James and I have yet to find a single one of our friends who has discovered the absolutely fantastic Boston Legal - the inspired US legal drama currently showing over here on Living TV. Having seen one of the best ever episodes the other evening, I feel compelled to enthuse about it to you all because I truly believe it to be one of the finest exports from the US to arrive on our shores in recent years.
First of all, Bill Shatner is an absolute star - his performance in BL is nothing short of brilliant. His delivery is superb, and the range and depth he manages to convey really did surprise me. And he's just perfectly placed in a role next to James Spader, who is equally amazing and endlessly entertaining. The two of them together is one of the best double acts I've seen in recent years, and hats off to whoever saw it would work.
I have to admit, the main reason I started watching this show in the first place was because of the obvious Star Trek (and Stargate) links; Rene Auberjonois, who was fantastic for seven years in DS9, also joins Bill on the BL crew, and is perfectly cast in his role as Bill's boss. And the rest of the cast, who I'd not come across before, do a great job of enhancing the show so that it has a great mix of characters, and witty, fast-paced dialog that leaves you grinning like a fool from ear to ear some times, laughing like a loon at others, and, occasionally, sitting quietly and reflecting.
I want to buy the DVDs as soon as I can. Shame they're not even available in the US yet!