Boston Legal Worth a Blind Purchase? (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

I'm not into the Crime/Drama shows. I've never seen a single ER, or CSI. But Boston Legal looks like a comedy/legal mix that might be worth checking out. Plus, it's got William Shatner in a comedic Role, so it's worth something ...

Anyone else plan on doing a blind buy with this series?

Heh, I wonder if they ever had Shatners character watching an episode of TOS and say, "gee, that Kirk guys acting is kind of stiff, isn't it?"

 

[Rey L]

Definitely worth it IMO. One of my favorites shows right now. VERY funny!

 

[Patrick Sun]

If you find yourself rolling your eyes at characters pontificating on one side of the issue or another (depending on your own views to the issue), you might not enjoy that aspect of the show, but interplay between James Spader and William Shatner is top-notch.

 

[Joseph S]

Yep. Especially if you're a Spader fan or a Lake Bell

fan. I've made far worse blind purchases.

 

[Jake Yenor]

I do not like drama tv shows like most law shows/csi/er..etc but I LOVE Boston Legal. It has serious elements, yes but it has a lot of light and funny moments. Very much a drama/comedy. William Shatner's character Denny Crane is absolutely fantastically funny. He deserves his two emmy's for this show and deserves another next year. I say pick this up when it is out.

 

[ElijahS]

I'd definitely recommend Boston Legal. The first part of the first season is good, but the addition of Candice Bergen in episode 11, as well as the cast changes made for season 2, have made the show increasingly better.

 

[todd s]

The show can be preachy...But, I will say two words as to why you SHOULD get it.....

DENNY CRANE!!!

 

[Craig Beam]

One of the best series on TV right now. I'd totally recommend it, but why bother with a blind buy? Why not just watch an episode or two (Tuesdays at 10:00 on ABC) and see what you think?

 

[Adam_ME]

I could do without the left wing preaching(although in fairness, the show is set in Boston and deals with lawyers), but it is entertaining and the chemistry between Shatner and Spader is terrific.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Exactly my thoughts. Why risk the money when you can catch an episode or two for free on TV? I certainly wouldn't risk it if I knew I could sample a show for free on TV.

This isn't the kind of show where watching one or two current episodes will totally "destroy" being able to watch this show from the beginning later. There are overlapping plot threads, yes, but the show isn't so complicated that you'd have to have been a longtime viewer to "get" it.

If you want to wait until reruns, I'd suggest watching the episode where Denny and Alan (Shatner and Spader) go to Canada on a fishing expedition. The fishing scenes are worth the cost of admission by themselves (especially the one where Denny makes his prized "catch").

 

[Lew Crippen]

Why even bother to make a blind purchase of a TV show that is in current production.

Watch two or three episodes and decide for yourself. To be fair you really need more than one to get used to the chemistry of the characters.

 

[David Lambert]

I think one of the show's strengths, though, is that it doesn't play favorites to one side or the other. For some storylines it shows the left-wing view, for others it shows the right-wing view, for some it shows both. All end up being entertaining, but makes you think a bit in the background. THAT'S good writing!

 

[Lew Crippen]

Oops--beaten to the punch a couple of times. Sorry. :b

 

[David Lambert]

I'm enjoying this show right now!

We've been sued many times. Never successfully.

Well, you know what they say. You never forget your first time.

 

[DeathStar1]

Heh, I don't even know what left wing, right wing means...and why does everything have to be labeled anyway? and frankly I could care less about the political side. If it's an insitefull show and funny, wich it seems to be from the reviews, I'll check out a few eps on on the tube...

Thanks for the reviews

 

[David Lambert]

Neil, people like to put labels on things. It's good for communicating concepts.

I'll answer your question, Neil, but I'll note up front that not everyone will perfectly agree with my descriptions (and these are my own words). Don't just trust me, look around more on your own. But hopefully we won't drag this thread down that line; this is a TV on DVD thread after all!


