L.A. Law (1986–1994) User Reviews

iconic 80s series

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 1 September 2013]

It's the L.A. law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak. In the pilot opening, divorce lawyer Arnie Becker (Corbin Bernsen) and his secretary Roxanne Melman (Susan Ruttan) find senior partner Norman Chaney dead in his office. Leland McKenzie (Richard Dysart) and Douglas Brackman, Jr. (Alan Rachins) are the other senior partners. Michael Kuzak (Harry Hamlin) is the rising star partner. They and the other various characters over the years deal with court as well as life.

Steven Bochco created one of the most popular series of the '80s. It's a legal drama about a law firm in L.A. It featured some great actors who created some iconic characters. On top of that, they had great chemistry. Their interactions is half of the fun. It made a mythical sexual position an actual thing. Now that's popularity. With such a great large cast, a few defections do happen. And that is one of the reason for this show's demise. By 1992, some of the cast starts to disappear. At that point during its initial run, I lost interest. This show relies on its characters and it lost too many of them. This award winning show had 8 seasons and a movie.

Good for Three Seasons

[zombiemockingbird · 8/10 · 13 December 2020]

I used to watch this off and on back when it was originally on and recently started re-watching from the beginning. For three seasons, it was a great show; great people who created a family. They had their issues and problems but they always worked everything out in the end. Unfortunately, in Season 4 they introduced the character of Rosalind Shays and ruined it completely. All the continuity and camaraderie that made the show great was gone. Suddenly there was nothing but controversy, back-stabbing, manipulation, lying and it became increasingly uncomfortable to watch. I'm currently almost at the end of Season 4 and honestly doubt I will watch much more; it's just no fun anymore.

Steven Bochco was the Harbinger of Joss Whedon

[A_Different_Drummer · 8/10 · 18 January 2014]

Less than two dozen reviews for a show which, like the Buffy/Angel series which was yet to come, essentially changed the face of prime time drama? I am very disappointed. In the 60 and 70s, TV dramas (eg- Perry Mason, Mannix) were about the stories not the characters. If you wanted to learn about the characters, you had to infer the information from things that happened in the main narrative. Every now and then the writers might give the viewer a treat and actually do an episode about the main character himself/herself, but these were few and far between. It was of course just the opposite in daytime TV which is why for literally decades there was a clear divide between the two narrative styles. Shows like this one by Bochko (and his HILL STREET BLUES, which preceded it) paved the way for the type of work that Whedon (and others) would deliver later. Ultimately we would end up with programming in the current generation like Arrow (also reviewed by this scribe in the IMDb) where the line between dramatic narrative and soap opera has become indistinguishable, and no one, not even the Head Writer, really knows where the series is headed. But that is now. This was then. Aside from the usual weekly stories about amoral lawyers working for amoral clients, we had something here that was very new to the decade -- backstory. And we had it in spades. It also did not hurt that Harry Hamelin was voted at the time "sexiest man alive;" and that in an early episode, Bochko presented the viewer with an office party where the short, dull, nerdy lawyer (nicely played by Michael Tucker) got drunk and made a pass at the tall blonde Nordic-goddess lawyer played by Jill Eikenberry. And the pass worked! Viewers all over the US were gob-smacked by this scene, which so deftly played against type. And they were gob-smacked yet again when the the press agent for the show revealed that in real life the two, Tucker and Eibenberry, were husband and wife. Bottom line, unforgettable show, and a true piece of TV history.

David Kelley's warmup to his true writing genius

[Shapster11 · 23 January 2001]

L.A.Law was a standout drama from '86-'94. At the end, as many drama's have happen, it became somewhat stale and may cause many to forget the gripping storylines Bochco, Kelley etc. created. The acting was superlative from the mainstays Dysart, Rachins, Tucker, Eikenberry, Ruttan, Bernsen, Hamlin etc. As the show expanded Law brought forth additional characters played by Dey, Smits, Greene, Underwood, Donohoe, Spencer, Drake, Muldaur etc. These actors made their roles and characters as unforgettable as the originals made there's.

Probably the best thing that can be said about this show is that no one player was the focal point. No one character had to be the "lightning rod" for the show to be great. In an interview for the 100th show Richard Dysart, who played Leland McKenzie, the paternal "glue" of McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney, Kuzack, and Becker, told Jane Pauley that the actors weren't the genius of the show...the writers were. Awful high praise from an actor at a very candid moment.

