Burzmali

Whatever happened to this show.

I've been watching reruns on FX at 7AM in the morning on Sat and Sun because of my abnormal sleep cycle during final exams week, and this show is really good.

Why isn't it out on DVD yet?

Shannon Nutt

The "Best Of" Season 1 is out on DVD...guess it didn't sell very well, because they never released any more.

Jadzia

I heard that the reason they haven't released season sets yet is because the music rights for this show are enormous, and the music is really integral to the show. I believe that's what a Fox rep said in a chat over at HTF awhile back.

Burzmali

What is HTF?

And are they working on the music rights? Or is it a lost cause?

Thanks.

Tommy Ceez

Picture occupied Poland filled with DVD lovers.

Kal-El

Musical rights? Wasn't it mostly Vonda Shepards' and wasn't she eventually made a cast member? What's the problem with it?

milo bloom

There were a lot of classics used, mostly Motown. Even when Vonda covered them, you still have to pay songwriting royalties.

I'd like to see this show on DVD too. I didn't realize at first, but the character is about the same age as me.

Jadzia

Home Theater Forum

I think they just said the music rights were so expensive it would be cost-prohibitive to put on DVD. Not sure if they are still looking for a way to make it work or not.

Fok

I assuming this show was cancelled? What happened in the last episode?

Kal-El

It actually got rejuvenated by Robert Downey, Jr.'s character in Season 4 but his drug problems gave Kelley problems in writing because you never knew when he was going to be available or what not. The last 2(?) seasons were just awful. In the end,

rfduncan

Ally's daughter basically starts to have a complete emotional breakdown from all the changes in her life (a.k.a. finding out Ally is her real mom after a "medical trial" or something in college then moving to Boston from NYC, making all new friends, Ally being really busy with work all the time, etc). So at the very last minute, Ally decides that the best thing to do for Maddie is to move back to NYC - here is the TV Tome version and I'll fill in:

"BYGONES"
Maddie (Ally's daughter) passes out and Ally calls a doctor. Maddie is suffering a nervous reaction to all the changes in her life, and Ally decides that the only way she can help Maddie is by moving to New York, where Maddie has her own life. The news comes as a shocker to the lawyers at Cage, Fish & McBeal, who all ask Ally if that's the right thing to do. Elaine's offended, Renee (lone missing from the show) shows up for a final goodbye and even Georgia (joined Renee's firm with Whipper so also gone) drops by to say hello. Ally reflects on the past 5 years of her life as she remembers Billy. Meanwhile, Richard anticipates his wedding with Liza (Christina Ricci) so Ally can attend the ceremony. John (also misteriously MIA for the majority of the 5th season) is chosen as best man and is in charge of keeping the minister up. Richard and Liza marry, and they all go down to the bar for one last celebration. At the sound of Barry White, Ally McBeal leaves Boston and her friends behind. Ally leaves tearfully, deciding that since some of the saddest times in her life have often been the best, this must be a good thing.

The show was not actually cancelled by FOX - Kelley decided to terminate it before they did. It was a wise decision as the show had gone into a casting tailspin - Lucy Liu was dropped to a recurring role as a judge, while James LeGros just left. James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson were added then dropped a few weeks later (an attempt at a "younger" Ally and Billy combo?). Dame Edna Everage was also part of the office cast as an additional secretary, Claire Otoms (who had been a client in a previous episode). The Robert Downey Jr. character left and was replaced by a home fix-it guy Victor played by Jon Bon Jovi whose character and blooming love relationship with Ally was quickly dismissed once the cancellation was announced. Just nuts - trying to keep up.

Unbelievable how David E. Kelley shows can go from the top of their game to rock bottom crap so quickly.

Jadzia

The last few seasons were pretty bad. It started to get better when Robert Downey Jr. was in the cast, but then he got arrested again and they had to write him out. The last few seasons saw a lot of boring cast members being added and dropped. It was almost a revolving door at Ally's firm.

I can't even remember what happened in the very last episode. The last season they introduced a long-lost daughter for Ally (she had donated her eggs while in college) and she was dating Jon Bon Jovi.

The show finally came just limped to an end. It was sad because it was such a good show the first few seasons, but by the time it ended, it wasn't really missed it gotten so tedious.

dvd-4-life

I think you can get Ally McBeal from other regions-I got 3 seasons from Japan and one season from France.

the big train

I got Season 2 from Amazon.co.uk (R2 PAL) for about $40. That's the only reason why I have a multi-region player.

dcprules

I've always enjoyed this show and would pick it up on DVD in a second. Granted, the fifth (and last season) wasn't as good as the others but it was still enjoyable.

