Calista Flockhart
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Greg Germann
Lisa Nicole Carson
Jane Krakowski
Peter MacNicol
Gil Bellows

Created by:
David E. Kelley

1997-2002
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Fox
TV-14

“Ally McBeal” is a surreal, light comic soap opera law TV series; yes, all of that. (This is from David E. Kelley, after all.) It’s mindless fun, if you like the ridiculous. If you start thinking about it too much, things will likely begin to bother you; so don’t. If you can’t just go with its flow, don’t even waste your time. After all, they keep things moving along (a lot of the dialogue is rapid-fire, but delivered well) and use a contemporary pop soundtrack to remind us that, again, this isn’t serious.

I like the lightness of “Ally McBeal”; it’s a good counterpoint to all of the serious or semi-serious legal TV series in existence. It’s not a great show, but it is clear about what it wants to do. They execute that fairly well, so I don’t have any major complaints. However, Ally’s voice-overs can be monotonous and annoying.

While “Ally McBeal” isn’t really my kind of show (again, it, that is Ally, can be annoying), it might work if you’re looking for something that’s mildly diverting and if you can overlook all of the annoying parts. I’m just not that interested. So, 1 1/2 episodes is enough for me.

Verdict: OK

About: (Source: allymcbeal)

For five seasons, “Ally McBeal” followed the trials and tribulations, loves and likes, quirks and imaginings of modern-day heroine and lawyer Ally McBeal (played by Calista Flockhart). At the end of its highly successful and enormously popular run, the series had to its credit several Golden Globe® and Emmy® awards, including Best Comedy Series and Best Actress for Flockhart.

Driven by the voice of singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard, the music of “Ally McBeal” was an integral part of the show, woven into the plot to reflect the mood of the characters and to parallel the plot of each episode. Vonda Shepard appeared regularly as a club singer at a local haunt for the “Ally McBeal” characters, singing original songs like the show’s opening theme (“Searchin’ My Soul”) and classic, R&B and pop standards (“Hooked On A Feeling”, “I Only Want To Be With You,” “It’s In His Kiss.”) Though the show’s days have passed, the reflective and honest music of “Ally McBeal” lives on, in the ongoing touring and recording of its main chanteuse, Vonda Shepard.