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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8396 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-01-14
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 1014 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In year 3, Boston Legal continues to toggle with ease between comedy and pathos. The season begins on a bittersweet note as Denise (Julie Bowen) gets engaged to the terminally ill Daniel (Michael J. Fox), who disappears to try an experimental treatment. Enter two new litigators, smart-talking associate Claire Sims (Constance Zimmer) and cocky partner Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko). Once Daniel exits the picture, Jeffrey and Brad (Mark Valley) compete for Denise's affections. The firm soon welcomes a third new face: legal secretary Clarence (Gary Anthony Williams)--also known as Clarice, Clavant, and Oprah.

As before, cases vary from minor to major. Story arcs include the murder of a judge's wife (with Ashton Holmes as the suspect and Katey Sagal as his mother) and an outrageous peeping tom (David Dean Bottrell) with a jones for Shirley (Candice Bergen). Denny Crane (William Shatner), meanwhile, finds love with diminutive attorney Bethany (Meredith Eaton-Gilden)--and her mother, Bella (Delta Burke). And Alan (James Spader, who scored a second Emmy to add to the one he received for The Practice) helps former co-worker Jerry "Hands" Espenson (Christian Clemenson) out of a few jams. By the end of the season, Jeffrey is gone, while Jerry returns to Crane, Poole & Schmidt.

Throughout the year, the firm tackles a variety of timely issues, ranging from religious freedom to immigration law. Reporter Gracie Jane (Jill Brennan), a Nancy Grace doppelgänger, also comes in for some ribbing. Aside from recurring characters, like Jane Lynch (as a sexual surrogate), the third season counts a few actors behind the camera, such as Eric Stoltz ("Dumping Bella") and Adam Arkin ("Nuts"), from David E. Kelley's Chicago Hope. --Kathleen C. Fennessy, Amazon.com

Synopsis
BOSTON LEGAL, a wry courtroom television show that walks the line between drama and comedy, is the creation of perennial hit-maker David E. Kelly (ALLY MCBEAL, PICKET FENCES). BOSTON LEGAL revolves around the Boston litigation law firm of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, in particular two eccentric and flawed attorneys, Alan Shore and Denny Crane. Shore, an unscrupulous and wily ambulance chaser and womaniser (played, with sly charm by James Spader) finds an uneasy alliance with Crane, a bombastic, self-aggrandising, and occasionally batty elder lawyer (William Shatner in an Emmy-winning performance). Despite their ethical and emotional deficiencies, Shore and Crane usually find themselves fighting on the right side, as they take up cases that no one else is willing to touch. This collection gathers every episode from the show's third series.

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Customer Reviews

Judge Jibberjabber and Little Green Men
Alan Shore (played by Emmy award-winner James Spader) is the primary star of Boston Legal and he is a monumental presence. In season 2, we were shown much more of his humanity, and we came to see how deeply caring and empathetic he is. Season 3 continues in that vein... a couple of minor quibbles, and I'll broach them now so as to get to the good, more important, stuff: David Kelley seems to be using Alan's wonderful closing arguments to extensively wax lyrical on political issues he wants to address. I quite concede that it's his show to do with as he pleases, but the lengthy soliloquies can become a little taxing.

Next, Jerry Espenson is a wonderful character: a gentle, shy giant who suffers terribly from Asperger's, and his friendship with Alan is genuinely touching. But in season 3, they've turned him into a Jekyll and Hyde character, depending on whether he's got a wooden cigarette in his mouth or not. It sounds daft, and unfortunately it's just as daft in the watching. That being said, having Jerry around more is a treat and the cigarette-thing doesn't make it all the way through the season.

Final complaint is regarding a new character called Clarence. He's a painfully shy man who masquerades as his "sister" Clarice when he can't cope with the pressure or stress of a situation. Clarice, like Hyde doesn't last the entire season, but *neither* character brings very much to the show, and I find their respective scenes less enjoyable than everything else. However, Boston Legal at its very worst is still better than 99% of the dross on tv these days.

Those are my only complaints, and none of them are serious enough to turn this season into a 4-star one.

