dean Bottrell). And, as Alan and Jerry team up for a murder trial, Brad and Jeffrey finally come to blows.
Disc 3:
The Nutcrackers: Just in time for the holidays, Alan represents a mother fighting for custody of her white-supremacist singing-sensation daughters, while Denny represents the mother of an anorexic girl seeking emancipation.
Angel of Death: Alan makes a case for compassion when he and Denny road-trip to New Orleans to defend a doctor who euthanized five patients in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Nuts: Shirley and Vanessa defend a teacher charged with the wrongful death of one of her students, and Denny takes on Homeland Security when he learns that his name is on the federal No-Fly List. Meanwhile, Clarence is having a personality crisis.
Disc 4:
Selling Sickness: Denny’s homophobia is an obstacle when he represents a judge (Henry Gibson, don’t call him a nancy) suing a company for failure to “cure” him of his homosexuality. Meanwhile, Shirley takes on a controversial case, and Denise is pregnant, but who is the father?
Fat Burner: It’s “waste not, want not” when Denny is arrested for trafficking in human fat to be used as a fuel source. Elsewhere, Clarence prepares for his first case; Denise decides to keep her baby; and a member of the team takes his leave.
The Good Lawyer: As Alan tries two separately but equally outrageous cases, one involving the defense of a therapist fired for his belief in UFOs, Clarence is driven to distraction by an intriguing invitation, and Bethany tries to help Denny get in touch with his spiritual side.
Disc 5:
Son of the Defender: A decades-old murder case is re-tried when a man bearing a bitter grudge against Denny takes the firm hostage. Alan’s defense of a prostitute lands him in jail.
Brotherly Love: Alan needs Denny’s help when he takes on a case of a man accused of covering up a murder committed by his brother, but Denny has other things on his mind. Meanwhile, Brad’s refusal to sign a love contract could cost him his job.
Guise ‘n’ Dolls: Alan takes on his old pal Jerry Espenson in the case of a department store being sued for selling sexually explicit dolls to children. And, as Shirley gets Denise to rethink her future with Brad, Denny’s mouth gets him in trouble again.
Disc 6:
Guantanamo by the Bay: Alan takes on the United States when he represents a client who was tortured for two years at Guantanamo Bay. Hoping to let bygones be bygones, Jerry Espenson begs Shirley to give him his old job back.
Disc 7:
Trial of the Century: Alan and Denny defend two brothers accused of murdering their abusive father; and the odds are against Clarence and Jerry as they represent a woman alleging that her massive gambling debts are the fault of the casino.
This season is so full of great moments that it would be impossible. Some highlights include Denny and Bethany (his “little” friend), Alan defending Ivan Tiggs, and dare I mention Shirley Schmidt-ho. This season has the high caliber of storylines and also it’s a hoot to look for all the Star Trek connections (Armin Shimerman, Ethan Phillips, Rene Auberjonois, etc.).
Again Shatner is the man, just how many career revivals can the man have?!? Spader also is the other half of this brilliant comedy and acting team. They’re the beating (and laughing) heart of this fabulous series and long may it beat. It only keeps getting better and better.
I liked the addition of Craig Bierko as a fast talking new addition to the cast, Meredith Eaton is great as Bethany, and David Dean Bottrell is a creepy cross of Anthony Perkins and Truman Capote. However, not only does the show have it’s funny moments but the court cases are quite compelling. It was already an excellent show and it just continues to get better.
Boston Legal is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include two featurettes. The first is the 6-minute “Out of Order?” which is about the numerous judges of this season and is on disc 6. It has interviews with Gloria O’Grady (“Judge Gloria Weldon”), Shelley Berman (“Judge Robert Sanders”), and Howard Hesseman (“Judge Robert Thompson”).
The second is the 12 minutes “Character Witness” on disc 7. It interviews David Dean Bottrell, Christian Clemenson, and Meredith Eaton-Gilden about their parts on the show.
Boston Legal is one of my favorite shows (although I devour it on DVD and don’t watch it from week to week) and it just keeps getting better and better as it goes along. Denny Crane!
Boston Legal - Season 3 is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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