David E. Kelley is probably one of the most prominent authors in the serial world. Thanks to celebrated productions such as “Big Little Lies” or “Goliath”, it is still indispensable today. But even in the late 90’s he was in high demand thanks to past cult shows like “Doogie Howser, MD”, “Picket Fences – Tatort Gartenzaun” and “Chicago Hope”. He undoubtedly celebrated one of his greatest successes with the legal series Ally McBeal, which was produced from 1997 to 2002.
The story about the turbulent love and professional life of the neurotic and chaotic young lawyer Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart), who – like JD later in “Scrubs” – loses herself in ridiculous daydreams, immediately hit the mark. The mix of comedy, drama and heartbreak was due to the wonderfully quirky cast of characters (played by “Ghostbusters 2” villain Peter MacNicol and “Kill Bill” swordsman Lucy Liu, among others) and the precise dialogue – at least for long stretches – on full. And you can easily convince yourself of that:
All five seasons of “Ally McBeal” with a total of 112 episodes can be viewed from today, November 23, 2022 Disney+ being picked up. After the two great opening seasons, season 4 in particular stands out in a positive way – and that above all Rode…
» Ally McBeal on Disney+*
Robert Downey Jr. saves “Ally McBeal”…
After the first two seasons of “Ally McBeal” were well received and showered with awards, Season 3 was not so well received due to some strange character developments. However, with the fourth season, the series returned to its former strength – not least because of the new cast member Robert Downey Jr. has helpedwho enriched the series with his usual charm almost ten years before his mega comeback in “Iron Man” (especially worth seeing and hearing: his duet “Every Breath You Take” with Sting himself).
Starring the future Tony Stark as lawyer Larry Paul, Ally’s new love interest, in nearly every episode of Season 4, he made a highlight of virtually every scene he starred in – not to mention his amazing chemistry with them co- star Calista Flockhart. The role eventually earned him a Golden Globe. And the whole thing could have been even better – if Downey Jr. didn’t get in the way…
…and destroys the finale
As is well known, Robert Downey Jr. in the 1990s and early 2000s from massive drug problems and was arrested several times for illegal drug possession, including during the production of “Ally McBeal”. In the end, the creators of the series thought that was too much fun, so they eventually fired Downey Jr.
It was originally planned for Ally and Larry to get married in the fourth season finale, after which season 5 would have focused significantly on their married life together. That was suddenly off the table without Downey Jr., requiring entire script rewrites (including the arrival of Jon Bon Jovi as Ally’s new flame). It was then no longer possible to build on the previous success, so that “Ally McBeal” was permanently discontinued after the fifth season. As it turned out, the last word has probably not yet been spoken…
“Ally McBeal” revival with or without Robert Downey Jr.?
The Lawyer Series looks poised to emulate another cult series from the ’90s. Like recently “Sex And The City” with “And Just Like That” “Ally McBeal” would also get a revival, in which Calista Flockhart should slip back into the title role. However, David E. Kelley is probably no longer on board as showrunner.
And we also think it very unlikely that Robert Downey Jr., who has become an absolute superstar, will drop by again as Larry to give his relationship with Ally a happy ending. But as we all know, hope dies last…