Product details: - Product group: Video
- Edition: VHS Tape
- Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Dolby, PAL, Surround Sound
- Release Date: 2000-08-14
- Number of discs: 3
- Starring: Calista Flockhart
- Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
- Run Time: 528 minutes
- Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Package Dimensions: 8.03 x 45 x 75 inches
Much lighter in tone than creator, producer and writer David E Kelley's other forays into legal drama LA Law, and The Practice, the slick thirtysomething series Ally McBeal has never been out-and-out comedy but it spikes its exploration of emotional territory with sharp funny lines. Ally (Calista Flockhart) is a kookie cutie, a ditzy, skinny, single lawyer and we are privy to scenes from her overactive imagination (courtesy of CGI), surrounded by larger-than-life peripheral characters--almost grotesques--like outspoken boss Richard Fish (Greg Germann), nervy courtroom wizz John "The Biscuit" Cage (Peter MacNicol) and nosy secretary Elaine Vassal (Jane Krakowski). In later series these characters (including popular newcomers Lucy Lui and Portia de Rossi as frosty law babes Ling and Nelle) would edge towards one-dimensional caricatures as the same ground was retrodden relentlessly, but in this first series there is something compelling about the intrusive dynamics of this group of oddballs. The point is you don't have to like them to find them entertaining. Ally herself can be extremely irritating in a love-to-hate-her kind of a way. She is a curious dichotomy, a 1990s woman with a go-getting career and a penchant for her own way and yet with the romantic ideals of someone from another generation. Basically still hung up on ex-boyfriend Billy (Gil Bellows) who works for same Boston practice, alongside wife Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith), Ally is on the look out for her Prince Charming. The first series and its lead both garnered Golden Globes, a lot of gossip and a healthy audience for the Fox television network in America. Channel 4 snapped it up for British audiences who were intrigued, not least by the unisex toilets and sophisticated afterwork bar soirées where chanteuse Vonda Shepherd was always to be found crooning away in the corner. All in all, Ally McBeal leaves you with the conundrum of wanting more but not being able to say why. --Emma PerryCustomer reviews:  good, 2003-11-03
I bought all of the Ally McBeal boxsets together and watched them all in a weekend. I never appreciated how brilliant it actually was. I find most series are at there worst on there first season because they have to introduce the charecters and situation ect. but i do think that Ally McBeal's first season is really well paced and written. Although i am not a great fan of Billy (I find him quite feeble and annoying) he had to be there to keep the pace of things. Unlike in most series season ones final is that earth shattering or ground breaking actually i think that seasons one final is one of the worst episodes it does deal with Georgia nd billy relationship being spiced up but only until the middle of season two. I think that the series should be called John Cage how David Kelly came up with this chrecter i will never know. I also think that Elain contributes greatly to the humour.
I find Richard a little bit predictable but i do think that Whipper is a good rich charecter. But my definite fviourite charecter is Renne. she is delibaratly sexy and has some kind of power to her. Get this box set its not as good as season 3 but it is still a good watch.  Fantastic quirky humour!, 2003-08-11
An addiction to Ally McBeal is the only good thing to come out of being made redundant last year and spending 9 months unemployed! Channel 4 were showing Ally McBeal and I'd never watched it before. Being bored and channel hopping one day I came across the first episode being shown and have been hooked ever since! It is now my mission in life to buy all the box sets on DVD - I've got the first 2 and am awaiting delivery of both sets of Series 3. I love the wonderful quirky humour and the "imaginary" bits where you see Ally doing such bizarre stuff as flicking a 3 foot long tongue out of her mouth to lick the delectable Greg's ear! (Now hands up who ELSE would like to do that!) I confess to not knowing if that particular bit actually happened in Season 1 part 1 but if it didn't, it'll hopefully just persuade readers to buy the other boxsets so they can see it too! The "Fishisms" are great and John Cage is my hero - he's adorably kookie with his cries of "unacceptable", "I won't stand to be disparaged" and "taking my moment"! Fantastic! Wish I was like that! I love the cringe-making honesty theme that runs throughout all the series I've seen so far - like when Georgia goes round to Ally's flat and admits to not liking her. It's superb!
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