Shark Bytes

I love the show, and I've seen it in its entirety maybe 7 times. The only shark-approaching moments IMO:

The nonstop plot-recycling involving serial killers stalking Lindsay (and eventually dying horribly) and the improbable murder charges that followed.

Wiping half the cast after S7 was bad enough, but what's worse was never explaining the departures on the show. i.e. "I haven't seen helen since the left the DA's office and took that job at the S&M shop".

The first two seasons are on www.fancast.com (under full episodes).

Fantastic show. Never missed it. I have favorite episodes in each season, but I think my favorite seasons were 4 (2000) and 5 (2001). Some great villains, esp William Hinks (actor Michael Emerson won an Emmy, and now plays Ben on Lost – which I don’t watch but h caught my eye when I saw a clip of the show). Crazy George Vogelman (had a head in briefcase) and later tried to kill Ellenor, Joey Heric was good (John LaRoquette). Actors Bruce Davison, Henry Winkler, Victoria Principal – all good episodes.

Being a stickler for details, a few things I found to be unreaslistic, though. 1) Helen Gamble, Lindsey Dole, Ellenor Frutt were all highly paid attys. Esp Lindsey – it was stated in one episode that Lindsey made $242k/yr. Why the heck did they need housemates? First Lindsey roomed with Helen, then Ellenor. I mean even in Boston they each should have had their own place. Come on. And I never bought the Helen/Lindsey friendship thing esp since each was involved with Bobby – although not at same time. I admit I loved Dylan McDermott/Bobby, he was my TV crush throughout the run of the show,

I liked the heart, soul, and “grit’ of the show. I hated it when DA Richard Bay was gunned down, but I feel it fit the plotline. Loved how Helen went after the snake who had him killed.

The ongoing sex fling btw Jimmy and Judge Roberta Kittleson - oh my goodness!!

I think the show declined last 3 seasons. I didn’t like the marriage of Bobby and Lindsey, and then they divorced. Then key cast members left, Alan Shore came (he’s great), but thing changed a lot. I think it could have ended sooner. But I sure miss it!

The practice was a fantastic show right up to the final season when they gutted out the top members of the cast. How can you possibly continue a show, when in a single season you remove such pivital ammount of characters! In the practice, they lost bobby, lindsey, rebecca, and Helen Gamble and it did'nt occur to any of the producers to just end the series? Insted they limp along into a final season that was extremely sub-par. That is with one exception, James Spader. I am so glad that he went on to boston legal because his character of Alan Shore was so deliciously devious. Overall though, this whole situation smacks of one of the oldset rules of jump the shark. Get out when the getting is still good!

Plan B.

And gunning down the other DA was just unnecessary.

The Practice is also the name of a short-lived 1976 sitcom starring Danny Thomas as a crusty old doctor.

I don't remember much about it, but perhaps there should be separate categories for shows that share the same name, with something in parenthesis to indicate which is which.

I agree that when Lindsay first arrived, she actually brought a nice fresh twist to the show, but it seems the writers spent too much time tryng to milk her for every drop of audience interest they could get. I started to hate it when she was on at all after a while. I hated that she married Bobby, mainly because her character was becoming less interesting, and they had the warm wedded chemistry of Fred and Ethel Mertz. It got bad when they started making it about the characters, because they had horrible stories for the characters outside of the courtroom.

It was more of a gradual decline. They would have cases that began and ended in the same show and some that would carry on through a couple shows. After a while it seemed like all the cases dragged out through several shows. It became a soap opera so that if you missed a week you were lost for the season. That's how they lost me. James Spader lightened it up a bit. What happened to Judge Eugene? Wasn't he still in Boston?

I don't know if it was one moment but the last few seasons almost all of the cases became "my client should get off from what ever crime because Bush sucks." regardless of the case someone would make a political point regardless of what was actually going on. Almost (as south park put it in the Johny Crocken chef episode) a wookkie defense. If it doesn't make sense that I'm talking about Bush as a bad president than you must let my client off. I like Alan Shore. He bought some drama and added some story back to the show. Then he started doing the same things. One saving grace in the show was the episode "police state" which allowed them to tell a story with some of the ideals but tell a good story and not just find an excuse for a lawyer to preach about politics as if they were on an political talk show instead of the court room drama. Please don't take this as if I just don't like there politics because I'm a conservative I don't think I would enjoy the show any more if it was more conservative.

Lucy was awesome. Whoever said she isn't is clearly misguided and i hope in the future they revise their position, for all our sakes.

This show jumped the shark when they got rid of Bobby & the rest of the cast that left in 2003. They were the backbone of the show & were the reason I wastched. Way to ruin a good thing ABC, I don't think I've seen a show on your crappy network since.

When it became more about their personal lives than the cases. When Eugene was going to let that kid die rather than breach confidentiality and then 'reported' Jimmy for actually telling that the kid had an anerism.(sp). And the bar of ethics was mad at JIMMY! That was disgusting. When Lindsay was convicted FOR LIFE???!!! for defending herself and her baby from a deranged psycho stalker! When Jessica Capshaw was brought on and had to point out the OBVIOUS to Eleanor, (who used to be a great lawyer,) that Lindsay's actions should have been defended as 'reasonable', not 'insane.'
DUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!!! OY!!!!!!

One of the best shows ever on TV. I still watch the reruns and watch it like I never have seen them before.
Does anyone know if you can buy the box set of The Practice?

I have been looking for the DVD for years but have always liked the show.

Daniel...................Toronto

two words: Alan Shore. As much as I liked the guy-and James Spader-he led to the demise of a great show and the somewhat crazy, unneeded spinoff.

Lindsay's transformation into an unforgiving, hateful bitch did not help matters. They took one of the most likable characters of the series, one of the most important as well, and turned her into somebody whom nobody could possibly like due to her treatment of Bobby.

Not long afterwards, there was the cast change and all of the remaining characters who had been there from the beginning, whom the regular viewers had become attached to, ended up becoming nothing more than foils for Alan Shore, who shat all over them. If you want to drive viewers away, that's a very effective way to do it: bring in a new character who rarely exhibits any emotion besides smugness or amusement, and have him abuse the characters you love week after week.

To summarize, between Lindsay turning vicious...Bobby, Rebecca, Helen and Lucy departing...and Eugene, Eleanor, Jimmy and Jamie all being pushed aside so Alan Shore could have the spotlight all to himself, the demise of this series comes down to one thing: mistreatment, in one form or another, of the characters we'd come to care for.