The BEST episodes of Boston Legal

Every episode of Boston Legal ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Boston Legal!

Boston Legal tells the professional and personal stories of a group of brilliant but often emotionally-challenged attorneys. James Spader and William Shatner play Alan Shore and Denny Crane, unlikely kindred spirits among the brigade of high-priced litigators at Crane, Poole & Schmidt. In addition, Shirley Schmidt, a founding partner of the firm, continues to help bring order to the chaotic office. She keeps a vigilant eye on all, particularly Denny Crane, with whom she shares a checkered past. Fast-paced and wildly comedic, the series confronts social and moral issues, while its characters continually stretch the boundaries of the law.

Last Updated: 1/9/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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Death Be Not Proud
star
7.94
1143 votes

#1 - Death Be Not Proud

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/20/2005

Chelina asks Alan to assist her in Texas because her former client is getting executed but may be innocent of the crime. An old friend of Denny and Shirley asks them for legal representation when she charged with having sexual encounters for a fee. Lori files a complaint about Denny with Shirley and Paul and they seriously consider doing something about it; especially when they suspect he performed an unethical act on his recent case.

Directors: Matt Shakman
Watch Now:Amazon
Deep End of the Poole
star
7.92
1029 votes

#2 - Deep End of the Poole

Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/2/2006

Name partner Edwin Poole returns from a mental institution to Crane, Poole and Schmidt, ready to jump back in, but Shirley has reservations when he decides to sue a candy company. An A.D.A. with a grudge against Alan brings charges, accusing him of advising his client to flee when a guilty verdict was inevitable. Meanwhile, Brad and Denise decide where to take their relationship.

Directors: Jeff Bleckner
Watch Now:Amazon
Head Cases
star
7.92
2038 votes

#3 - Head Cases

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/3/2004

When name partner Edwin Poole shows up to a staff meeting without pants, visiting attorney Brad Chase is asked to stay on at the Boston branch of Crane, Poole & Schmidt to keep Denny Crane in check. Lori's case involving one of the firm's most important clients turns ugly when it turns out the man his wife is sleeping with is Denny. Alan takes on the case of a young black child who was turned away from playing the part of Annie, allegedly due to the color of her skin.

Directors: Bill D'Elia
Watch Now:Amazon
BL: Los Angeles
star
7.92
799 votes

#4 - BL: Los Angeles

Season 2 - Episode 27 - Aired 5/16/2006

While in LA, Alan takes on the case of TV star Courtney Rae, who is arrested after shooting a photographer who she mistakes for a stalker, but Denny and Barry make life difficult when they won't stop making sexual advances toward their client. Meanwhile, Denise resorts to underhanded tactics to eliminate Marlene from the picture, but the plan backfires when she is caught by Paul, and Brad enlists Shirley's help in trying to persuade the judge in his niece's trial to lower the sentence.

Directors: Bill D'Elia
Watch Now:Amazon
Truly, Madly, Deeply
star
7.87
1108 votes

#5 - Truly, Madly, Deeply

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/2005

Denny is called to defend a man who raped and killed a 13-year-old girl but decides he'd rather go to jail than spend his days defending murderers. Meanwhile, Alan must face his fear of clowns, and Shirley dumps a bizarre bestiality case on Denise.

Directors: Stephen Cragg
Watch Now:Amazon
Legal Deficits
star
7.86
1184 votes

#6 - Legal Deficits

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/13/2005

After kidnapping a witness and physically assaulting a priest, Brad is put on trial and enlists the help of Denny and Shirley to bail him out. Meanwhile, Alan's hands are full with his secretary's financial troubles when her credit card company charges ridiculous interest rates, putting her $50,000 in debt.

Directors: Mike Listo
Watch Now:Amazon
Helping Hands
star
7.86
1182 votes

#7 - Helping Hands

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/17/2006

Alan finds himself all alone against the firm when he decides to defend Jerry Espenson from charges of attempted murder, torture and terrorist threats. Denise and Daniel Post get closer as Daniel second chairs a case against parents who are constantly harassing their daughter's teacher. Meanwhile, Paul is worried about the impact Denny's pending nuptials may have on the firm.

