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What is the name of James Spader's character?
A. Alan Shore
James Spader plays Alan Shore in Boston Legal. The same character he played on The Practice. Boston Legal is a spinoff of that long-running Kelley series. Interestingly, James Spader “came home” to Boston Legal, as he was born in Boston.
B. Denny Crane
C. Brad Chase
D. Garrett Wells
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What is the name of the legal firm where they practice?
A. Cane & Schmidt
B. Shore, Crane & Chase
C. Crane, Poole & Schmidt
The name on the door is Crane, Poole & Schmidt. Based out of Boston, MA where it was founded in 1984 by attorneys Denny Crane, Edwin M. Poole, and Shirley Schmidt, the firm had offices in several major U.S. cities as well as offices in London, England, Hong Kong, China, and Mexico City. It was bought out by Zhu Chang, a Chinese attorney and wealthy investor who then changed the firm name to Chang, Poole and Schmidt in the series final two episodes.
D. Poole, Cane & Schmidt
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Denny Crane is quite the character, who is this character portrayed by?
A. Mark Valley
B. William Shatner
William Shatner known for his Star Trek legacy as Captain James T. Kirk, and his role as police sergeant in T. J. Hooker. In Boston Legal he plays a hero of sorts once again. According to the Season One episode "From Whence We Came", Denny Crane has never lost a trial. According to his backstory, he has won six thousand and forty-three trials (and lost zero) in forty-five years.
C. Justin Mentell
D. Craig Bierko
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Where did nearly all episodes’ end?
A. With Denny and Alan sitting on the balcony
Nearly all episodes (except "Spring Fever" and several others in the first season) end with Denny and Alan sitting in the balcony, having a drink and smoking a cigar and discussing the events in the episode.
B. With Denny and Alan sitting in Denny’s office
C. With Denny and Alan leaving the building and parting ways
D. With Denny and Alan having dinner at their favorite restaurant
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What is the name of the character that Candice Bergen portrayed?
A. Sara Holt
B. Shirley Schmidt
Candice Bergen added a spark and sexual tension to Boston Legal when she joined the show. She plays a manipulative, wisecracking lawyer who seems to appeal to the ethical way of practicing law. Already well known for her starring role on Murphy Brown as a hard-nosed television reporter Bergen is multi-talented. Starting her career as a model, then an actress, she has written articles, a play, and a memoir, Knock Wood (1984). She has also studied photography and worked as a photojournalist.
C. Claire Simms
D. Katie Lloyd
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Why did Shirley suddenly join the company according to the script?
Edwin Poole had a mental breakdown
Edwin Poole has gone off the deep end after showing up at work, having only dressed the top half of his body. Larry Miller portrayed Edwin Poole as well as other characters (nasty doorman on Seinfeld, Walter Stratford in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, etc.) Shirley added her own brand of spice to the legal dramedy.
Crane, Poole & Schmidt profits were falling and she was there to fix it
She wanted to shake up Denny
None of the above
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Where did Crane, Poole & Schmidt have its Boston office?
Fleet Street
Prior to the show's premiere, it had a working title of Fleet Street, an allusion to the real street in Boston where the fictitious Crane, Poole & Schmidt had its offices. The working title was later modified to The Practice: Fleet Street, but this title was dropped in favor of Boston Legal. The real building shown as the law office is located at 500 Boylston Street, 1.4 miles away from Fleet Street.
Market Street
Wall Street
Main Street
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René Auberjonois plays a Managing Partner of the Boston office and legal advisor of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. What is the character’s name?
A. Brad Chase
B. Jeffrey Coho
C. Paul Lewiston
Paul is skilled in client relations and is an expert in Far Eastern markets and legal problems of corporations doing business in that part of the world. Unlike Denny and Alan, Paul generally does things strictly "by the book." Auberjonois began his career in theatre, winning a Tony Award for his performance as Sebastian Baye alongside Katharine Hepburn in Coco. He has portrayed Father Mulcahy in M*A*S*H (1970), and in TV he played Clayton Endicott III on Benson (for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award), and Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, among other roles.
D. Carl Sack
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An intern turned lawyer turned girlfriend to Alan Shore, who is she?
A. Tara Wilson
Tara Wilson first appeared as a paralegal at Young, Frutt & Berlutti. Fired from the firm after notifying Alan of his impending dismissal, Tara is hired to work at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, the firm representing Alan's civil case. Subsequently, she became a lawyer. Tara and Alan finally began a sexual relationship following his break-up with Sally Heep. Tara Wilson is played by Rhona Mitra best known for her roles in Party of Five, The Practice, Boston Legal and Nip/Tuck to name a few.
B. Sally Heep
C. Denise Bauer
D. Sara Holt
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Ah, but what about name of the character who started a relationship with Alan Crane in The Practice that crossed over to Boston Legal?
Sara Heep
Sally Heep first appeared as an associate at Crane, Poole & Schmidt. Introduced in The Practice, Sally began a relationship with Alan that crossed over into Boston Legal. However, after he used her to get information from a witness against their client so they could suppress his testimony, she broke up with him. Shortly after Shirley fired Sally for repeated errors in case preparation Sally Heep was portrayed by Lake Bell, known for her work on Boston Legal, Surface, How to Make It in America and Children’s Hospital and numerous films.
Denise Bauer
Sara Holt
Tara Wilson
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Mr. Blue Eyes, Brad Chase, has a background that helps him intimidate others and undertake physically demanding tasks. What is his background?
A. He was a welder
B. He was a traffic cop
C. He was in the Marines
Brad’s military background is similar to that of Mark Valley who portrays the lawyer. Valley was born in Ogdensburg, New York, and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1987. He then served in Berlin, where he played rugby for the U.S. military team. He served in the military during the Gulf War.
D. He was in the Air Force
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What is the name of the aggressive young attorney who on her first day in Boston her husband files for divorce and plans to become a golf pro.
A. Denise Bauer
Denise Bauer was introduced as an aggressive young attorney at the start of the show's second season. A senior associate at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Denise is thrown when, on her first day in Boston, her husband files for divorce and insists that she pay him so he can live while setting up his career as a mediocre golf pro. Her distractions over the divorce cause her trouble with some cases. Julie Bowen is best known for Claire Dunphy on the comedy Modern Family which has earned her six nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2011 and 2012.
B. Lori Colson
C. Sally Heep
D. Claire Simms
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John Larroquette was added to the cast during seasons four and five, his character comes from the New York office and is an old flame of Shirley. What is the character’s name?
A. Carl Sack
A senior partner at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Carl transferred from the New York office to help Shirley in managing the Boston branch following the withdrawal of Paul Lewiston from a leadership role. Carl is an old flame of Shirley's and proposes to her in "Thanksgiving." Prior to Boston Legal, John Larroquette was well known for his work on Night Court. He won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series four years in a row, and might have won more but he asked that his name be taken out of consideration.
B. Clarence Bell
C. Jeffrey Coho
D. Garrett Wells
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What is the name of the character who is hopelessly shy and needs a female alter ego to embody the characteristics he cannot embody?
A. Clarence Bell (Clarice, Clevant and “Oprah”)
Clarence Bell, played by Gary Anthony Williams is one of the most memorable characters due to the ability to play both sexes so convincingly. Clarence is hopelessly shy and introverted. To deal with this drawback, he role-plays as other people who embody the characteristics he cannot. Actor, comedian and voice artist Gary Anthony Williams also co-founded and is Artistic Director of the L.A. Comedy Shorts film festival in Hollywood, California.
B. Jeffrey Coho (Jerri, J.J.)
C. Garett Wells (Garetta)
D. None of the above
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What’s the name of the character who is an intense, grandiose criminal defense attorney from the New York office?
A. Garett Wells
B. Jeffrey Coho
Jeffrey is as comfortable with making enemies as he is making friends. He had a fleeting relationship with Denise, and as such is cordially despised by Brad Chase. Jeffrey Coho is played by Craig Bierko who is currently staring as Chet Wilton in UnREAL for Lifetime TV. Bierko may be best known for his role as Timothy in the 1996 action film The Long Kiss Goodnight, as Max Baer in the film Cinderella Man, as Tom Ryan in Scary Movie 4 and on the Broadway stage as Harold Hill in The Music Man.
C. Paul Lewiston
D. Brad Chase
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What is the name of the smart, sexy lawyer who joined the firm the same time as Jeffrey Coho and became a fast friend with Clarence Bell?
A. Claire Sims
Claire Sims is a smart, sexy lawyer who, along with Jeffrey Coho, joins the firm in the second episode of Season three. She did undercover work in the Scott Little case, and has a penchant for flirting with witnesses. Constance Zimmer, who portrays Claire Sims, currently stars in the Lifetime television series UnREAL for which she won a Critics' Choice Television Award and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She is also known for her portrayed of industry powerhouse and studio executive Dana Gordon in the HBO original series Entourage.
B. Katie Lloyd
C. Loraine Weller
D. Whitney Rome
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Playing a role as someone with Asperger's syndrome makes one memorable but playing the role with heart and humor could only have been done by Christian Clemenson. What was the name of Christian Clemenson's character?
A. Jerry Espenson
Jerry Espenson is an attorney diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, although his quirks seem to be a misrepresentation of the syndrome, being closer to Tourette's Syndrome than Asperger's.
A. Garett Wells
B. Jeffrey Coho
C. Paul Lewiston
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How was Jerry’s Asperger syndrome expressed?
A. Purring whenever he feels anxious and upset
B. Awkwardly walking with his hands pressed to his thighs
C. Exclaiming “Bingo!” as an affirmative
D. All of the above
Jerry’s Asperger’s syndrome was expressed through all these quirks. It’s how he got the nick name “Hands Experson”. He also hopped when he was excited. He was good in his role, so good he was nominated for three Emmy Awards winning the 2006 Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He has appeared in a number of highly acclaimed films, including Hannah and Her Sisters, Broadcast News, Apollo 13 and The Big Lebowski, and portrayed Tom Burnett in Paul Greengrass' United 93. He most recently starred in American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson as prosecutor William Hodgman.
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Betty White played a cross over role from The Practice. What role did she play?
A. Alan's former assistant, Catherine, who returned as a food delivery person at Crane, Poole & Schmidt
Alan's former assistant, first introduced in The Practice, is Catherine Piper. It’s interesting to note one of the stories that involved her character was a lawsuit brought by Carl Sack against the television networks that argued the networks had an obligation to present shows that met the needs of senior citizens with working brains. This episode was a slap at ABC, which threatened to cancel Boston Legal repeatedly due to its declining 18-49 age group ratings.
B. Denny’s former assistant, Katy who sued Crane, Poole & Schmidt for age discrimination
C. Shirley’s former assistant Sally, who Shirley bullied all the time
D. None of the above
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Golden Globe winner, Kerry Washington, played what character?
A. Chelina Hall who worked on behalf of death row inmates
Prior to coming to work for Crane, Poole & Schmidt in Boston, Chelina worked on behalf of death row inmates for the Texas Innocence Project by petitioning the Texas High Court to reconsider execution sentence. Kerry Washington plays Olivia Pope on Scandal. She portrays a crisis management expert to politicians and power brokers in Washington DC. For her role in Scandal, she has been nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series.
B. Marlene Stanger, known at her old firm as "The Squid"
C. Missy Tiggs, an eccentric, obnoxious, Broadway musical-loving woman
D. None of the above
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Who said this? Objection, your Honor. You can't preface your second point with "first of all."
A. Alan Shore
Alan Shore does not think twice when it comes to being condescending to judges. But he shouldn’t talk, he is nowhere near perfect. The character suffers from night terrors and has a fear of clowns. James Spader who portrays Alan Shore is well known in film and TV. He currently stars as high-profile criminal Raymond "Red" Reddington in the crime drama The Blacklist and played the villainous artificial intelligence Ultron in Marvel Studios' 2015 blockbuster superhero film Avengers: Age of Ultron.
B. Denny Crane
C. Shirley Schmidt
D. Brad Chase
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Who said this? Now, Alan, if all else fails and you think you've lost... pretend you've won! Works for our president.
Sally Heep
Denny Crane
Denny Crane says this to Alan Shore. The show often contains dialog that "breaks the fourth wall" or lets the audience believe they know it's a TV show. At the end of episode "Squid Pro Quo", Denny ends the episode by saying, "I can't wait until next week.” In another episode, Denny Crane says, “I can act... I have an Emmy.”
Shirley Schmidt
Brad Chase
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23. Who is Alan talking to? Could I trouble you to do a quick background check? I realize we haven't spoken much since we stopped having sex, and frankly I'm dismayed by that. But, what I need to know is everything you can find out about my new client... .
Sally Heep
Sally Heap was in The Practice when she started her relationship with Alan Shore and continued it in Boston Legal. Lane Bell portrayed Sally Heap. Bell is multitalented, besides acting she has also written and directed her own award-winning short film, Worst Enemy, which débuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
Shirley Schmidt
Lori Colson
Catherine Piper
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Catherine Piper (Betty White) is delivering cookies to a staff briefing and says "My what an interesting face." Who does she say that to?
Denny Crane
Paul Lewiston
She says it to Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois). This is likely a nod to Auberjonois' role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) as Constable Odo; a shapeshifter who was never completely able to copy a human face and thus always had a unique flat-looking face.
Alan Shore
Brad Chase
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Catchphrases. Which one of these is from Denny Crane?
A. Lock and load
B. [rapid-fire] Denny-Crane
C. Not having sex with you
D. All of the above
All of these catchphrases are from Denny Crane which is more than most characters. It could be because Denny Crane and Alan Shore are the only characters in all 101 episodes of the series!
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What does Shirley Schmidt say when associates question her authority?
A. The name of this firm is Crane, Poole & Schmidt. I'm Schmidt.
With a propensity to remind her younger colleagues that she's "Schmidt", Shirley is tasked with reigning in Denny's preposterous behavior, directing litigation, and practicing law. She is a busy woman as the character and as the actress. Candice Bergen’s film and theatre career was just as busy as her TV career. She starred in The Sand Pebbles, Soldier Blue, Carnal Knowledge and The Wind and the Lion. She made her Broadway debut in the 1984 play Hurlyburly. Her other film roles include Miss Congeniality, Sweet Home Alabama, The Women and Bride Wars. In the 2010s, she returned to Broadway to star in the revivals of The Best Man and Love Letters.
B. You’re fired.
C. Excuse me, your name again?
D. I’ve seen better.
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What is the name of the judge that says the following: “Do you know what my mother would call you? A namby-pamby. Weak and spineless, bellyaching about some trumped up medical excuse.”
A. Judge Brown
Judge Clark Brown (played by Henry Gibson) is a 70-year-old judge who still lives with his mother. He is known to utter strong adjectives like "Shocking!" or "Disgusting!" during witness testimony, and often describes things as "Outrageous!" Henry Gibson, a life-long actor is known by most as a character on Laugh-In, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1971. He never stopped working from film, to TV, to voice actor. Gibson's last major roles were in the 2005 film Wedding Crashers, and as supporting character Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal. He died in 2009 of cancer at age 73.
B. Judge Thompson
C. Judge Judy
D. None of the above
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Denny: “You left me, Shirley. Women don't leave Denny Crane. And for a secretary!” Shirley: “It was the Secretary of Defense.” Which of these characters was Shirley romantically involved with?
A. Ivan Tigs, her ex husband
B. Denny Crane, a fling
C. Carl Sack, an old flame
D. All of the above
In the series, Ivan Tiggs is a womanizer played by Tom Selleck. Ivan tricks Shirley with his vow of fidelity in order to get back with her. Denny is always trying to get back in bed with her. And, Carl, an old flame of Shirley's, ends up proposing to her in "Thanksgiving." Shirley and Carl are married in a civil ceremony by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at Nimmo Bay in the series finale.
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Who said the following: It's a good feeling, you know, to shoot a bad guy. Something you Democrats would never understand. Americans... we're homesteaders, we want a safe home, keep the money we make, and shoot bad guys.
A. Denny Crane
At the end of season two Denny Crane has shot 4 people. The man who threatened to kill Alan, because he helped his ex-wife not to have their children kidnapped by him,(2) the rapist, who killed a girl,(3) the homeless man, who threw a rock at him and (4) his therapist. Actually He shot his therapist twice, once in a session when he threatened to kill him and once in the courtroom when he was again threatening to kill him.
B. Alan Shore
C. Shirley Schmidt
D. Brad Chase
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Boston Legal had the distinction of attracting what type of audience?
A. Lawyers
B. Tweens
C. Blue Collar
D. High-income viewers
According to Nielsen Media Research, Boston Legal drew the richest viewing audience on television, based on the concentration of high-income viewers in its young adult audience (Adult 18–49 index w/$100k+ annual income).
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When did the series air?
A. 2004-2007
B. 2004-2008
Boston Legal aired from October 3, 2004 to December 8, 2008, five seasons of great writing and wonderful acting. Boston Legal's two-hour-long series finale aired on Monday, December 8, 2008, at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central.
C. 1997-2000
D. 1999-2002
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Why did the show end?
A. Ratings had fallen
B. ABC kept moving the time slot
C. ABC wanted to end the program
In the fifth season the show was ranked at number 47, coming back from a low of 62 in season three. Creator and Executive Producer, David E. Kelley, stated in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 7, 2008 that it was ABC's decision to end Boston Legal, and that he "had to fight to bring it back for a short season of 13 episodes".
D. William Shatner had to leave for health reasons
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What category (categories) did Boston Legal win in the Primetime Emmy Awards?
A. Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
B. Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
C. Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
D. All of the above
Boston Legal received a number of awards for acting including James Spader for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2005 and 2007 (he also won the 2004 Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the same role on "The Practice".) Awards were also given to William Shatner for Outstanding Supporting Actor and to Christian Clemenson for Outstanding Guest actor.
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The Golden Globe also honored the show with one award, which category?
A. Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
William Shatner won the 2004 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie. He was also nominated again in 2008. Candace Bergin and James Spader were both nominated for best lead actress/actor in 2006 and 2005 respectively.
B. Best Lead Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
C. Best Guest Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie
D. None of the above
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The prestigious Peabody Award was given to David E. Kelly Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. What other awards were won by the show?
A. Satellite Awards
B. Prism Awards
C. American Cinema Editors
D. All of the above
Besides all the above award competitions, Boston Legal was also nominated for the People’s Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Gold Derby Award, The Directors Guild of America, and many, many more Award competitions.
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