Catch it in syndication on A&E each Monday thru Friday. You'll love it the second time around.

Three great seasons then a steady decline

[yaornw · 6/10 · 26 September 2020]

Back in the day, LA LAW was revolutionary and the bomb, but having recently rewatched it for the first time, I can say there were 3 outstanding seasons run by Bochco, and after that, the decline began. From Kelley's increasingly silly and exaggerated style to his introduction of mean spirited characters like Rosalyn Shays who cause behavior that made McKenzie Brackman an unpleasant place to watch, to the heinous Season 7 with its complete mishandling, mockery of episodes involving the Rodney King riots, to a final season that was mundane despite Finkelstein's return, I found LA LAW to not hold up well at all. Was there outstanding writing and acting? Yes, when LA LAW was at the top its game, no one did it better. Unfortunately, the top of the game was seasons 1-3. And for a 8 season series, that's not a good average.

At Its Best There Were Few Better

[fguliuzza · 10/10 · 11 May 2012]

This was a seminal show -- probably the first "lawyer show" that wasn't really a detective program in disguise. L.A. Law introduced us to many of the particulars of a law firm: The staff meeting, administrative hearings, appellate court argument, as well as almost all aspects of criminal and CIVIL litigation. It was an amazing program that, when it focused on the intriguing cases that came to the firm, was arguably the best show on television in the late 80s and early 90s. If I recall correctly only Hill Street Blues, The West Wing, and L.A. Law won 4 Emmys for best drama (now maybe Mad Men?). There's a reason this show ranks in the upper echelon of television dramas.

To be fair to its critics, however, I can't remember ANY program that was this good that, almost abruptly, became so bad! Although I continued to watch it until the end, it was hit-and-miss at best, and sometimes just plain terrible after the fifth season.

It was great until Season 6

[lorelcom · 7/10 · 21 October 2023]

I binge watched LA Law through Season 5 over the span of a few weeks. (I found that I could just listen to it, and got as much out of it as watching it.) The acting was great and the writing mostly great for those seasons. Am I the only one who liked Diana Muldaur as Roslyn Shays? She was spectacular; I loved how her presence affected everyone on staff differently. Larry Drake was a fantastic Benny. Binge watching did underscore, though, how yelly the litigators were.

With Season 6 came a lot of drama and overemotional scenes plus hack writing. I'm assuming it just gets worse, so I'm not continuing.

There's no better legal drama

[medic249a2 · 10/10 · 19 October 2015]

I grew up watching L.A. Law as a teenager in the 1980s, right through to 'Finish Line' in 1994. It had so many elements that drew me to it, including the story lines that focused both in the professional & personal lives of the characters. The acting was rock-solid and most of the characters believable, and thoroughly human. In particular, these were Michael Kuzak, Grace Van Owen, Victor Sifuentes, Benny Stulwicz (the role that earned 'Darkman' Larry Drake an Emmy), Leland McKenzie, Ann Kelsey & Stuart Markowitz. Memorable episodes included the one where Benny goes before Judge Richard Lobel (Stanley Grover) to exercise his right to vote, one in which Jonathan Rollins (Blair Underwood) cross-examines an ethically bankrupt financial adviser (Richard Masur) into a fatal heart attack, one in which Grace prosecutes a gang member for a prison guard's murder then is targeted herself, one in which the despicable Rosalind Shays (Diana Muldaur) falls to her death in an open elevator shaft, and the Earl Williams trial in which Kuzak squares off against A.D.A. Margaret Flanagan (played by Veronica Cartwright of 'Alien' fame).

In later years, some of the characters came & went (as with any series); some of the new ones (such as A.D.A. Tommy Mullaney, Jane Galloway, C.J. Lamb & A.D.A. Zoey Clemmons) were quite likable, while others (Susan Bloom, Frank Kittridge) bordered on loathsome. The original characters were what really held the series together and made it so popular. Some of today's well- known actors (Larry Drake of 'Darkman' and Dann Florek of 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order:SVU') got their big start with supporting roles in this series.

20 years after it ended its run, L.A. Law still has a popular following. It is beginning to see a DVD release now and here's hoping we see a complete series release. If any show is deserving of a widespread DVD release, this is it.

