Who was your favourite character on LA LAW?

Jill Eikenberry

Underated I agree r1! Loved her crush on her boss!

r3 Roxanne actually was my favorite character ... but this is DL, so I had to make The Police reference.

The only honest one in the cast.

r5=Chris Burke

The elevator of death.

Smart, sexy, swarthy, (and presumably uncut and well-hung) Victor Sifuentes

How about me, you fucking queer bitches?

DL Fave Betty Lynn!

Ann/Jill Eikenberry always lacked an essential glamour. Otherwise, she would have been favored more heavily by The Gays.

Decent actress, anyway.

Rosalind Shays was an 80s gay icon

the queer one

r13 = born after L:A Law's original run

Alan Rachins' character, knowing that he had been naked on stage in "Oh! Calcutta!" though his character was kind of arrogant and conservative. With a wig, he still looks gorgeous.

Mike because he was liberal cared of his clients and was played by very handsome Hamlin

Ann grudgingly along on a hiking and camping trip, got a terrible cash of poison ivy in a delicate spot and Stuart calls a limousine service to take them back to LA asap.

Roxanne and Arnie sitting together on his couch eating ice cream and watching an old movie after he freaked out about being alone/not having a date on a Saturday night.

Later on, she marries a guy whom everyone thinks is obnoxious but he loves her and they make it work.

I remember loving the show but these are the only parts I really remember.

r7 Poor Rosalind Shades lol!,That scene was tv magic!

Michelle Greene played an ok character but cannot remember her name.

WHORE WHORE WHORE.

Who is a whore r20!!!😲😲

That big retard.

Did we watch the same show? Jill Eikenberry was bland as fuck.

CJ Lamb shook that place up! And not just for lezzing out with Abby — she was a hoot in every office and court scene.

BITCH SLUT Nword

Roxanne divorced the obnoxious guy, R17.

[quote] Rosalind Shays was an 80s gay icon

That would be quite an impressive feat considering her character not actually appear until 1990.

r26 I thought her surname was Shades?

No, but she could sure throw it.

I dunno, I thought Suasan deserved an Emmy nod for that episode where Grace picked up radio waves with her braces during a deposition.

I watched this show every week from the first episode. OP's question caused me to realize I didn't really like or care about any of the original characters.

They were rich lawyers who had nothing at stake, really. And that was the creator's intention, I believe, to explore that new yuppieverse.

I loved the writing and the drama of the cases, and I watched for that. I didn't tune in to see what Kuzak or Van Owen or Sifuentes were going to do about anything or anyone in their lives.

The characters were just sort of blanks, compared to St. Elsewhere and Hill Street—I had so many favorite characters on those I couldn't choose.

The first characters I enjoyed as actual characters were the first replacements — CJ Lamb and Tommy Mullaney (John Spencer) and Zoey the ADA (Cecil Hoffmann was very good - WHET?) — then Susan Bloom the fat entertainment lawyer.

Then they canned them all except Tommy, and the show was just pathetic for its last few seasons.

[quote] The characters were just sort of blanks, compared to St. Elsewhere and Hill Street—I had so many favorite characters on those I couldn't choose.

Yet ironically when the former [italic]St. Elsewhere[/italic] writers/producers took over the show in season 7, it was an utter disaster. It was obvious they knew more about the medical field than the legal profession. The first half of that season was the absolute nadir; everything after that is like an attempt to clean up the mess.

Yes, it was a disaster, R32. John Tinker and John Masius (who were producers but not the showrunners of St. Elsewhere). They're the ones who canned CJ, Zoey, Susan and some promising young hottie who I think was gay IRL.

They actually got booted after 13 weeks IIRC, and Steven Bochco had to come in and mop things up. They basically killed the show.

What made it worse is that era overlapped with the real-life riots in LA over the Rodney King trial (shades of today).

The riots episode was terrible. Stuart got pulled out of his car and bonked on the head and turned into a version of Benny for half the season.

[quote] The riots episode was terrible. Stuart got pulled out of his car and bonked on the head and turned into a version of Benny for half the season.

That storyline was barely good enough for [italic]Melrose Place[/italic]! Even worse was Douglas going to jail and butting an inmate in the head for making a pass at him, this coming about a year after he kissed a transsexual model for a make-up company on the hand after winning a wrongful termination case (no lie; this was one of the cases in Kuzak's last episode). And what made it worse was that they threw David Schwimmer into the mix. He is repulsive and so is the character he played. I'm surprised he ever worked again. And how about that episode with the statue of Martin Luther King that supposedly made him look like a lawn jockey? Someone needs to start a thread on "when good shows go bad and do so spectacularly." Not just any old "Jump the Shark" discussion, but the best shows to take a turn for the worse. This and [italic]The Simpsons[/italic] would be at the top of the list.

The last season and a half is not nearly as bad but not as good as it was in its prime.

The show was terribly managed for the last few years.

David E. Kelley left to do (the brilliant) Picket Fences after season 5. Patricia Green (a multi-Emmy-winning producer of Cagney & Lacey and China Beach) replaced him for season 6. People said she made the show too serious, and she quit midseason. Steven Bochco came back.

