This week was the series finale of one of my favorite shows, Boston Legal. I’ve enjoyed this show from the very beginning when it was spun off from The Practice, never missing an episode. One of the reasons I enjoyed this show was the fact that the main stars were not teenyboppers or twenty-somethings bouncing across the screen showing as much skin as possible while uttering banal dialogue about “hooking up”. This was a show that respected those of us over fifty and showcased talent and intellect instead of glorifying youth.
Another reason I loved the show was it’s cast of quirky characters, those great court tirades from Alan, and a chance to watch William Shatner (as Denny Crane) have fun with a role that finally gave him the chance to demonstrate his acting chops and his humor.
It’s a shame ABC never really committed itself to this show. It’s a shame that television networks and executives still think that youth is the primary demographic to target. It’s a shame that 72 million baby boomers, with big money to spend and an even bigger television viewing habit, are ignored by television suits and ad execs. Just last week Boston Legal itself had a story (“Juiced”) where statistics were quoted by Carl Sack (played by Dan Laroquette) that gave creedance to the viewing and buying power of the Baby Boom Generation.
I am going to miss this show and I am going to miss the respect and appreciation it had for my age group and my television viewing preferences. I am going to miss Denny Crane, Alan Shore, Shirley Schmidt, Jerry Espenson and Carl Sack. I’m going to miss those great moments between Denny and Alan on the office patio, I’ll miss Jerry’s tics and pops, Shirley’s blow up doll and Mad Cow jokes. But most of all I will miss a great show that treated me with respect by entertaining me with adult stories, silly antics, quirky humor and intelligent dialogue.
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