Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Practice

  • TV Series
  • 1997–20041997–2004
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
9.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
974
60
The Practice (1997)
The Practice Scene: Scene 1
Play trailer2:37
9 Videos
94 Photos
CrimeDramaMystery
We 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.We 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.We 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.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
9.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
974
60
  • Creator
    • David E. Kelley
  • Stars
    • Dylan McDermott
    • Kelli Williams
    • Lara Flynn Boyle
  • Creator
    • David E. Kelley
  • Stars
    • Dylan McDermott
    • Kelli Williams
    • Lara Flynn Boyle
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 91User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See more 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
    Watch Holland Taylor on the Roles That Changed Her Life
    "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    Clip 3:57
    Watch "The First" Cast Connections: Meet the Mars Mission's Crew
    The Practice
    Clip 0:47
    Watch The Practice
    The Practice: The Final Season
    Clip 2:27
    Watch The Practice: The Final Season
    The Practice Scene: Scene 1
    Trailer 2:37
    Watch The Practice Scene: Scene 1
    The Practice
    Trailer 1:59
    Watch The Practice
    The Practice Scene: Scene 2
    Trailer 1:27
    Watch The Practice Scene: Scene 2
    The Practice (German Blu-Ray/DVD Trailer)
    Trailer 1:35
    Watch The Practice (German Blu-Ray/DVD Trailer)
    The Practice Scene: Scene 3
    Trailer 1:11
    Watch The Practice Scene: Scene 3

    Photos94

    Lara Flynn Boyle and Dylan McDermott in The Practice (1997)
    David Kelsey in The Practice (1997)
    Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan McDermott, and Kelli Williams in The Practice (1997)
    Michael Badalucco in The Practice (1997)
    Camryn Manheim in The Practice (1997)
    The Practice (1997)
    Dylan McDermott in The Practice (1997)
    Steve Harris and Michelle Hurd in The Practice (1997)
    Camryn Manheim in The Practice (1997)
    The Practice (1997)
    Camryn Manheim and Carolyn McCormick in The Practice (1997)
    The Practice (1997)

    Top cast

    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

    More like this

    Boston Legal
    8.5
    Boston Legal
    Ally McBeal
    6.9
    Ally McBeal
    NYPD Blue
    7.7
    NYPD Blue
    L.A. Law
    7.1
    L.A. Law
    Judging Amy
    7.0
    Judging Amy
    Murphy Brown
    6.9
    Murphy Brown
    Without a Trace
    7.0
    Without a Trace
    Chicago Hope
    6.8
    Chicago Hope
    Boston Public
    7.2
    Boston Public
    ER
    7.9
    ER
    Spin City
    7.3
    Spin City
    Nash Bridges
    6.8
    Nash Bridges

    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 reviews91

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Very interesting
    Along with "X-Files" and "E.R.", this is one of the very few TV series that has consistently been able to keep my attention for more than a couple of episodes. The combination of good acting, nice storylines and intriguing court cases makes this series very interesting to watch.

    Basically, "The Practice" is a drama about an unlikely group of lawyers that run a small law firm. Most remarkable is that these lawyers aren't all played by the usual super-handsome actors, but by people that might actually pass for lawyers in real life. This group of lawyers undergoes the usual array of romances, personal setbacks, and quarrels like in any drama serie. Nothing special, but certainly entertaining, and more importantly, almost always believable (as opposed to soap opera's where the most implausible things happen to the most implausible people all the time)

    The real meat of the series, however, are the court cases, of which there are usually two to three in one episode. These are almost always creative, believable (nothing like the nonsensical cases in "Ally McBeal") and intriguing and often really make me think: "what would I do if I were the lawyer, judge, or juror?". Any series or movie that makes me actually think about ethical dilemma's (or anything else, for that matter) scores bonus points in my book. OK, so maybe the small law firm wins a little too many cases, and maybe they take the "moral high ground" a bit too often, but this doesn't really detract from the enjoyment.

    "The Practice" combines enjoyable drama elements with some well thought-out and intriguing court cases into a formula that doesn't get old fast. Splendid !
    helpful•49
    3
    • basrutten
    • Dec 1, 2002

    FAQ1

    • Why were most of the main actors fired in 2004?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 4, 1997 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Практика
    • Filming locations
      • Suffolk County Courthouse - 1 City Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts, USA(establishing shots)
    • Production companies
      • David E. Kelley Productions
      • Daydreamers Entertainment Inc.
      • Decode Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Practice (1997)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Practice (1997) officially released in Canada in French?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.