While I don't miss Ally, Billy, Ally's roommate (never liked her too much), I do REALLY miss Cage and Fish. They made that show and without them I would have never watched it. I catch reruns every now again and always watch just to see what exploits Cage and Fish get into this episode. Bygones

Fok

Oh well, at least it didn't drag on too long. I suppose its good that they quit while they were kinda ahead.

conscience

Everything on that show went way down hill after

Robert Downey Jr did nothing for me in that show. He should stick to movies.

Why the hell Gil Bellows and Courtney Thorne-Smith wanted to leave is beyond me. I KNOW they knew their future television/movie careers weren't going to be spectacular.

If they put out the seasons I would definitely get seasons 1, 2 and 3. Season 1 was great, season 2 was even better, and season 3 was average.

shaun3000

It was a great show. Too bad they had problems with casting, etc. during the last season or two. It really came and went very quickly, but it was generally quite good. I even liked most of the final season.

Remember when FOX chopped some of the episodes into 22 minute versions and marketed it as a new show, "Ally"? That was about the stupidest thing I'd ever heard of.

Patman

Courtney Thorne-Smith has done aiight on that Jim Belushi show.

whotony

Sorry for an old bump but seemed like the right topic to bump for the questions.

I started to watch the show on NF streaming because i have heard it is a good show and it was popular when it aired.

Now just about the entire premise of the show is preposterous because of the ridiculous cases and all the imaginary nonsense Ally sees.

She pretty much is crazy as far as I can tell with all the hallucinations but that isn't my issue with the show.

Nearly very single person who appeared on the show has fallen in love with Ally Mcbeal.
This includes woman, clients and various strangers

I'm only halfway through season three so I'm sure it gets worse.
the reason I question this thing with everyone lusting for Ally is that she is probably the homeliest person on the show.

She is a literal bag of bones, isn't pretty even a little bit, has the body of a 9 year old boy and her hair is a complete mess, always sloppy and frazzled.
All the rest of the woman on the show are pretty much drop dead gorgeous.
It almost seems like they found a woman who was as unattractive as possible and surrounded her with
as many beautiful woman as they could on purpose as an inside joke on everyone.

Also she is a terrible person as far as I can tell.
At one point in season three she tries to steal Cage away from Nelle. In Previous episodes she tries to get Billy back over and over.


I do like the quirkyness of the charActers especially John Cage and who doesn't love Lucy Lui.


Anyway it is a fun show but I just can't take everyone falling for Ally Mcbeal.

MikahC

The attraction was lost on me as well, but when watching TV sometimes you just have to say, "Whatever." Harrison Ford obviously thought she (Calista Flockhart) was attractive. She wasn't a one-hit wonder, either, as she also figured prominently on Brothers & Sisters. She's not unattractive, she's just not gorgeous. But then, they don't really play her as gorgeous on Ally McBeal. Rather, they play her has a kind of Audrey Hepburn slight but attractive woman who is quirky, but intelligent and wrought with personal faults and issues. It's ultimately a comedic show, so there are moments when she's cute, moments where she's goofy, and moment when she's just bizarre. I did not watch the show when it aired thinking it was silly (even though I heard good comments about it and was told to watch it by friends). When I finally got around to watching it on DVD, I much enjoyed the experience. It's a lot like Buffy to me in that it's not all about the lead. And it had nice usage of music too.

And no, I never felt "sorry" for Ally's lack of success at love because she gave it just as ruthlessly as she sometimes received it.

dino88

Wasn't Jane Krakowski on this show?

Throwing Copper

I never watched the show when it was on until Robert Downey Jr. made his comeback during one season or so.

I thought the show was great when he was on it? Anyone know what season that was, because I will buy that Season on disc.

movieking

The thing that I remember most from this show is when it took Robert Downey Jr in during a time when he was toxic, and like TC said, the show got really good. Then he got arrested for drugs again, and fired.

My favorite part of the show was RDJ singing Sherry Darling to Cage and his girlfriend with the overbearing mother.

Kal-El

If you're on Season 3, you gotta keep at it and watch S4. that's where they bring in RDJ who I thought was excellent in the role. The season opener sets it up brilliantly.