Ally McBeal - Season 3 (Box Set 1) [1998]

Our anti-heroine Ally McBeal starts her third season with a wet, wordless fling in a car wash with Jason Gedrick, and it's no surprise that Ally ends up facing Gedrick at the altar when a client asks her to be bridesmaid. With the entire firm invited along as guests, can she keep quiet about the groom? Well, you know Ally--she may not have any lasting success in the romance department but it's a subject she feels very strongly about. The third season sees fewer CGI expressions of Ally's thoughts and imagination, but the drama is just as colourful. Billy's increasing concerns over the balance of male and female power manifests itself in his newly dyed blond hair and his hiring of six PVC-clad women to follow him around boosting his testosterone. Other highlights include Ally exploring her lesbian side with Ling, Elaine posing as John's "fluffer" to banish his sexual insecurities and an explosive Thanksgiving party at Ally's. There are plotlines within Series 3 which stretch plausibility, such as finding out that Ally's dad is the man Georgia's been snogging to forget her husband's metamorphosis into a blonde-haired, sexist egomaniac. Ally McBeal does have the tendency to descend into sickening sentimental tosh, like all the "child inside" nonsense in Episode 11, but that aside, it continues to provide escapist entertainment of the first order. --Emma Perry

Customer reviews:

Season 3 is the pinnacle of Ally McBeal, 2003-01-07
Having bought all of the first four seasons (and watched all but the last few of S4), I consider season 3 to be the best. The characters are all well-established, but have not - as is remarked by Greg Germann in an interview - lost their sharp edges which make them so funny. The show is by (very quick) turns outrageous, hilarious, romantic, sad, sexy, ridiculous and even serious on occasion. The dancing baby is gone, fortunately (that always irritated me), but Ally is still merrily hallucinating and bouncing with alarming frequency between men (would you bet on a steady relationship with her?).
The other characters are all nicely developed in this series. In the first series, some characters - such as Elaine - were background, but here they almost all appear in well-rounded glory. Billy in particular comes out of the woodwork - previously, he was not much more than a reference point for Ally's past and normalcy in the crazy office, but now he cuts his own swathe through the plot - there's a new man in town, and no-one knows what's going on!
This show is superb entertainment. It's a bit more risqué than previous series too (check it out before you let your kids watch it), and the all-round excellence of the scripts, the performances and the production make it shine.

excellent cast and season, 2001-08-12
Season 3 witnesses Ally's tumultuous love life become even more hilarious. She manages to date a father and his son in the space of one episode with amusing results. However in this season she meats her match in Larry Paul (Robert Downey Jnr). It is in her interactions with Larry that this season is at it's best. Robert Downey Jnr shines in this role, he is made for the part. Taye Diggs also brightens our screens in this season.The rest of the cast are also excellent with some really strong storylines for them. All in all well worth watching.