Then Tinker & Masius were hired for season 7. People said they made the show too silly (which was true), and they were fired midseason. Steven Bochco came back.

William Finkelstein came in off Civil Wars for season 8 and brought Debi Mazar along. Nobody cared anymore, it was so boring. A Christian lawyer joined the firm and Ann Kelsey got a haircut. Snooze.

Bochco barely had time to run this show in the last season because he now had [italic]NYPD Blue[/italic] to deal with.

My favorite character was the theme song.

I stopped watching after season 3 or so and tuned in a few years later and Jeffrey Tambor, who had been a lawyer, was now a judge wearing a dress. I thought Fuck this, and never watched it again.

Stuart and Jill at their engagement party. Stuart overhears: “You know, he’s just one of those little Jewish money men.”

Stuart:”In your life, has one Jewish person ever done anything to justify that vulgar statement .” Both women shake their heads no in disbelief he has called them on it.

Stuart directs everyone in living room to distance themselves from a huge breakfront hutch. He pulls it down in one fell swoop.

“Now one has”

Damn I loved that show. I can't pick a favorite but my most unfavorite was Eikenberry.

The original cast did a virtual reunion panel last month.

Corbin Bernsen looks totally unrecognizable. Why isn't Harry Hamlin eating? Michele Green and Susan Ruttan look cute.

Susan Dey did not appear or release a statement.

Susan Dey, of course, even though she never sends her condolences.

Towards the end they made Ann cut her hair short and dye it red. During that time, Paul Haggis was a creative consultant. Wasn't his first job in the US writing for [italic]One Day at a Time[/italic]?

Did the show have a breakout new star?

r44 What's this about Susan Dey and condolences? It pops up on this forum a lot!

It’s because she made no comments in public regarding David Cassidy‘s death.

WHAT? no love for Corbin Bernsen? he was the definition of smarmy, just he way you want your lawyer to be.

Thanks r48

[quote]Did the show have a breakout new star?

Jimmy Smits and Blair Underwood were discovered on this show and went on to have long TV careers with several other series.

The sticker on the license plate that changed every year.

The car changed to a Bentley in the last season.

r53 That I did not know. You are very observant of those magical little details that make a shows overall character .

Well, I just got through binge-watching the whole series, and it wasn't cheap since the American DVDs only go up to season 3 while the UK got the whole series. Neither of them will win awards for picture and quality but the sound is great. As the theme song OP posted shows, they really took advantage of stereo TV being newly available.

[quote]picture and quality

I mean.

picture quality

r55 Loved the theme tune to LA LAW. 😍

DL fave Susan Day is scheduled to appear Tuesday August 4 in the Stars in the House LA LAW Cast Reunion.

Why didn't Susan Dey ever speak French on "La Law"?

You fuckers forgot about me! I played Benny's retarded girlfriend! I AM theater royalty and my acting was light years ahead of any of the crappy acting on this night time soap opera.

Corbin Bernsen had a Scotty Bowers connection. Wonder if "Uncle" Scotty was pimping him out when he was young.

[quote] Why didn't Susan Dey ever speak French on "La Law"? —Rose

Because Jimmy Smits didn’t.

r59 No Susan Ruttan?

r62 I can imagine Corbin being quite a hottie as s young man!

I loved Ann. Her only rival was Blair Underwood, who lost credit in my eyes because he didn’t realise that he (a fine young man) and I (a confused sensitive 11 year-old) were destined to be married and roll around in a bed together.

I watched the first few episodes recently and liked how unlikable the characters were. But the sexism was really jaw dropping and made me stop watching. It wasn’t a comment on the time either- it was the writing. Jimmy Smits was a hottie though.

Making a show about sexism is not the same as making a show that is sexist.

Did anyone watch the LA LAW reunion last night? I was really impressed with the cast - all smart actors who seemed to get along and enjoy their time on the show.

Susan Dey was there! She looks pretty good - not all botoxed up. Some interesting stories and an awkward moment or two talking about an extra who felt sexually harassed. Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker could not make it since their power was out due to the hurricane.

Michelle Greene seemed to deny the rumors previously talked about here that the reason she left the show was discomfort with the lesbian storyline with CJ. She said NBC would not let the relationship continue beyond the kiss - "we can't have two series regulars of the same sex together in a relationship. A one-off is fine." Michelle seemed to be somewhat proud to be a part of that and said people still come up to her and thank her.

They also talked briefly about Roz Shays and said Diana Muldaur had no idea she was being killed off until that episode script was handed out when she arrived at the studio. Susan and Michelle said Diana was in tears in the makeup room after finding out her fate. Most agreed that Diana was wonderful in the role, but Harry said it was done for shock value to goose the ratings since they had been on air a long time at that point.

They also said there will likely be a second reunion with Jill and Michael. No sign of Susan Ruttan. Very little talk of David E. Kelley, but loads of praise for Bochco.

I gave up on it finally when they brought the Christian Lawyer on. It was pretty bad by then.

[quote]I gave up on it finally when they brought the Christian Lawyer on. It was pretty bad by then.

They retooled that character one or two episodes after she debuted. I think in her first appearance, she says she's in LA to be an actress. That was boring so they quickly changed it to Christian.