5 Great Seasons, 1 Not Too bad, 2 Terrible

[ggiroux3 · 7/10 · 15 February 2024]

I have begun bingeing it on Prime Video after a couple of decades and found it both enjoyable and cringe-worthy - those 1980s clothes and hair! LOL The first five seasons had the best cast, but after Hamlin, Smits, and Greene (then Dey after season 6) left it began a downhill slide. The remaining characters weren't all that interesting and except for John Spencer as Tommy Mullaney the new additions were forgettable at best. The 7th season was terrible with the extended arc of Stuart getting harmed in the Rodney King riots and descending into buffoonery before he made something of a mild comeback. That was a terrible plot device and what has kept me from revisiting the rest of season 7 and season 8. At least we had 5 decent seasons to enjoy.

Sassy and sexy...L.A. Law was it!!!

[safenoe · 8/10 · 13 September 2016]

I saw the first few seasons of L.A. Law and some story lines really stuck out. One was where one of the attorneys Jonathan Rollns (played by Blair Underwood) made a very anti-Japanese closing presentation to the jury in an unlawful dismissal trial (the company was Japanese and the attorney represented one of the dismissed employees), and so disgraceful was it that the judge admonished Rollins from the bench.

Another was where I think Michael Kuzak represented a black client who was found guilty of murdering his white girlfriend I think. Now that was explosive. The client was sentenced to death, and I wish I knew if his appeal succeeded.

It's been said that the popularity of L.A. Law propelled many people to study law. Maybe. Now I guess it's Suits is the show to watch.

Entertainment In Legal Series Expanded

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 23 December 2006]

It is hard to believe that David E. Kelly first started writing television scripts with Doogie Howser MD & then went straight to this. There is a world of difference between those efforts. This series is very entertaining.

It also is much more serious than some of the later series he has done. While this series has some comedy, it has a much more serious tone than Ally McBeal or House MD which have been his later work. This series not only presents more serious issues than those later shows, but also better draw more realistic characters as well.

The acting & production quality of this is very good. Richard Dysart seems the perfect actor to be the foundation of this law firm. The rest of the cast seems to fit their roles well too. Wonder if a 20 or 25 year reunion is planned for this series? A retrospective could be fun.

Towards the end of the series, more of David E Kelly's humor started showing up. In fact, the last season very much resembles a trial run of Ally McBeal in it's tone. Lets not forget Boston Legal too. Kelly has continued to develop his talents in that direction since.

If you like House MD or Ally McBeal, you will like this series. If you liked Boston Public (which was a little more serious) you'd like this show too. I am not sure if David Kelly has any other directions he can head but viewers sure get a lot chance to enjoy his work.

The show is great, however imdbTV has some issues

[forevershari · 10/10 · 24 August 2020]

Show is fantastic! The trip down memory lane to remember what the 80s were like is a hoot!

However, imdbtv (on Fire TV as well as the Playstore app) has a problem: the list of episodes is out of order, and some episodes are missing altogether. So if you really want to enjoy this the way it was broadcast, follow the episode guide on Wikipedia. For missing episodes, I've had good luck with the Dailymotion website or YouTube.

Enjoy!

A Gross Misrepresentation Of Reality !!!

[JoeKulik · 6/10 · 19 February 2017]

Although LA Law is entertaining enough, the more episodes that I view the more nauseated that I get.

REALITY is that all lawyers are Whores. They are just Whores who sell their Mouths as opposed to selling some other part of their anatomy. But LA Law would have us believe that not only are lawyers "Whores with a Heart", but that they are "Whores with a Heart" who happen to be "Beautiful People" as well. That this whole charade is set in a high powered, "top tier" law firm is truly an insult to my intelligence.

I certainly am glad that these Whores existed when I needed their services in the past, but you can be certain that I vicariously held my nose every moment that I was forced to deal with them.

The portrayal of lawyers in LA Law would be Utterly Hilarious, were it not for the fact that naive and inexperienced viewers are led to believe that lawyers are actually Good Guys who really care about their clients. The thought of the possible sorry consequences for any viewer who might actually believe that immediately drains the humor of the situation from me.

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" -- William Shakespeare, Henry the Sixth ll (1623)

A classic legal drama that redefined TV

[asmith-7 · 19 July 2001]

The previous post was less than favorable to this incredible show ("great actors, flawed writing"), so I just had to weigh in. For a moment, forget that "L.A. Law" presented some of the most compelling and unusual legal cases as drama (some of them so unusual, in fact, showrunner David E. Kelley would revisit them in his own "Picket Fences," "The Practice," and even "Ally McBeal").

