It is such a shame that this show isn't talked about more nowadays. Instead of watching Friends, maybe give this show a chance.
This show is wildly funny, entertaining, and very boundary pushing as the main characters face all kinds of prejudice in and out of the workplace. First off, it was obvious that sexism was going to play a strong role since the titular Ally was sexually harassed, and she quits and joins a law firm featuring her ex-boyfriend from childhood, and later his wife. As the season progresses, we dive into racism, physical appearances, marriage preferences, and discrimination.
Some of the cases the law firm takes on are often outlandish and silly, but it opens up, as it should, conversations that weren't discussed out loud before. Georgia, Billy's wife, was fired because her boss's wife didn't like that she was pretty. That isn't fair to the boss, and that isn't fair to Georgia. It makes you realize how we as human beings are quick to judge people based on the premise of their cases rather than listen to their motives.
The start of the series depended on cutaway gags that help define certain moments, one of which involves a dancing CGI baby that rocked the Internet in the late nineties. As the season goes on, they become less dependent on them, and it makes me struggle with the fact of whether it's a good thing. The gags help you become engaged in the show, and you'd keep watching. By the season finale, you'd be committed enough to keep watching so it becomes less reliant on gags. With that being said, the gags are a staple part of the show, and seeing them less makes me wonder if it would do away with them eventually, which would suck because they are an essential part of the story.
Whether we lose the sight gags or not, we do have the amusing and uplifting habits displayed by the cast, from Fish's "Fishisms" to Cage's bells to Elaine's eccentric inventions. Richard Fish, one of the senior partners of the firm, has a habit of spouting gibberish that he passes off as a thread of philosophy. He comes at a very weird angle on discrimination in the sense that he practically tears down the victims while uplifting them at the same time, like women using flirting to move up in the workplace because men are pigs and can't think of anything other than sex. Then the men act on the flirtations, and then the women are objectified. It is a very tough conundrum both men and women have to face in order to achieve gender equality, which still rings true today.
John Cage, the other senior partner, is an oddball of a lawyer with a gift of controlling the space to his advantage. He has an automatic flusher so that he'd have fresh toilet. He hears ringing bells to get him pumped for trial. He calls witnesses to the stand but doesn't question them. And yet, he manages to sway the jury and win his cases.
Elaine is Ally's secretary and the firm gossip. She is always up in Ally's business believing to be helpful in every situation. In the meantime, she creates wild gadgets she believes would help extend physical beauty in some form, from the face bra to the ice pack glasses.
Whenever, they're not winning cases, they're enjoying a drink at the bar downstairs, dancing with a pair of twins, and listening to music by the real life Vonda Shepard, who also sings songs for the show.
Ally, is a young lawyer trying to figure out her life as well as trying to recover from the breakup of a childhood relationship. It doesn't help that she works in the same firm as the ex-boyfriend, and what's worse, his wife soon joins the firm. She is tortured by his presence, meanwhile she pushes every boy away that comes near her, feeling no one can replace Billy, the ex. But as the season progresses, Ally and the wife become close friends and even allies in some cases, and Ally and Billy manage to reestablish their relationship as friends.
I find this to be a very entertaining show, and I can't wait to see what's in store in season two.
I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie or TV show for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.
Aired on Fox: September 8, 1997 - May 18, 1998
Rating: TV-14
Stars: Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Peter MacNicols, Jane Krakowski, Lisa Nicole Carson, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Gil Bellows
Directors: James Frawley, Jonathan Pontell, Dennie Gordon, Arlene Sanford, Sandy Smolan, Victoria Hochberg, Michael Schultz, Mel Damski, Dan Attias, Thomas Schlamme, Joe Napolitano, Allan Arkush, Elodie Keene, Jeremy Kagan, Dennis Dugan
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (Average)
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
This show is wildly funny, entertaining, and very boundary pushing as the main characters face all kinds of prejudice in and out of the workplace. First off, it was obvious that sexism was going to play a strong role since the titular Ally was sexually harassed, and she quits and joins a law firm featuring her ex-boyfriend from childhood, and later his wife. As the season progresses, we dive into racism, physical appearances, marriage preferences, and discrimination.
Some of the cases the law firm takes on are often outlandish and silly, but it opens up, as it should, conversations that weren't discussed out loud before. Georgia, Billy's wife, was fired because her boss's wife didn't like that she was pretty. That isn't fair to the boss, and that isn't fair to Georgia. It makes you realize how we as human beings are quick to judge people based on the premise of their cases rather than listen to their motives.
The start of the series depended on cutaway gags that help define certain moments, one of which involves a dancing CGI baby that rocked the Internet in the late nineties. As the season goes on, they become less dependent on them, and it makes me struggle with the fact of whether it's a good thing. The gags help you become engaged in the show, and you'd keep watching. By the season finale, you'd be committed enough to keep watching so it becomes less reliant on gags. With that being said, the gags are a staple part of the show, and seeing them less makes me wonder if it would do away with them eventually, which would suck because they are an essential part of the story.
Whether we lose the sight gags or not, we do have the amusing and uplifting habits displayed by the cast, from Fish's "Fishisms" to Cage's bells to Elaine's eccentric inventions. Richard Fish, one of the senior partners of the firm, has a habit of spouting gibberish that he passes off as a thread of philosophy. He comes at a very weird angle on discrimination in the sense that he practically tears down the victims while uplifting them at the same time, like women using flirting to move up in the workplace because men are pigs and can't think of anything other than sex. Then the men act on the flirtations, and then the women are objectified. It is a very tough conundrum both men and women have to face in order to achieve gender equality, which still rings true today.
John Cage, the other senior partner, is an oddball of a lawyer with a gift of controlling the space to his advantage. He has an automatic flusher so that he'd have fresh toilet. He hears ringing bells to get him pumped for trial. He calls witnesses to the stand but doesn't question them. And yet, he manages to sway the jury and win his cases.
Elaine is Ally's secretary and the firm gossip. She is always up in Ally's business believing to be helpful in every situation. In the meantime, she creates wild gadgets she believes would help extend physical beauty in some form, from the face bra to the ice pack glasses.
Whenever, they're not winning cases, they're enjoying a drink at the bar downstairs, dancing with a pair of twins, and listening to music by the real life Vonda Shepard, who also sings songs for the show.
Ally, is a young lawyer trying to figure out her life as well as trying to recover from the breakup of a childhood relationship. It doesn't help that she works in the same firm as the ex-boyfriend, and what's worse, his wife soon joins the firm. She is tortured by his presence, meanwhile she pushes every boy away that comes near her, feeling no one can replace Billy, the ex. But as the season progresses, Ally and the wife become close friends and even allies in some cases, and Ally and Billy manage to reestablish their relationship as friends.
I find this to be a very entertaining show, and I can't wait to see what's in store in season two.
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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie or TV show for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.
Aired on Fox: September 8, 1997 - May 18, 1998
Rating: TV-14
Stars: Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Peter MacNicols, Jane Krakowski, Lisa Nicole Carson, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Gil Bellows
Directors: James Frawley, Jonathan Pontell, Dennie Gordon, Arlene Sanford, Sandy Smolan, Victoria Hochberg, Michael Schultz, Mel Damski, Dan Attias, Thomas Schlamme, Joe Napolitano, Allan Arkush, Elodie Keene, Jeremy Kagan, Dennis Dugan
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (Average)
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
- Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominated
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Calista Flockhart) - Nominated
- Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Allan Arkush) - Nominated
- Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (David E. Kelley) - Nominated
- Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) - Winner
- Best Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) (Calista Flockhart) - Winner
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