I just heard about this for the first time by reading an article on it at cnn. Lesson learned: come here first for TV news.

I guarantee you the US Gov't goes to Otter for world news.

das

Brief except from article. Note series finale is May 20, if anyone cares.link

Calista Flockhart was so upset when she heard the news she went on an eating binge and devoured an entire oreo cookie.

Honk!

Dustbin of TVLand, here we come.

This show has went downhill ever since the end of the second season and has no entertainment value left at all IMO. I'm relieved it's finally being cancelled as I periodically have to watch it with my wife. That whole drag queen character getting married makes me want to

2 words: Dancing Baby.
When I saw that crap & wanted the show to die on the spot.
It jumped the shark from that moment on IMHO.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Ally McBeal (news - Y! TV)," the Emmy-winning TV series that set feminists spinning with its depiction of a flighty, man-hungry attorney, is ending its five-year run on Fox, the network said.

Creator David E. Kelley made the announcement on the set Wednesday.

"There were tears. It was emotional," said Chris Alexander, a spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television. The final episode of the series, which had slipped in the ratings, will air May 20.

"It's sad to say goodbye to something you love, even when perhaps it is time," Kelley said in a statement.

Calista Flockhart starred as Ally, a smart but emotionally needy lawyer who focused as much on her love life as her case load. With her biological clock ticking, she was bedeviled by an image of a dancing baby.

"Ally McBeal" became a hot water-cooler topic. In 1998, a Time cover displayed Flockhart opposite feminist icons such as Susan B. Anthony and asked in its headline: "Is Feminism Dead?"

The actress took exception.

"I mean, this is a comedy about an exaggerated character, and to compare her to Susan B. Anthony is outrageous," she told TV Guide at the time. She also said she was offended that people confused her with her neurotic character.

McBeal's colleagues at her fictitious Boston law firm were equally quirky. One man had a fetish for throat wattles; another went by the embarrassing name of "The Biscuit."

Kelley, one of Hollywood's most prolific TV writer-producers, had a hand in creating most of the scripts. The show reflected his offbeat, often dark sense of humor and romance. It won the best comedy series Emmy in 1999.

He had characters break out in courtroom song, had Ally visit with her dead boyfriend and generally created a world where fantasy, if not happy endings, ruled.

McBeal's great love was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. (news - web sites), whose own real-life troubles with drugs led to his departure from the show.

Musical stars were also a fixture of the show, with Elton John, Barry White, Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey and others making guest appearances.

Kelley, a former Boston lawyer who is married to actress Michelle Pfeiffer, told the AP last fall that he knew the character-driven "Ally McBeal" was a more perishable commodity than his other legal series, the more plot-oriented "The Practice" on ABC.

"I always thought the series would end after six years," he said then.

Fox and Kelley decided against another year as the ratings fell. The show, which once scored close to the top 20, recently finished 43rd in the ratings.

tv talk dude

Ooops, sorry.

I'm glad. It really went downhill. I stopped watching it a few months ago when Jon Bon Jovi started...

(I figured I'd get my post in before it gets moved. I never leave Otter... )

It started off as a great idea...show all of Ally's thoughts as actually happening in front of her. Then they kind of lost that...and it ended up being 1/3 drama, 1/3 comedy, 1/3 law. Then they kinda lost the law bit...

Yeah, I liked the first season of this show, but lost interest after that.

I have not seen a single episode of Ally ever and am a huge FOX watcher. The show just never attracted me. I saw collateral things like websites with dancing babies and decided right then and there I couldn't possibly like this show. So it sounds like to some I missed a good show.. others say I didn't miss anything. Oh well.. bring back Undeclared and Family Guy FOX! Now you have room for them.

Yeah, you missed a great show. Not unlike The Practice, in its prime, it was one of the top 2 or 3 shows on television. Unfortunately, not unlike The Practice, it couldn't sustain the level of quality after a few years. You should catch the reruns on FX.

das

I used to watch Ally fairly regularly, but after catching a few episodes early this season, it seemed as though they were trying to get canceled...the show was THAT bad.

To me, the characters of Cage and Fish are what made the show watchable, and they seemed to really be placed in the background this season. I've thought for a few years that a spin-off featuring those two as a pure comedey minus the melodrama would be interesting.

When Ally was good, it was really, really good.

However, my wife and I were just discussing this last night, it really went downhill when Billy died. Before that, deep down, it was really about a girl whose first true love (and whom she still deeply loved) just happened to work a the same law firm she did . When Billy died, the show lost it's focus and stumbled through the remaining seasons. There were still some great shows in there, and even some decent extended periods, but it never regained the brilliance of the first few seasons.

Lately, it seems they have just been bringing in as many guest stars as they can, and trying to swap out as many supporting characters as possible. This last season has been particularly bad in my opinion.

I am a fan of this show and In Japan they also have a huge fan base for Ally McBeal.The show did went down with the death of Billy,one of my Fav Episodes!But all good things must come to an end!

Get it right !! The show went down hill when Ally's weight went down!

What "vision"? There is now and always has been only ONE vision for Dark Angel: Jessica Alba is really, really cute. Jessica Alba is still really, really cute, thus it fts the original vision.

(For the record, I watch it with my nose pressed to the TV screen).

das monkey, Ally McBeal is dying a horrible death like X-files. Both shows should have been put out of their misery years ago. When the stars of the show start leaving, why should we stay?

Ally was a cute idea at first but then they went way overboard with the wackiness and everyone started falling all over themselves and acting dumb. it lost it after the second year.

FOX has a habit of not having anything good to put on so they keep shows on too long. They did the same with Melrose and 90210.
As far as David Kelly having another show to put there, Ive read nothing of that. That Embassay show was suppose to be Allys companion show and that tanked so they are out of luck all together but I am sure Kelly who used to be good, will crank out something else in time for the fall.

...and i'm sure it's time slot will be filled with something, not only educational, but very entertaining...oh wait...i'm confused...GLUTTON BOWL....and we wonder why unemployment is as high as it is, and why kids shoot AT their classmates...sony, panasonic...daycares of the future.

"Nose," so that's what you kids are callin' it these days....

When Ally - or any show for that matter - became the "Love Boat" (guest stars up the ying yang), ya hadda know they were in trouble. CaRp, so know who'll we turn to for lesbian kisses during sweeps?!?

While I agree with you on The X-Files, Ally hasn't even been on for 5 years. Putting it out of its misery "years ago" would have missed quite a bit of quality programming. Sure, it's been on the down turn, and I am more than ready for it to end, but it hasn't had enough time to drag on like other shows.

das

Sheesh, my TV viewing might be dwindling next season. Fox is losing X-Files, Ally, and maybe Dark Angel. Only Andy Richter (if it gets picked up) and 24 are sure bets for Fox viewing for me.

Might actually get some DVD viewing done in the fall. Oh, there is always Baby Bob...