| L.A. Law | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Legal drama |
| Created by | |
| Starring | (See entire cast list below) |
| Theme music composer | Mike Post |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 172 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Cinematography | Robert Seaman |
| Editor | Bonnie Koehler |
| Running time |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 15, 1986 – May 19, 1994 |
| Related | |
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| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
L.A. Law is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons and 172 episodes on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.[1]
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher,[2] it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los Angeles law firm. The show contains many of Bochco's trademark features, including an ensemble cast, large number of parallel story lines, social drama, and off-the-wall humor.[3] It reflects the social and cultural conflicts that were occurring when the show was produced in the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-button issues such as capital punishment, abortion, racism, homophobia, sexual harassment, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence.[4][5][6] The series often also reflects social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff.
In addition to its main cast, L.A. Law was also well known for featuring then-relatively unknown actors and actresses in guest starring roles, who went on to greater success in film and television including Don Cheadle, Jeffrey Tambor, Kathy Bates, David Schwimmer, Shelley Hack, Jay O. Sanders, James Avery, Gates McFadden, Bryan Cranston, CCH Pounder, Kevin Spacey, Richard Schiff, Carrie-Anne Moss, William H. Macy, Stephen Root, Christian Slater, Steve Buscemi, and Lucy Liu. Several episodes of the show also included celebrities such as Vanna White, Buddy Hackett, and Mamie Van Doren appearing as themselves in cameo roles.
The show was a success with critics and audiences, ranking in the Nielsen Top 30 for its first six seasons and winning 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.
- ^ Weinstein, Steve (August 12, 1990). "Saying So Long to Billable Hours: Television: 'L.A. Law's' finale will complete filming today, but the characters' stories won't be tied up in a neat package". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ Carter, Bill (January 30, 1992). "'L.A. Law,' to Halt Slide, Reaches Back to Bochco". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "Steven Bochco on the Case: 'L.A. Law' Co-Creator Returns to Fine-Tune Troubled Series". Los Angeles Times. April 2, 1992. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ Weinstein, Steve (March 21, 1991). "L.A. Law Eyes Fear of Police: Television: An upcoming episode on the public's loss of trust includes camouflaged references to the beating of Rodney G. King". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ Rosenberg, Howard (September 15, 1986). "Nbc's New 'L.A. Law': The Verdict Is Great". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
- ^ Rosenberg, Howard (October 18, 1993). "TV Turns the Other Cheek Again: Television is a victim of the You Can't Win Syndrome. Once, its violence was criticized as unrealistic; now, 'L.A. Law's' Christian character is under fire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2010.