[quote]They retooled that character one or two episodes after she debuted. I think in her first appearance, she says she's in LA to be an actress. That was boring so they quickly changed it to Christian.

I think her character was created as a response to complaints by Rev. Donald Wildmon (remember him?) that the show was too smutty.

Who was the Diana Muldaur character who fell down the elevator shaft? I hated her.

I loved Conchatta Ferrell and Blair Underwood!!

I don’t watch any shows based in LA. They’re tired and overdone. I’d rather watch Seattle law

R69 Michelle has told in an interview how Bochco and Kelley had already left when cast’s original contracts ended. The new producer in charge was difficult to deal with and he had meltdown on the set. He had yelled at cast, one at the time, in his office. Michelle had especially been targeted. When he got in charge he decided not to take her back. Her agent called during hiatus and told her. The decision made no sense because Abby had just been promoted. The writers had already done few first episodes with Abby on them and they had to re-written. Michelle was also asked to do few first episodes to get a storyline how Abby will leave but Michelle turned it down.

I adored La Law!

I always loved the chemistry between Dey and Hamlin.

Do you think they’ll ever reboot it? Disney owns the rights now thanks to the Fox buyout and that’s all they’re capable of these days. Still, why don’t they actually bring back a good 1980s show for a change?

Reboot with many of the same characters? It would be interesting to see Hamlin in charge of the firm with many new hotshot attorneys. But no Susan Ruttan.

Arnie's past coming back to haunt him would make a hell of a storyline.

Stuart and Ann's son Matthew could follow in their footsteps and end up having to represent Benny's wife Rosalie, now a widow, before the IRS who is auditing her inheritance because so much of it came from the money Benny and Dominick won with the horse they owned. Joe Grifasi is still alive and presumably, could still play Dominick in case they feel the need to show what happened to him.

There would obviously be multiple LGB lawyers and even more of color.

I would love to see Susan Dey return to television.

She could do a silent comedy.

I did love Corbin Bernsen - and that hairy body.

I liked Leland. And Roxanne. I had just bought a television, and I watched this, thirtysomething, and A Year in the Life.

I hated Rosalind Shays. Also, LA Law was my first time hating Jimmy Smits. Thankfully, he wasn't as big a star in this as he was in NYPD Blue, which I had to stop watching. I couldn't stand his slurred speaking pattern most of all.

Could they reboot it in another city perhaps St. Louis Indianapolis or Nashville? No one gives a shit about LA anymore. It’s over.

They could move it to Louisiana and keep the title.

r80 You don't like Susan or her character Roxanne?

I thought that Ann Kelsey was sanctimonious and shrill. A Julia Sugarbaker without the southern sass or a sense of humor.

What a shit show that thing was. I have no idea why so many DLers hold it some kind of reverence—and the same old queens who fawn over that bland sack of hair Harry Hamlin.

r90 Corbin and Jimmy were the hot actors in that show in my opinion not Harry!

I’m pretty sure the sight of Arnie in his underwear made me gay.

Have you watched the show recently? Does it hold up at all? I would think that some of the topics are still current. But topical shows usually don't age well.

I binge-watched the DVDs (and since I had to buy both Region 1 and Region 2 discs to get it all, it wasn't cheap) and it holds up extremely well for the first six seasons. It takes a slight dip in quality in season 6; Michael Cumpsty was awful, but Conchata Ferrell was a delight. But nothing was worse than the train wreck of the first half of season 7. What works on one show does not necessarily work on another, and by hiring the [italic]St. Elsewhere[/italic] (which I love) writers/producers, they proved that. Everything after that is slightly better but the damage was done and apparently undoable. The show picked the right time to end because there's no way it could have competed with the O.J. Simpson trial.

Considering they were forced to write around the absence of Jimmy Smits and Blair Underwood, the reunion was okay but it felt kind of lacking in humor. What was up with Stuart and Ann getting ripped off by a New Age grifter? Kuzak giving up law for bartending and then going back to law … can you even do that? Wouldn't his license to practice law have expired by then? And much like [italic]the Facts of Life Reunion[/italic] around the same time, it was shot in Toronto.

I’d take Blair Underwood over Hamlin and the rest. He’s too pretty for his own good.

i liked them all. I loved that show and typically is not my genre of TV shows

[quote]But nothing was worse than the train wreck of the first half of season 7. What works on one show does not necessarily work on another, and by hiring the St. Elsewhere (which I love) writers/producers, they proved that.

Did they hire the original St. Elsewhere people? Because St. Elsewhere really started to suck in its later seasons. Remember in the second to last season when the Howie Mandel character went to Heaven, Hell and Purgatory? It was a pitiful episode.

And in the final season, Dr. Westphall mooned Dr. Auschlander. That was the lowest point in tv history. That one respected doctor would be so mad that he would pull down his pants and flash his ass to his superior? It was ridiculous writing.

[quote]And in the final season, Dr. Westphall mooned Dr. Auschlander. That was the lowest point in tv history.

It wasn't even the lowest point of the 1987-1988 TV season, the one that gave us [italic]Full House[/italic].