Boston Legal is a somewhat uneasy mix of comedy and drama. On the surface, it's just another lawyer show. Attorneys get away with misconduct that is not only unethical but criminal. The defense and the prosecution present their cases at the same time. Prosecutors get to give their closing arguments last. And, like Grey's Anatomy, far too much time is spent on who's sleeping with whom, as the hot young female lawyers drool over the hot young male lawyers, and vice versa.
Still, this is an enjoyable show, for two reasons. William Shatner gives the finest performance of his career as Denny Crane, a partner in the firm who was once a giant in the profession, but is now aging, having difficulty remembering, unsure of himself, almost desperate to hang onto his crumbling reputation. He is easily the most compelling character on the show, and is fascinating to watch.
Very close behind him is James Spader, who plays a preposterously narcissistic and pompous young lawyer. Sometimes he's criminally negligent, sometimes he's the high-minded attorney. He struts about like a puffed-up rooster, mouthing off to his boss, to judges, and almost everyone else, in a way that would have him jailed and disbarred in real life. Spader plays this character with a deft, canny absurdity that makes Alan Shore likable in spite of his arrogance.
Rene Auberjonois is also excellent as the long-suffering senior partner, who for some reason tolerates both Denny Crane's decaying ability to perform his job, and Alan Shore's brash defiance of his instructions (not to mention the law).
Sometimes this show leans too heavily on the absurd to be fully likable (and it's almost never believable) but so far, I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
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