Directors: Bill D'Elia
Watch Now:Amazon
...There's Fire!
star
7.84
1155 votes

#8 - ...There's Fire!

Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/28/2006

Shirley, Paul and Brad batten down the hatches as Bev files for divorce hours after her marriage to Denny and demands half of his assets. Alan helps defend an old friend who was fired for smoking on her private time.

Directors: Mike Listo
Watch Now:Amazon
Finding Nimmo
star
7.84
1327 votes

#9 - Finding Nimmo

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/11/2005

Denny takes Alan to Nimmo Bay, Canada, to help him get over his breakup with Tara. Catherine confesses to Bernard's murder. Sara and Garrett take extreme measures to help Denise challenge her husband's alimony demands in their divorce proceedings.

Directors: Mike Listo
Watch Now:Amazon
Questionable Characters
star
7.84
1264 votes

#10 - Questionable Characters

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/2004

Lori helps her former informant who was shot while robbing a convenience store and who does not want the bullet removed because it could incriminate him. Things become more complex for Lori when she learns that the bullet is jeopardizing his life. Meanwhile, Alan tries to help his client who is accused of being a slumlord and is forced to do despicable acts from an infuriating judge. Denny gets arrested for solicitation.

Directors: Mel Damski
Writer: Lukas Reiter
Watch Now:Amazon
Breast in Show
star
7.83
1132 votes

#11 - Breast in Show

Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/7/2006

After meeting Irma for a date, Alan finds himself defending her when she is charged with a sex crime by protesting topless. Meanwhile, Denise finds it difficult to remain close to Daniel when he invites her to his own funeral, and Garrett faces his toughest challenge yet when Catherine invades his office.

Directors: Arlene Sanford
Watch Now:Amazon
The Court Supreme
star
7.80
981 votes

#12 - The Court Supreme

Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/22/2008

Alan Shore gets the dream of a lifetime for an attorney when he is asked to present an appeal to the Supreme Court in the case of a mentally challenged man who has been sentenced to death for the rape of a young girl. Meanwhile, Katie Lloyd learns some startling news from Lorraine Weller about Jerry Espenson's new girlfriend.

Directors: Bob Yannetti
Watch Now:Amazon
The Cancer Man Can
star
7.78
1172 votes

#13 - The Cancer Man Can

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/10/2006

Paul recruits Denise to help him defend a cancer patient who used his wealth to guarantee he would not get a placebo during a drug study. Meanwhile, Alan goes too far in trying to convince the senior partners to promote "Hands" to partner, and Denny finds himself falling in love with a woman he meets at a charity event.

Directors: Lou Antonio
Watch Now:Amazon
Race Ipsa
star
7.77
1108 votes

#14 - Race Ipsa

Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/25/2006

When Denny shoots his therapist in self-defense, the senior partners, fed up with his rogue behavior, begin to enact plans to remove him from the firm. Meanwhile, Alan enlists the help of Chelina in a racially-charged case involving a black man arrested for being in a white neighborhood, and Brad asks Denise to teach him to be a better kisser.

Directors: Lou Antonio
Watch Now:Amazon
Hired Guns
star
7.77
1347 votes

#15 - Hired Guns

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/19/2004

Lori and Brad defend a woman who is accused of murdering her husband and his mistress while they were in bed together. Alan's life is endangered when he helps a woman whose ex-husband plans to kidnap their children.

Directors: Dennis Smith
Watch Now:Amazon
Witches of Mass Destruction
star
7.76
1097 votes

#16 - Witches of Mass Destruction

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/2005

The firm takes on two milestone cases. First, Shirley and Denise represent Christian and Wiccan parents who are outraged by a public school's Halloween celebrations, but the case takes a turn for the worse when the clients begin arguing amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Denny and Alan's friendship is tested when Alan helps Cassie sue the US military for the loss of her brother.

Directors: Jim Bagdonas
Watch Now:Amazon
True Love
star
7.76
970 votes

#17 - True Love

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/13/2008

Alan Shore is called upon by ex-flame Phoebe Prentice to prove her husband's innocence in the murder of a nurse. But deep down, Alan's unrequited love for Phoebe makes him hope that her husband is guilty so that they can rekindle their relationship.

