Set in Boston and serving as a precursor to the wildly popular Boston Legal, The Practice debuted in 1997 and enjoyed its own success. Following attorney Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) as he struggles to keep his private practice afloat, the show is a fast-paced courtroom drama that uses every trick that creator David E. Kelley (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal) ever had up his sleeves.
It’s been ten years, and fans have been waiting and begging for a DVD release of the show. As of June 12, they will have to wait not longer. Called The Practice – Volume 1 (instead of Season 1) for a reason, the 4-disc set hold 13 episodes which did not actually air in the order you’ll find them in here. Originally written as a complete season, only six episodes aired before summer hiatus. The remaining seven episodes were interspersed throughout the second season. Here you’ll find them back to back, which is far more effective.
I have always been a fan of this show, and as such Volume 1 does not disappoint. Even after ten years, nothing feels dated or irrelevant. While it still borders on the massively over-dramatic and sensational, the show is still at its core a crime drama that draws you into the lives of the many characters present.
Camryn Manheim is completely identifiable as the character that made her famous, Ellenor Frutt, and Kelli Williams makes her Lindsey Dole the girl next door who will decimate you on the witness stand while blinking her doe-like eyes in your direction.
McDermott is actually hard to peg throughout the first few episodes and it is quite clear that he took some time in narrowing down exactly how to play the often conflicted Bobby Donnell. He is at different turns compassionate, caring, ruthless, and money-grubbing. The problem is that at first you can see him thinking out how to achieve these things and none of them are particularly effective. By episode five, though, he hits his stride and begins to own the show.
Keep an eye out for masterful guest-starring roles from John C. McGinley and Jane Kaczmarek. They steal the show in the several episodes they grace.
One big disappointment is the lack of extras. The only one is a paltry featurette that doesn’t feature much of anything.
The Practice also stars Michael Badalucco, Steve Harris, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Lara Flynn Boyle.
