# The Practice (1997)

> A Boston law firm's young associates and scrappy boss take on morally fraught cases in a provocative legal drama.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2901

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 168
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: David E. Kelley
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Dylan McDermott, Steve Harris, Camryn Manheim, Michael Badalucco, Jessica Capshaw, LisaGay Hamilton, Kelli Williams, Lara Flynn Boyle
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118437/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: provocative, intense, tense, dialogue driven, suspenseful

## What critics say

Audiences rate The Practice as a positive, provocative legal drama whose moral dilemmas and ensemble performances hold up well, though its final season is judged weakest.

## Synopsis

The Practice (1997-2004) is an American network legal drama created by David E. Kelley for ABC. Dylan McDermott plays Bobby Donnell, the scrappy head of a bare-bones Boston firm, while Steve Harris as Eugene Young, Camryn Manheim as Ellenor Frutt, and Michael Badalucco as Jimmy Berluti round out the principal cast, with James Spader joining later as the sharp-tongued Alan Shore. The engine is simple and relentless: underfunded lawyers take on clients whose guilt, innocence, or motives are morally murky, and every case forces them to weigh winning against what is right. Each episode is built around a courtroom matter, but the firm's internal rivalries, money troubles, and personal entanglements carry through the seasons, so the stakes accumulate. The show runs eight seasons across 168 episodes, combining case-of-the-week structure with serialized character arcs. Its tone is provocative, intense, and dialogue-driven, with tense courtroom exchanges and a sober, unflinching view of the justice system. Set in contemporary Boston, it is grounded and talky, and fans of Boston Legal, The Good Wife, and L.A. Law will find the same mix of ethical ambiguity and sharp legal theater.

## Shows like The Practice

- [Damages (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/4671)
- [Boston Legal (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/4376)
- [The Guardian (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/1689)
- [For The People (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/62631)
- [The Fix (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/70044)
- [Goliath (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59280)
- [Murder One (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/3064)
- [Judging Amy (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1917)
- [Ally McBeal (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/1396)
- [All Rise (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/77015)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt