The Practice

The Practice follows a small Boston law firm led by Bobby Donnell, where a group of young associates take on a steady stream of gritty, morally fraught cases. The series puts more emphasis on the ethical tradeoffs attorneys make than on courtroom spectacle, showing how limited resources, client needs, and personal loyalties collide. Episodes move between client meetings, tense depositions, strategy sessions, and trials, and relationships inside the office shape how cases are argued. Characters like Eugene Young, Ellenor Frutt, Jimmy Berluti, Jamie Stringer, and the mercurial Alan Shore bring varied outlooks and tactics, so outcomes feel human and unpredictable. It mixes courtroom strategy with quieter office politics and moral argumentation, keeping procedures realistic while highlighting the costs of practicing law.

Premiering in 1997 on ABC, The Practice was created by David E. Kelley. Kelley's knack for fast, dialogue-driven scripts and ensemble storytelling set the show's tone, and the cast expanded over time with memorable additions that shifted dynamics and story focus.

The series left a mark on TV legal drama by centering moral ambiguity and professional ethics, not just case-of-the-week wins. Its courtroom confrontations and character conflicts prompted discussions about defense work and legal tactics, and the program produced the spin-off Boston Legal, which continued Alan Shore's story and some recurring threads.

Critics and audiences responded well to the performances and the show's willingness to tackle thorny questions, reflected in a vote average of 7.648/10 from 108 votes. Recurring themes include ethical compromise, the pressure of advocacy on personal life, questions of race and power within legal practice, and how strategy can override principle at times.

Across its run The Practice earned multiple Emmy nominations and wins, with recognition for acting and writing that helped raise several cast members' profiles. Those honors underscored the show's influence on legal storytelling and opened opportunities for actors and writers to take on prominent roles elsewhere.