Directors: Steve Robin
Watch Now:Amazon
An Eye for an Eye
star
7.74
1407 votes

#18 - An Eye for an Eye

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/31/2004

With Tara as second chair, Alan defends a hypochondriac who is suing his medical doctor for malpractice. Sally assists Lori defends a man who killed a guy who beat him up four years ago with a martial art punch. Paul and Brad help Denny take on Edwin Poole's old case where their client, Holcomb Pharmaceuticals, is being sued for bilking senior citizens out of millions of dollars.

Directors: Mike Listo
Watch Now:Amazon
Catch and Release
star
7.74
1587 votes

#19 - Catch and Release

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/17/2004

A client of Crane, Poole & Schmidt want to build a shopping mall on an area where salmon are spawning and Denny’s son is the environmental lawyer defending the area. Alan and Lori take a sexual harassment case and learn that Christine, whom he recently helped get released from a mental institution and who he now fears is stalking him, is opposing counsel. Sally has her first trial case where she defends a man who is accused of stealing a wallet.

Directors: Daniel Attias
Writer: Hart Hanson
Watch Now:Amazon
Tabloid Nation
star
7.73
828 votes

#20 - Tabloid Nation

Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/8/2008

Denny, tries another stunt to win over Shirley's affections. Alan and Jerry go against Melvin Palmer again when they represent Mr.Beckham, a man who's daughter was murdered after a talk show stunt and he wants to sue the production company. Shirley begins to suspect her friend, Ethan, is unstable when she learns he's been arrested ten times for shooting seals in Boston Harbor.

Directors: Bill D'Elia
Watch Now:Amazon
The Mighty Rogues
star
7.70
917 votes

#21 - The Mighty Rogues

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/15/2008

After her father -- who is in the late stages of a debilitating fight with Alzheimer's -- injures himself and lands in the hospital, Shirley Schmidt wants to end his suffering and asks Alan Shore to argue in court on her behalf. Meanwhile Jerry Espenson's beautiful, new girlfriend sues him for sexual assault, and Carl Sack represents the island of Nantucket whose residents want to build a nuclear bomb in case of attack.

Directors: Arlene Sanford
Watch Now:Amazon
Patriot Acts
star
7.69
930 votes

#22 - Patriot Acts

Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/21/2008

Patriotism is in the air as Alan and Denny celebrate their acceptance into the Auxiliary Coast Guard. But when the town of Concord, Massachusetts decides to secede from the United States, Alan accepts the case, and deeply offends Denny. The case takes a personal turn when Denny represents the opposing side in court.

Directors: Bill D'Elia
Watch Now:Amazon
Gone
star
7.69
1187 votes

#23 - Gone

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/6/2005

When the FBI's hands are tied with red tape, Brad helps Denise go undercover as a rogue agent in order to find a missing boy who is close to her heart. But when legal and ethical roadblocks appear, they must make some difficult decisions. Meanwhile, Denny's nonchalance regarding the use of firearms becomes a real concern for the other senior partners when he shoots a homeless man in the head with a paintball gun.

Directors: Mel Damski
Watch Now:Amazon
The Ass Fat Jungle
star
7.69
1125 votes

#24 - The Ass Fat Jungle

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/15/2005

Denise finds herself wanting to sue her own client when Boston's most celebrated plastic surgeon is under fire for unorthodox techniques. Shirley takes on a difficult case involving an Alzheimer's patient which touches her personally. Meanwhile, Alan and Denny fight their own demons as Alan asks his new secretary to protect him from night terrors and Denny undergoes an MRI.

Directors: Ron Underwood
Watch Now:Amazon
Dances with Wolves
star
7.68
991 votes

#25 - Dances with Wolves

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/6/2008

Denny Crane is arrested yet again for carrying a concealed firearm after he shoots a man in self defense who's attempting to mug him and Jerry Espenson. Meanwhile, Alan Shore fights for a sex surrogate's right to joint custody of her daughter -- while grappling with the fact that he was a former client of hers

Directors: Jim Bagdonas
Watch Now:Amazon