Family Law | |
---|---|
Genre | Legal drama |
Created by | |
Starring | |
Opening theme | "War" by Edwin Starr and the Brink |
Composers |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 68 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | September 20, 1999 – May 27, 2002 |
Family Law is an American legal drama television series, created by Paul Haggis, that aired on CBS from September 20, 1999, to May 27, 2002. This series starring Kathleen Quinlan as divorced lawyer Lynn Holt, who attempted to start her own law firm after her husband left both her and their law practice, taking all of their clients with him. [1] [2]
The show also starred Christopher McDonald as opportunistic, ambulance-chasing attorney Rex Weller, Julie Warner as Lynn's friend Danni (and the one member of her former firm's staff who did not defect with Lynn's ex-husband), and Dixie Carter as "pit bull" divorce attorney Randi King. Later cast additions included Tony Danza, Cristián de la Fuente, Salli Richardson, and Meredith Eaton as Emily Resnick, an ambitious attorney hoping to make partner.
Edwin Starr's 1970 hit song, "War" was used as the series' opening title theme, in season one. [3] A cover version of the song was performed by The Brink and used in season two and three.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 23 | September 20, 1999 | May 8, 2000 | |
2 | 24 | October 2, 2000 | May 21, 2001 | |
3 | 21 | September 24, 2001 | May 27, 2002 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [ citation needed ] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Paul Haggis | Paul Haggis & Anne Kenney | September 20, 1999 | 101 |
2 | 2 | "Damages" | Paul Haggis | Paul Haggis & David Shore | September 27, 1999 | 102 |
3 | 3 | "All God's Creatures" | Paul Haggis | Stephen Nathan & Paul Haggis | October 4, 1999 | 103 |
4 | 4 | "Prisoners" | Fred Gerber | Anne Kenney | October 11, 1999 | 104 |
5 | 5 | "The List" | Richard J. Lewis | Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher | October 18, 1999 | 105 |
6 | 6 | "The Nanny" | Fred Gerber | Stephen Nathan | October 25, 1999 | 106 |
7 | 7 | "Games" | Perry Lang | David Shore | November 8, 1999 | 107 |
8 | 8 | "The Fourth Trimester" | John Patterson | Thomas L. Moran | November 15, 1999 | 108 |
9 | 9 | "Holt vs. Holt" | Fred Gerber | Anne Kenney | November 22, 1999 | 109 |
10 | 10 | "Four Drops of Blood" | Michael Schultz | Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher | November 29, 1999 | 110 |
11 | 11 | "Decisions" | Adam Nimoy | David Shore & Stephen Nathan | December 13, 1999 | 111 |
12 | 12 | "Media Relations" | Elodie Keene | Gay Walch | January 10, 2000 | 112 |
13 | 13 | "Human Error" | Fred Gerber | Thomas L. Moran | January 17, 2000 | 113 |
14 | 14 | "Stealing Home" | Stephen Nathan | Vivienne Radkoff | January 24, 2000 | 114 |
15 | 15 | "A Mother's Son" | Richard J. Lewis | Anne Kenney & Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher | February 7, 2000 | 115 |
16 | 16 | "Are You My Father?" | Anita Addison | Susan Hamilton Brin | February 21, 2000 | 116 |
17 | 17 | "Metamorphosis" | Fred Gerber | Edmond Stevens | February 28, 2000 | 117 |
18 | 18 | "Necessity" | Ericson Core | Stephen Nathan & David Shore | March 6, 2000 | 118 |
19 | 19 | "Playing God" | Fred Gerber | Tricia Brock & Marc Flanagan | March 20, 2000 | 119 |
20 | 20 | "The Witness" | Kari Skogland | Jeff King | April 17, 2000 | 120 |
21 | 21 | "Second Chance" | Fred Gerber | Bill Chais & David Shore | April 24, 2000 | 121 |
22 | 22 | "Love and Money" | Elodie Keene | Story by : Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher Teleplay by : Stephen Nathan & David Shore | May 1, 2000 | 122 |
23 | 23 | "Possession Is Nine Tenths of the Law" | Ericson Core | David Shore & Stephen Nathan | May 8, 2000 | 123 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | 1 | "The Choice" | Paul Haggis | Paul Haggis & Edmond Stevens | October 2, 2000 | 201 |
25 | 2 | "One Mistake" | Fred Gerber | Paul Haggis & David Shore | October 9, 2000 | 202 |
26 | 3 | "Affairs of State" | Fred Gerber | Paul Haggis & Stephen Nathan | October 16, 2000 | 203 |
27 | 4 | "Going Home" | Fred Gerber | Linda McGibney & David Shore | October 23, 2000 | 204 |
28 | 5 | "Telling Lies: Part 1" | Fred Gerber | Paul Haggis & Anne Kenney | October 30, 2000 | 205 |
29 | 6 | "Telling Lies: Part 2" | Jerry Levine | Stephen Nathan & David Shore | November 6, 2000 | 206 |
30 | 7 | "For Love" | Stephen Nathan | Bill Chais & Marjorie David | November 13, 2000 | 207 |