"Left Wing" tends to refer to "liberal" or "progressive" political ideas, people or groups. The ideas tend to be along the lines of "the government should be MORE involved in helping people"; i.e., supports "bigger government" that can increase bureaucracy but is for things like welfare, social security, etc. Tends to favor things such as gay rights, gun control, abortion. In American politics, this type of person tends to be a Democratic party member.

"Right Wing" tends to refer to "conservative" or "reactionary" political ideas, people or groups. The ideas tend to be along the lines of "the government should be LESS involved in peoples' lives"; i.e., supports "smaller government" that decreases bureaucracy and encourages people to stand on their own or for private businesses & religious groups (churches, etc.) to help support the needy in the community. Tends to favor things such as old-fashioned family values, the right to bear arms, the right to life. In American politics, this type of person tends to be a Republican party member.


I know some people out there don't like to be described with words such as "liberal" or "reactionary"; I apologize and don't mean to offend anyone, but I got those words right out of the dictionary definition (check Dictionary.com for some of that). I personaly don't think either word is an offensive word; it is the opposing groups that tend to make these words sound offensive ("he's such a damned liberal!"; "she's so reactionary!")...that's just propaganda.

It's also important to point out that not every person perfectly fits those descriptions; it is a general way of describing the labels. It is stereotypical. For example, these days many MANY Republicans support Social Security. So people usually don't fall neatly into one category or another, as most of us can attribute! People who extremely fall in between these two groups tend to be labeled as "middle of the road", and a number of them refuse to join either American political party.


Anyway, I don't mean to take this thread too off-topic nor to get into a political discussion (which is against HTF rules). Hopefully noone minds that I'm answering Neil's question, and I hope we don't feel the need to keep going on and on about the answers I've given. Let's talk about Boston Legal, rather than about politics!

The only reason I'm answering here is because it took many years for me to understand what the whole "left/right wing" thing meant; it was very confusing to me and it's not easily "looked up" in reference books (at least it wasn't when I sought an answer) So I think I should help people with understanding where ever and when ever possible, if I can.

Hope this helps.

 

[Phyll]

I don't watch many modern tv shows but I do watch and enjoy Boston Legal. William Shatner and Candice Bergen are cool. It has some good writing and acting. The only three shows I watch are: Boston Legal, Without a Trace, and Davinci's Inquest. I would check it out on tv and then decide to buy or not. It would be a good blind buy though. You can get into it right away too. I like that part of it. I missed some of it, but I will catch up this summer.

 

[DeathStar1]

Thanks for the Definitions Dave . That's why I leave that stuff to the people who know it better than I do, heh.

The other show I hope comes to DVD soon is Ghost Whisperer. Seems like a fun, spooky show, but I never remember when it's on!

Heh, Ten years ago, I used to have a bunch of shows I watched. AFV, AFHV( was labelling it on my tapes that way before the Tom Bergeron version came by those letters ), Full house, Familly matters, Fresh Prince, home Improvement, Rossanne, Price is Right, Letterman, Voyager, Enterprise, Married With Children etc. Now, I watch maby 5 shows a week.

Smallville, Letterman, Price is Right, Most Haunted, and two shows semi regularly. I need to check out some of the new stuff more often ...

 

[John Carr]

Neil, either find time to watch it on TV, or Netflix it! I've been burned on a couple of blind-buys recently, luckily I got them a good prices.

Now, I just Neflix the first disc of a new show; if I like it, I'll buy the entire season. If it's just watchable, I'll Netflix the rest of the season. If not, no loss.

I'm not a fan of lawyer shows, but Boston Legal sounds interesting, and I thought Shatner was a hoot in "Miss Congeniality" so I'll try a disc and see how it ranks on my internal laugh meter.

 

[BrandonJF]

I'm all cool with whatever viewpoint they go with - it's usually the way they go after it that turns me off. I had to turn it off as soon as James Spader stood up in a restaurant going off about salmon after they just spent an episode preaching about it. To me, there are times where the show just seems to stop, we get a lecture that doesn't always necessarily seem to fit the context of the scene, then we move on. I'm just waiting for Spader to turn to the camera and tell us "To find out more information about salmon, please visit www.savethesalmon.org or visit a public library". Cue theme song and whip pan.