"L.A. Law" brought black comedy back to television and presented sexuality and sensuality that actually advanced its storylines. The latter were core character traits of Corbin Bernsen's Arnold Becker and Jill Eikenberry's and Michael Tucker's Ann Kelsey and Stuart Markowicz, respectively. You can argue the tastefulness of these scenes and others, but you couldn't make a case for their gratuity.

The writing, of course, enabled the other collaborators on this show to perform at the peaks of their abilities. The show explored some of the more difficult issues of its time through our legal adversarial process. Whether surgeons should be obligated to operate on AIDS patients, the right for the terminally ill to die, the lives of the mentally challenged, sexual dysfunctions, the pressures and responsibilities of the police -- these and other episodes paved the way for the shows we're watching today. "L.A. Law" stood on the shoulders of giants, yes, but it became a giant in its own right.

Arguably the show created by Stephen Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher suffered with the departure of David. E. Kelley in its fifth season. The guys who used to run "St. Elsewhere" had a brief stint as showrunners, and viewers began tuning out when the show became less about L.A. lawyers and more about various medical maladies.

That fifth season was especially dramatic, too, as several cast members also were leaving, which freed the writers from some of the constraints of series television -- namely, that characters could not change significantly from week to week.

To dismiss "L.A. Law" as a show about yuppie lawyers is to misjudge a deep, poignant, and important book by its slick, glossy cover. Check it out.

Good But Not Great

[reymunpadilla · 6/10 · 7 February 2024]

It was only in the context of truly awful television in the 80s that LA Law seemed as good as it was hailed. Earlier or later, it wouldn't have gotten as much acclaim.

There were other and better famous shows about lawyers, from Perry Mason to Lincoln Lawyer. Some like The Good Wife and Good Fight are far far superior. As drama, the series was sometimes pedestrian.

And then there were the truly awful unbelievable storylines. The love story between Hamline and Dey was laugh out loud ridiculous. He stalked her, and she fell for him though she was engaged. Suuuuure...

The courtroom drama was generally pretty good. The lawyer love lives, often silly...and why would anyone care about pretty people whining their lives were hard?

Steven Eckholdt Is Too Handsome And To Die For!!

[dataconflossmoor-719-601928 · 10/10 · 25 April 2010]

I love Steven Eckholdt, he is so incredibly handsome, and he was my favorite part of the show "L.A. Law"! I think that Steven has one of the best looking faces that I have ever seen. Steven is so tall and well dressed, and he has the greatest personality, I think that Steven exudes a sex appeal that women just love, I know that I love his sex appeal a whole lot! I have seen Steven on many other shows, and I think he is really handsome on those shows too!! He has a way of looking perfect! Steven's acting is superb, and I believe he got a really good start on "L.A. Law", he had been in other television presentations prior to "L.A. Law" but, his role as Patrick Flanagan put him on the map!! WOW!! Steve is so handsome and so to die for!! I have always loved him!!

Started great but really fizzled

[robinkg-94574 · 7/10 · 23 April 2024]

I absolutely loved the first few seasons of this show. The original actors were a great ensemble cast and each character was believable and likable. The story lines were unique and entertaining. But after they started leaving the show, the replacement characters just were not interesting and the storylines became silly and contrived. The acting suffered. When they added the religious character that was really the death knell. Not only was it illogical that the firm would have hired her, but her acting was subpar to say the least. Season 7 was awful. Thats as far as I got. I just didn't want to waste anymore time.

Steven Eckholdt is Spectacular!!

[dataconflossmoor-1 · 10/10 · 6 August 2008]

Amongst the many shows that Steven Eckholdt has been a guest star on, his quasi-regular role of Patrick Flanagan on " L.A. Law" was extremely excellent!! Steven has been on numerous shows as a powerful guest star. "Law and Order" "Boston Legal" "West Wing" "Wings" and so many others!! I liked his role in "About Last Night"!! I thought he was great in the movie "Santa Who". The short lived series "It's Like You Know" was tremendously bolstered by Steven Eckholdt, and I thought he was really good in "Leaving Drew" as well!! The best part of Steven Eckholdt with his role as Patrick Flanagan on "L.A. Law" was that he was a character who was flawlessly feasible. A young, good looking, and successful attorney working in a high profile law firm in Los Angeles is going to be very arrogant, and, basically, he is going to feel like he is above the law!! Towards the end of the series "L.A.Law", Steven Eckholdt was a big reason why I watched the show!! I know a lot of people who just think that Steven Eckholdt is absolutely spectacular!!