31 | 8 | "Family Values" | Oz Scott | Ashley Gable & Thomas L. Moran | November 20, 2000 | 208 |
32 | 9 | "Echoes" | Martha Mitchell | Jonathan Estrin | November 27, 2000 | 209 |
33 | 10 | "Generations" | Fred Gerber | E.J. Safirstein | December 11, 2000 | 210 |
34 | 11 | "Intentions" | Richard J. Lewis | Linda McGibney & Edmond Stevens | January 8, 2001 | 211 |
35 | 10 | "Film at Eleven" | Ericson Core | Christopher Ambrose & Lawrence Kaplow | January 15, 2001 | 212 |
36 | 13 | "Separation" | Fred Gerber | Stephen Nathan & David Shore | January 29, 2001 | 213 |
37 | 14 | "The Quality of Mercy" | Miles Watkins | Majorie David, Stephen Nathan & David Shore | February 5, 2001 | 214 |
38 | 15 | "Liar's Club: Part 1" | Jeremy Kagan | Ashley Gable & Thomas L. Moran | February 19, 2001 | 215 |
39 | 16 | "Liar's Club: Part 2" | Fred Gerber | Stephen Nathan & David Shore | February 26, 2001 | 216 |
40 | 17 | "Soul Custody" | Oz Scott | Bill Chais & Stephen Nathan | March 12, 2001 | 217 |
41 | 18 | "Safe at Home" | Paul Haggis | Thomas L. Moran & Paul Haggis | March 19, 2001 | 218 |
42 | 19 | "The Gay Divorcee" | Jerry Levine | Stephen Nathan & David Shore | April 9, 2001 | 219 |
43 | 20 | "Bringing Up Babies" | Richard J. Lewis | Linda McGibney & David Shore | April 16, 2001 | 220 |
44 | 21 | "Americans" | Elodie Keene | Stephen Nathan, David Shore & Scott Cameron | April 30, 2001 | 221 |
45 | 22 | "Recovery" | Fred Gerber | Stephen Nathan, David Shore & Jason Preston | May 7, 2001 | 222 |
46 | 23 | "Clemency" | Paul Haggis | Bill Chais, Paul Haggis & Thomas L. Moran | May 14, 2001 | 223 |
47 | 24 | "Planting Seeds" | Elodie Keene | Ashley Gable, Stephen Nathan & David Shore | May 21, 2001 | 224 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [ citation needed ] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
48 | 1 | "Irreparable Harm" | Fred Gerber | Story by : Paul Haggis & Jan Nash and Lawrence Kaplow Teleplay by : Lawrence Kaplow and Stephan Nathan & David Shore | September 24, 2001 | 301 |
49 | 2 | "Moving On" | Fred Gerber | Christopher Ambrose & Lawrence Kaplow | October 1, 2001 | 302 |
50 | 3 | "Obligations" | Oz Scott | Ashley Gable | October 8, 2001 | 303 |
51 | 4 | "My Brother's Keeper" | Ericson Core | Story by : Thomas L. Moran & Vivienne Radkoff Teleplay by : Thomas L. Moran | October 15, 2001 | 304 |
52 | 5 | "Against All Odds" | Fred Gerber | Christopher Ambrose | October 22, 2001 | 305 |
53 | 6 | "Sacrifices" | Oz Scott | Gregg Gettas & Scott Cameron | October 29, 2001 | 306 |
54 | 7 | "All in the Family" | Jerry Levine | Ayanna Floyd | November 5, 2001 | 307 |
55 | 8 | "Security" | Fred Gerber | I.C. Rapoport | November 12, 2001 | 308 |
56 | 9 | "No Options" | Jerry Levine | Lindsay Sturman | November 19, 2001 | 309 |
57 | 10 | "Sex, Lies and the Internet" | Oz Scott | Bill Chais & Thomas L. Moran | December 10, 2001 | 310 |
58 | 11 | "Angel's Flight" | Max Mayer | Paul Haggis & Jan Nash | December 17, 2001 | 311 |
59 | 12 | "Blood and Water" | Max Mayer | Jan Nash | January 7, 2002 | 312 |
60 | 13 | "To Protect and Serve" | Fred Gerber | Ayanna Floyd & Ashley Gable | January 14, 2002 | 313 |
61 | 14 | "Arlene's Choice" | Stephan Nathan | Lawrence Kaplow | February 4, 2002 | 314 |
62 | 15 | "Children of a Lesser Dad" | Oz Scott | Christopher Ambrose | February 25, 2002 | 315 |
63 | 16 | "Celano v. Foster" | Fred Gerber | Bill Chais & Thomas L. Moran | March 4, 2002 | 316 |
64 | 17 | "Big Brother" | Julie Warner | Story by : Stuart Wolpert Teleplay by : David Shore & Stephen Nathan | March 18, 2002 | 317 |
65 | 18 | "Once Removed" | Oz Scott | Pamela Davis | March 25, 2002 | 318 |
66 | 19 | "Admissions" | Fred Gerber | Lindsay Sturman | April 8, 2002 | 319 |
67 | 20 | "Ties That Bind" | Max Mayer | Ashley Gable & Jan Nash | April 15, 2002 | 320 |
68 | 21 | "Alienation of Affection" | Fred Gerber | Stephan Nathan & David Shore | May 27, 2002 | 321 |
Since fall 2018, the show has been syndicated on the channel Start TV.[ citation needed ]
Ron Wertheimer of the New York Times wrote: "Ms. Quinlan is most appealing, but this series can't survive on her determination alone." [5] Tom Shales of The Washington Post gave it a positive review, "Quinlan is admirable and believable as a woman who won't let setbacks set her back; she's easy to root for." [6]
On Rotten Tomatoes, season one has an approval rating of 10% based on reviews from 10 critics. The site's consensus is "Although Kathleen Quinlan gives a commendable performance, Family Law fizzles out with its bizarre tonal shifts, two-dimensional characterizations, and unbelievable storylines." [7]
