TV legal dramas aren't documentaries, and they're not supposed to be (of course), but if there's one series that comes close to reflecting real life practice, it has to be The Practice.It's a series where not all th good guys win, but some of the bad guys do, and unfortunately that's real life. Suits is Suits, but The Practice is true to life in many respects. One of the most heart breaking episodes was when the firm did everything possible to save a black guy from execution, when really he was mentally incapacitated. I say to people who loved Boston Legal, make sure to watch The Practice.

The Practice (1997-2004) contained fine actors, however, its scripts defied reality. For instance, the starring defense lawyers were confronted with a lawsuit for defamation of character since they cast suspicion on a different person other than the defendant on trial, during their case. The other person then filed this lawsuit against them. In reality, as a lawyer myself, words spoken or recorded during judicial proceedings are given complete immunity from defamation of character. It is called "absolute privilege," therefore, the lawsuit could not have happened.On another occasion, the lead lawyer, Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) angrily shouted within inches of the trial judge's face at a conference in the judge's chambers. Almost all judges would not have tolerated this even in the heat of anger. Donnell would probably have been cited for contempt of court and jailed immediately, depending on the temperament of the judge.On still a different occasion, Donnell commended a junior partner, Lindsay Dole (Kelli Williams) after she presented what he called the finest appellate argument he had ever heard. Actually, her appellate argument was arrogant since she kept rudely interrupting the different judges' questions, which is unheard of in an appellate court. Instead of favorable recognition, she would likely have received a lecture from the senior partner for jeopardizing their client's case by disregarding the court's decorum.While it dealt with some important issues, The Practice had a flair for the overly dramatic, so much so that it far overshadowed these issues. The series purported to be "realistic" when it was anything but! It contained legal misinformation and overblown, inaccurate lawyer behavior that was contrived to seem believable to viewers.

From 1997 to 2000, this was one of the best shows on TV. The interplay between the actors was topnotch; the show was involving, often both intense and funny within the same episode, and the large but extremely talented cast interacted to create some brilliant TV. These '97-'00 episodes are highly recommended, and fortunately they are in syndication on cable.However, from 2000 on, it seemed that Kelley was either tired of the show or hated it, because the situations, plots, and scripting became evermore implausible and forced, sometimes ridiculous. The character of Lindsay was stalked by not one, not two, but THREE serial killers, testing the bounds of improbability (she wasn't THAT pretty).Even worse, the main characters reverted to cliché. Lindsay was made into a shrieky neurotic, while Bobby became blustery and unstable. Eugene's character became bullying, obnoxious, and overbearing; Eleanor was thrown into the background and dragged out only to give this late version of the show some believability; Jimmy was once again reduced to a buffoon when he wasn't simply being used for wallpaper; and the lovely Lucy was simply dismissed altogether. Rebecca? She was disappeared so thoroughly you'd have thought a South American death squad took her.The arrest and imprisonment of Lindsay for the killing of her third stalker/serial killer signaled the death knell for the show. Overwrought and over-dramatized, it began to lose viewers. Kelley then axed half of his cast and brought in James Spader as an extremely eccentric attorney to try to revive the series. Although Spader and new cast members brought moments of excitement, the damage had been done, and the show faltered to a halt in 2004, with some of the characters being brought over into another show.Overall, despite the negatives I gave above, "The Practice" is well worth watching in reruns, especially the episodes before 2000. For the most part the cast did an excellent job, touching on topical issues with heart and conscience, and giving few easy answers. After 2000, though, the drop in quality is clearly evident. A shame, but such is life in television.

I began watching "The Practice" the minute it began in March of 1997. I kept seeing ads for it before hand I thought this looks like it could be an interesting show. I liked Law and Order and I thought how perfect it would be to have a drama on that focused purely on the court room. I was proved right. The show was brilliant as are most of David e. kelly's undertakings. I fell in love with the story and the characters. For a show that debuted mid season, well no not even mid season 3 quarters through the season it amazingly was a hit. I continued watching the show regularly up until 2002 when I found the show had taken a sort of undesirable turn. For a brief period of time i became disinterested but when i heard that the cast had been completely overhauled for the 8th and what would be the final season i became interested again. The Practice became in it's 8th season what it was 4 or 5 years ago, the ebst legal drama on TV. James Spader saved the show.... sort of. He made it enjoyable to watch in it's final season and capped it off with an emmy win for best actor something Dylan mcdermott could never do. This show was very different from other court dramas and stood out from the rest to become the best of the 90's I am looking forward to Boston Legal the spin off and hope it continues where The Practice left off. The Practice, you will be missed.