Onto the good stuff: in season 2, we met Judge Jibberjabber (the amazing Shelley Berman, who should be made king), who doesn't tolerate jibberjabber and poopycock in his courtroom. I fell in love with him within 30 seconds, and in season 3 we are spoiled, as his appearances are far more substantial. In episode 16, Alan is defending a pre-eminent psychiatrist fired for his insistence that he's seen aliens, and Jibberjabber's questions and comments alone are worth the price of the box-set. Just glorious. He's in another 6 episodes besides that one: all as hand-clappingly fantastic as the last.

In season 3, Denny Crane becomes increasingly absurd and wonderful. The interaction between he and Alan is beautiful beautiful television, and it's fascinating to watch. As he slides further into quintessential Republican stereotype, Alan swings the other way, becoming increasingly liberal, and yet their relationship only improves and they become more and more like an old married couple who are still desperately in love. They make each other laugh, and they'll make you laugh, too.

It's astonishing that 3 years in the writing is still as fresh as the first season. It continues to break the fourth wall, too, in that wonderful Boston Legal way. In episode 2, we are introduced to Claire and Jeff Coho and the conversation goes as following:
Coho: "We're the new guys."
Crane: "Oh, please. If there were new guys they'd have shown up in the season premiere." He then proceeds to proposition Claire appallingly, fondle her dreadfully and welcome them to Boston Legal before glancing at the camera and saying "Cue the music..." Genius!

Those moments are a part of what makes Boston Legal so special. Add to that Denny, Alan and Shirley Schmidt, along with the entire host of loveable grotesques that pass through those famous doors, this show is just absolutely unbeatable in every way. From the opening scene of every episode, you know you'll laugh out loud at least 3 times; as soon as that awesome 70s-style wowow guitar theme music kicks in, you tap your toes and settle in for 45-odd minutes of near-heaven.

Boston Legal season 3 isn't quite as good as season 2 (which trumps absolutely everything that has ever come before it - except, perhaps with the exception of Ed, but that's for another review if and when the Powers That Be decide to release it on DVD) but it is still wonderful and deserving of more superlatives than you can shake a stick at.

Return of the deadly duo
The comings & goings at the law firm of Crane,Poole & Schmidt continue to provide the main plots for the 3rd season of Boston legal. The cases themselves are as varied as ever, unusually a case of a young man having an affair with a judge he has been accused of killing lasts over several episodes,(and ends with a shocking conclusion),. Within this case is a superb performance by David Dean Bottrell as an unhinged peeping tom.
Jerry Espensen seems to get himself into court quicker than Allan can save him & a variety of other cases including racism, religion & a man hiding behind his female alter-ego.
As interesting as the cases are its the characters who work in & around the law firm who are the mainstay here as always with 2 new faces coming to work, a feisty Claire & the oily Jefferey Cohoe. Denny finds himself falling for diminutive lawyer Bethany from another firm but of course is unable to keep his mouth & libido in check. Allen has a crisis in confidence & Shirley finds unwanted attention from a major witness from the season's big case.
The foundation on which it's all built continues to be Allan & Denny. William Shatner continues to excel himself as the cigar chomping, bull-in-a-chinashop super lawyer Denny Crane while James Spader deservedly picked up an Emmy for his performance as the precise & uncompromising deviant with a heart Allan Shore. It's the antics of these two & their continuing friendship,(each episode still concludes with them downing whiskey & smoking cigars on a balcony), that holds this unusual, funny & fearless series together.
Series 3 is of the same quality as the 2 before, there are never any fillers, no punches are pulled and every single actor involved gives 100% to the thoughtful & hilarious scripts. This is a series like no other and anyone who has enjoyed the previous 2 will savour this no less while I guarantee a real treat for those new to Boston legal. Now I'll put the clothes pegs on my ears if you'd like to get the maple syrup...

Boston Legal is a scream
I have to admit to loving Boston Legal to bits primarily for the James Spader - William Shatner scenes on the balcony. This third season continued to stir the pot and put the characters in new and often bizarre situations - does the US even vaguely resemble this let alone lawyers in the Boston area? Of course it has a fair amount of sentimentality, some political diatribes (squarely aimed at a conservative Us audience) but it also has some amazing comedy and excellent character acting from its ensemble cast. Well worth watching.