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the Law & Order franchise.
Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr, better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death.
The Practice is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Outstanding Drama Series, and spawned the spin-off series Boston Legal, which ran for five more seasons.
Linda Rose Tripp was an American civil servant who played a prominent role in the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal of 1998. Tripp's action in illegally and secretly recording Monica Lewinsky's confidential phone calls about her relationship with President Bill Clinton caused a sensation with their links to the earlier Clinton v. Jones lawsuit and with the disclosing of intimate details. Tripp claimed that her motives were purely patriotic, and she avoided a wiretap charge by agreeing to hand over the tapes.
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom Designing Women (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series Family Law (1999–2002). She was nominated for the 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Gloria Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–2007).
Lauren Holly is an American–Canadian actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series Picket Fences, NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series NCIS, and Dr. Betty Rogers on Motive. In film, she portrayed Mary Swanson in Dumb and Dumber (1994), Bruce Lee's wife Linda Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Darian Smalls in Beautiful Girls (1996), and Gigi in What Women Want (2000).
Kathleen Denise Quinlan is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, and her Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominated role in the 1995 film Apollo 13, along with many roles in other feature films, television movies and series, in a career spanning almost five decades.
Salli Richardson-Whitfield is an American actress and television director. Richardson is known for her role as Angela in the film A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) and for her role as Dr. Allison Blake on the Syfy comedy-drama series Eureka (2006–2012).
Divorce Court is an American court show that revolves around settling the disputes of couples going through divorces. The show has had four separate runs, all in first-run syndication. Since the debut of the original series in 1957, it is one of the longest-running syndicated television programs of all time. Divorce Court also holds the record for the longest-running court show of all time, leading the second-place show The People's Court by two years.
Pierre Lynn de Lappe, also known as Peter Brown, was an American actor. He portrayed Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop in the 1958 to 1962 ABC-Warner Brothers western television series Lawman and Texas Ranger Chad Cooper on NBC's Laredo from 1965 to 1967.
Meredith Hope Eaton Gordon is an American actress. She is 122 cm tall, and refers to herself as a "short-stature actress". She is known for portraying the attorney Emily Resnick on the CBS television series Family Law, for her recurring role as Bethany Horowitz on the ABC series Boston Legal, and for her lead role as Matilda "Matty" Webber on the CBS series MacGyver.
One Life to Live is an American soap opera that was broadcast on the ABC network from July 1968 to January 2012, and online from April to August 2013. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines (1968–79). The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines (1980–89). The plot in the next decade is outlined in One Life to Live storylines (1990–1999) and the story concludes in One Life to Live storylines (2000–2013).
The Lord family are fictional characters from the American soap opera One Life to Live. They were introduced in the show's July 15, 1968 debut episode on ABC, and featured for the entirety of its run until the series ended on August 19, 2013.
The first season of the crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, premiered on September 20, 1999 on NBC and concluded on May 19, 2000. Created by Dick Wolf, it is the first spin-off of Law & Order and follows the detectives of a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit, which investigates sexually based offenses. SVU originally aired on Monday nights at 9pm/8c EST, but it was moved to Friday nights at 10pm/9c after the ninth episode. Showrunner Robert Palm felt too disturbed by the subject matter and left after the season's conclusion.