The first of its kind

[ajkbiotech · 10/10 · 20 March 2021]

At the time, LA Law was great.

On rewatch, decades later, it's ok, but the pacing and subject matter don't hold up as well. There are many politically incorrect jokes and homophobic as well as misogynistic story lines, and so the series has not aged well.

The Start of a great TV mogal.

[blablablabla4 · 10/10 · 6 September 2012]

Allot of people give Steve Bochco all the credit for the shows success as well they should because he read a screen play called From The Hip ands in turn hired the writer of said screen play. While Bochco wrote many amazing moments in Hill Street, it was David E. Kelly that dropped Rosalyn Shays down an elevator shaft. It was Kelly that established established the beginnings with the odd twist which he would continue with Picket Fences and Chicago Hope. Hardest thing for this writer is every show after it was compared to LA Law. People complained about that in the case of Harry's Law. But at least it was considered in the shadow of Boston Legal. Really Bochco and Kelley invented the dramedy.

Great few seasons then downhill

[tex-42 · 15 November 2001]

This show concerning the lives of lawyers at an LA law firm was a breakout hit during its first season for its well written plots and great characters. This of course was because of some incredible writers and great actors. However as the show entered about it's sixth season the best writers and actors began to leave en masse the plotlines fell apart and the show became much more stale. Avoid this period if you can.

fantastic

[mattkratz · 9/10 · 6 April 2016]

This was a terrific legal drama about a hodgepodge of lawyers in an upscale legal firm in Los Angeles, and it focused on their cases and their lives. The story lines were terrific as were the characters, like the womanizing Arnie (a character you usually find in sitcoms!), the retarded office worker Bennie, the Hispanic attorney Victor who knew he had been hired to meet racial status quos, and the nasty attorney who met her end when she fell down the elevator shaft. I loved the theme song-it ranks among my all-time favorites. Anyone who likes legal dramas will love this show. Compare and contrast it to The Practice. You might find it interesting.

*** out of ****

Great tv still in 2023

[michelledove · 9/10 · 2 December 2023]

I never watched this show when it was on air. I am binging it on Hulu and it is absolutely captivating. I can't take my eyes off the screen. Every episode still interesting all these years later. The characters, the actors, the writing all of it is a 10!!!!! The issues in each episode really make you think about the way things were, and the way they are now. Some issues show how much progress we have made and some issues show we haven't made much progress at all. It's also nice to not be overloaded with graphic sex scenes, u feel the passion and intensity rather than seeing a lot of the act. Great tv!!!

Is there any DVD for the whole series? Help please!

[tracker23 · 8/10 · 25 October 2006]

Hi All, I live in Taiwan, I really love these shows, I watch it every Saturday night back to the 1980s, it was the in the end of 1980s, I really miss these old time, I'd like to know where I can find it in DVD?

It's OK if there are only tapes available. Where can I buy it? Can I buy it by mail? I know there must be some way to find it in DVD, I really hope one or two DVDs contain it all, so I don't have to take care those mass tapes, tapes go mildew easily, but DVD is easy to take care of.

Somebody tell me about this please, I'd appreciate it.

my email : [e-mail]

Diana Muldaur

[pringlesarebestinworld · 10/10 · 16 October 2023]

Diana Muldaur played Doctor Pulaski in Star Trek: TNG and was an awful actress and character, however she is much more credible as a lawyer in LA Law. She, as an actress is not brilliant so not surprising she only lasted 24 episodes in this show too.

Diana Muldaur played Doctor Pulaski in Star Trek: TNG and was an awful actress and character, however she is much more credible as a lawyer in LA Law. She, as an actress is not brilliant so not surprising she only lasted 24 episodes in this show too.

Diana Muldaur played Doctor Pulaski in Star Trek: TNG and was an awful actress and character, however she is much more credible as a lawyer in LA Law. She, as an actress is not brilliant so not surprising she only lasted 24 episodes in this show too.