David E. Kelley is a madman. I mean that in the best way possible, obviously. Who else could take a spin-off from a gritty, self-serious show like The Practice and turn it into a surrealist, fourth-wall-breaking masterpiece about two aging men smoking cigars on a balcony? It shouldn’t have worked. Yet, years after Alan Shore and Denny Crane sailed off into the sunset, we’re still looking for shows like Boston Legal to fill that specific, scotch-scented void in our hearts.
The problem is that TV has changed. A lot.
Most modern legal dramas are either hyper-realistic procedurals that make you want to file for a continuance out of pure boredom, or they’re high-stakes political thrillers where everyone is miserable. Boston Legal was different. It was absurd. It was deeply political but somehow stayed whimsical. It gave us James Spader delivering ten-minute closing arguments that actually made sense, paired with William Shatner shouting his own name like a Pokémon. If you’re hunting for that same cocktail of high-brow rhetoric and low-brow physical comedy, you have to look in some unexpected places.
The David E. Kelley DNA: Starting with the Source
If you want the closest vibe to the shenanigans at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, you basically have to go to the source. David E. Kelley has a "type." Before Alan Shore was even a glimmer in his eye, there was Ally McBeal.
Now, wait. Don't roll your eyes.
I know Ally McBeal gets a bad rap for the dancing baby and the short skirts, but the DNA is identical. You’ve got the eccentric law firm, the unisex bathrooms where all the real drama happens, and a cast of characters who are arguably more insane than Denny Crane. Peter MacNicol’s character, John "The Biscuit" Cage, is essentially the spiritual ancestor to the quirks we saw in Boston Legal. It’s funny, it’s surreal, and it treats the law as a stage for human neurosis rather than just a set of rules.
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Then there’s The Practice. It’s weird to think about now, but Boston Legal actually started as the final season of The Practice. If you haven’t seen the eighth season of that show, go watch it immediately. It’s the origin story of Alan Shore. You get to see him as a darker, more predatory version of the character before he became the lovable rogue who hangs out with Denny. It’s less "funny" and more "legal shark," but the dialogue is just as sharp.
Suits and the Evolution of the "Bro-mance"
When people ask for shows like Boston Legal, Suits is usually the first name that pops up. It makes sense. You have the snappy dialogue, the expensive office space, and the central relationship between two men who think they’re the smartest people in the room.
Harvey Specter is, in many ways, the polished, younger version of what Denny Crane probably thought he was in the 70s. But here’s the thing: Suits lacks the "weirdness." It’s a very "cool" show. Boston Legal was never cool. It was dorky, loud, and proud of its own eccentricity. Suits is great for the power plays and the "I'm-going-to-destroy-you" moments, but it rarely pauses to contemplate the absurdity of life over a glass of blue label.
Honestly, though? The banter in the first few seasons of Suits is the only thing that comes close to the rhythmic back-and-forth of Shore and Crane. Just don't expect any lawsuits involving giant plastic ducks or people suing for the right to wear a colonial costume to work.
The Good Fight: Where the Politics Get Real
If the thing you loved most about Boston Legal was its fearless (and often exhausting) political commentary, then The Good Fight is your next stop. It’s a spin-off of The Good Wife, but you don't really need to have seen the original to get it.
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The Good Fight is basically what happens when you take a legal drama and drop it into a blender with a fever dream. It’s one of the few shows that captures the "what on earth is happening to the world" energy that Boston Legal thrived on during the mid-2000s. It features:
- Animated musical segments explaining the law.
- Bizarre, recurring guest judges who are more eccentric than the defendants.
- A relentless focus on the intersection of law, technology, and absolute chaos.
Christine Baranski is a force of nature here. While the show is more cynical than Boston Legal, it shares that same sense of "the world is crazy, so we might as well be crazy too." It’s sophisticated. It’s angry. It’s hilarious in a way that makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable, which is exactly how Alan Shore liked it.
The Outliers: Goliath and Rake
Let’s talk about the "brilliant but broken" lawyer trope. Alan Shore was a mess. He had night terrors, he was borderline unethical, and he was deeply lonely. If that’s the itch you’re trying to scratch, Goliath on Amazon Prime is a strong contender. Billy Bob Thornton plays Billy McBride, a washed-up lawyer living in a motel who takes on the massive firm he helped create. It’s much darker—it’s essentially a legal noir—but Thornton brings a weary, soulful energy that feels like a cousin to Spader’s performance.
Then there’s Rake. I’m talking about the original Australian version starring Richard Roxburgh, not the short-lived American remake.
Cleaver Greene makes Alan Shore look like a Boy Scout. He’s a defense barrister who specializes in "hopeless cases"—cannibals, bigamists, and the generally loathsome. He’s a gambling addict, a womanizer, and a total disaster. But the show is wildly funny and features some of the best courtroom theatrics you’ll ever see. It captures that specific "irreverent" tone that Boston Legal fans crave. It understands that the law is often a circus, and the lawyers are just the clowns with the best vocabulary.
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Why We Can't Just "Replace" Denny Crane
We have to be honest. You’re never going to find a perfect 1:1 match. The chemistry between James Spader and William Shatner was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. In an era where TV is increasingly fragmented into "serious prestige drama" or "broad network sitcom," the "dramedy" is a rare beast.
Shows today are afraid of being too many things at once. Boston Legal would be a 42-minute drama about the death penalty, and then suddenly feature a scene where Denny Crane tries to join the Coast Guard to find "evil-doers." That tonal whiplash is what made it special.
If you're looking for that specific feeling, you might actually find it in non-legal shows. Look at Succession. It’s not a legal show, but the way characters use language as a weapon—and the way it oscillates between tragedy and high-octane farce—is very reminiscent of the halls of Crane, Poole & Schmidt.
The Practical Watchlist
If you're ready to start a new binge, here is how you should prioritize based on what you actually liked about the show:
- For the "Crazy Office" Vibe: Ally McBeal or Better Call Saul. People forget that Better Call Saul is, for the first few seasons, a brilliant legal comedy about a man trying to find a loophole in reality itself.
- For the "Sharp Tongue" Protagonist: Suits or House, M.D. (House is basically Alan Shore with a medical degree and a cane instead of a briefcase).
- For the Surrealist Humor: The Good Fight. It gets weirder as it goes on. Trust me.
- For the "Hopeless Cases": Rake (Australian version). It’s raw, hilarious, and deeply cynical.
The reality of the situation is that the legal system in television has moved toward realism. We’ve traded the cigars on the balcony for "true crime" grit. But the spirit of the "theatrical lawyer" lives on in these picks.
Start with The Good Fight if you want the intellectual stimulation. Start with Rake if you want the chaos. And if all else fails, just go back and re-watch the Boston Legal episode where they go to Nimmo Bay. It’s still as good as you remember.
To get the most out of these recommendations, don't look for a show that mimics the plot; look for the one that captures the attitude. You want a show that isn't afraid to be "too much." The law is a performance, and the best shows—like Boston Legal—never let you forget who is holding the microphone.