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The Practice

  • TV Series
  • 1997–2004
  • TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
11K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
893
28
Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan McDermott, Steve Harris, and Kelli Williams in The Practice (1997)
The Practice Scene: Scene 1
Play trailer2:37
9 Videos
93 Photos
Legal DramaLegal ThrillerCrimeDramaMysteryRomanceThriller

Follow the exploits and cases of defense attorneys of a Boston law firm. Bobby Donnell is the senior defense attorney and founder of the firm.Follow the exploits and cases of defense attorneys of a Boston law firm. Bobby Donnell is the senior defense attorney and founder of the firm.Follow the exploits and cases of defense attorneys of a Boston law firm. Bobby Donnell is the senior defense attorney and founder of the firm.

  • Creator
    • David E. Kelley
  • Stars
    • Dylan McDermott
    • Kelli Williams
    • Lara Flynn Boyle
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    11K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    893
    28
    • Creator
      • David E. Kelley
    • Stars
      • Dylan McDermott
      • Kelli Williams
      • Lara Flynn Boyle
    • 97User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 15 Primetime Emmys
      • 58 wins & 117 nominations total

    Episodes167

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos9

    Holland Taylor on the Roles That Changed Her Life
    Clip 1:12
    Holland Taylor on the Roles That Changed Her Life
    "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    Clip 3:57
    "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    Clip 3:57
    "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    The Practice
    Clip 0:47
    The Practice
    The Practice: The Final Season
    Clip 2:27
    The Practice: The Final Season
    The Practice Scene: Scene 1
    Trailer 2:37
    The Practice Scene: Scene 1
    The Practice
    Trailer 1:59
    The Practice

    Photos93

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    + 87
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Dylan McDermott
    Dylan McDermott
    • Bobby Donnell
    Kelli Williams
    Kelli Williams
    • Lindsay Dole
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    • A.D.A. Helen Gamble
    Steve Harris
    Steve Harris
    • Eugene Young
    Camryn Manheim
    Camryn Manheim
    • Ellenor Frutt
    Michael Badalucco
    Michael Badalucco
    • Jimmy Berluti
    LisaGay Hamilton
    LisaGay Hamilton
    • Rebecca Washington
    Marla Sokoloff
    Marla Sokoloff
    • Lucy Hatcher
    Jessica Capshaw
    Jessica Capshaw
    • Jamie Stringer
    Ray Abruzzo
    Ray Abruzzo
    • Detective Michael McGuire
    Jason Kravits
    Jason Kravits
    • A.D.A. Richard Bay…
    Holland Taylor
    Holland Taylor
    • Judge Roberta Kittleson
    Linda Hunt
    Linda Hunt
    • Judge Zoey Hiller
    Rhona Mitra
    Rhona Mitra
    • Tara Wilson
    James Spader
    James Spader
    • Alan Shore
    Bill Smitrovich
    Bill Smitrovich
    • A.D.A. Kenneth Walsh
    Richard McGonagle
    Richard McGonagle
    • Judge Patrick Wilcox
    James Pickens Jr.
    James Pickens Jr.
    • Detective Mike McKrew
    • Creator
      • David E. Kelley
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      David E. Kelley wrote this concurrently as he was writing Ally McBeal, and he won Emmys for both shows in the same year; one for best comedy and one for best drama. This has never been done before or since.
    • Quotes

      Helen Gamble: I need it, Richard. Give it to me.

      Richard Bay: What?

      Helen Gamble: The speech. Why we do what we do.

      Richard Bay: Oh, I am not really in the mood after...

      Helen Gamble: PLEASE, Richard. I NEED it. Please give it to me. And don't just phone it in.

      Richard Bay: Helen...

      Helen Gamble: Please! Can't you see how demoralized I am?

      Richard Bay: OK. (takes a deep breath) There are heroes in this world. They're called District Attorneys. They don't get to have clients, people who smile at them at the end of the trial, who look them in the eye and say, "thank you." Nobody is there to appreciate the District Attorney, because we work for the state. And our gratitude comes only from knowing there's a tide out there. A tide the size of a tsunami coming out of a bottomless cesspool. A tide called crime, which, if left unchecked will rob every American of his freedom. A tide which strips individuals of the privilege of being able to, to walk down a dark street or take twenty dollars out of an ATM machine without fear of being mugged. All Congress does is talk, but it's the District Attorney who grabs his sword, who digs into the trenches and fights the fight. Who dogs justice day, after day, after day without thanks, without so much as a simple pat on the back. But we do it. We do it, we do it because we are the crusaders, the last frontier of American justice. Knowing that if a man cannot feel safe, he can never, never feel free.

      Helen Gamble: Thank you.

    • Crazy credits
      Except for Dylan McDermott, who is listed first in the opening credits, all the other cast members are listed in alphabetical order, by last name. Often, a new cast member is listed before a veteran due to this.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1998)

    User reviews97

    Featured review
    8/10

    A great legal drama in the David E. Kelley tradition

    This show was a fine example of successfully mixing torts with the titillating with a good balance that has eluded so many other courtroom dramas over the years. The premise of the show is that Bobby Donnell is the head of a law firm that is barely managing to keep itself financially afloat due to the kinds of cases that the firm takes and the fact that they have trouble collecting their fees from more than a few of their clients. However, these lawyers are the kind of people you would always want on your side. They have a can-do attitude and seem to relish an uphill fight. In fact, at several points in the show, they remind one another that the reason they took on the uncertainty and lesser remuneration of starting their own law firm was so that they could choose their battles rather than work for a big firm where the price of financial safety would be representing big corporate clients, right or wrong. Although this show has a large sexual component, it has several average looking and even outright plain looking folk as regular castmembers. Furthermore, these average looking people, with more than their share of physical flaws, are actually given meaningful personal lives. Creator David E. Kelley actually wrote five of the first six episodes of the first season, and it shows in the performances. Unlike many shows where the characters struggle to figure out who they are, these actors and actresses have their personalities down pat with their opening lines.
    • AlsExGal
    • Jul 23, 2015
    • Permalink

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 4, 1997 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Практика
    • Filming locations
      • Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios - 1600 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California, USA(Studio Seasons 3-8)
    • Production companies
      • David E. Kelley Productions
      • Daydreamers Entertainment Inc.
      • Decode Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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