L.A. Law

""I heard the USSR will be open soon, as vacationland for Lawyers in Love"

- Lawyers in Love, by Jackson Browne

A legal drama created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher and airing on NBC from 1986-1994, about the antics at a fictional Los Angeles law firm, McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak.


 * Beleaguered Assistant: Roxanne Melman, to Arnie. Later replaced by Sassy Secretary Gwen Taylor.
 * Bury Your Gays / Forgotten Fallen Friend: In the pilot episode, law partner Chaney dies of a heart attack. Later on in the same episode, it's revealed he was a closeted gay man when his lover shows up at the eulogy.
 * Celebrity Paradox: One episode had Dan Castellaneta playing an epileptic theme park employee, whose job was to play Homer Simpson.
 * Dating Catwoman: After fighting over McKenzie-Brackman and suing each other almost into oblivion, Leland and Rosalind end up...a couple???
 * Elevator Failure: Rosalind Shays gets the shaft. Literally.
 * Good People Have Good Sex: Some of the characters either cheat on their wives, or some of the partners are sleeping with each other (two are married to each other) or in some cases switching from one partner to another or to an employee.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Leo McGarry was a lawyer before becoming White House Chief of Staff. Seems plausible enough.
 * Hilarity Sues: some of their cases are ridiculous.
 * Jerkass: Douglas, in the first couple of seasons.
 * Jerkass Woobie: Poor Douglas had everything happen to him; getting falsely arrested for prostitution, finding out his father cheated on his mother and he had a bastard brother, and he ended up sleeping with his father's mistress.
 * Know Your Vines: Stuart and Ann's camping misadventure. Remember the TP next time.
 * Put On a Bus: Many, but especially Michael and Victor. Counting the reunion movie, The Bus Came Back for both.
 * Real Life Relative: Married actors Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry played Stuart Markowitz and Ann Kelsey, respectively.
 * Ripped from the Headlines
 * Running Gag: Arnie Becker can't keep his pecker in his pants, and as a divorce lawyer he has lots of clients he can service, not only by getting them excellent settlements from their former husbands, but by bedding them as well.
 * Sex God: The inventor of the "Venus butterfly".
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Daniel Morales for Victor Sifuentes.
 * Sweeps Week Lesbian Kiss: Abby and C.J. One of the first on US prime-time television.
 * Talking the Monster To Death: When confronted with a smarmy con man who bilked seniors out of their life savings and will declare bankruptcy if he loses, what does Jonathan do? He brutally cross-examines the man for hours, causing him to have a fatal heart attack, and when the EMT's are (unsuccessfully) trying to resuscitate the huckster, talks the judge into attaching his life insurance to any judgment. Also qualifies as a CMOA.
 * Transplant: Eli Levinson and his secretary Denise Ianello from Civil Wars. Not surprising, however, since series creator William M. Finklestein later served as executive producer of L.A. Law during its final season.
 * Truth in Television: Larry Drake's portrayal of the mentally retarded but dignified office assistant Benny Stulwitz won the actor several major awards, both in television and from advocacy groups.