Ally McBeal/Characters

This is the character sheet for Ally McBeal.

Cage/Fish Attorneys and Associates

Ally McBeal

Titular character of the show, and a litigator at Cage and Fish. Becomes senior partner in Season 5. Played by Calista Flockheart.

Action Girl: Rare, but it happens. Assaulted someone at a supermarket, no less.
Adorkable
Bunny Ears Lawyer: And an actual lawyer, to boot.
Cloudcuckoolander: Commented by Jenny (who's kooky herself) that Ally is more bizarre than she is.
Crossover: Starred in one with The Practice, as herself.
The Ditz: Comes off this way due to her flighty nature.
Fainting: Emotional variety, whenever she sees a girl she likes.
Fan Service: The short skirts.
Freudian Slip: Ally just can't get away from these.
Hallucinations: Frequently does this.
She's Got Legs: And the skirts.
Sweeps Week Lesbian Kiss: Engages in one with Georgia. Later, does another with Ling.
The Unfair Sex: Richard calls out Ally on believing this trope, as she was okay with a bride having an affair before a marriage, but not the groom.

John Cage

One of the two initial senior partners at Cage and Fish. Played by Peter MacNichol.

Adorkable: Even more than Ally.
Bunny Ears Lawyer: One of the best examples in television, his legal defenses are brilliant, and he's downright odd.
Mistaken for Gay: Nelle suspects this because John had yet to sleep with her.
Pitbull Dates Puppy: With Nelle in Seasons 2 and 3. The puppy.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Richard.
Verbal Tic: The nose noises.
Weirdness Magnet: The firm's lawyers and clients themselves are weird, but John always seems to draw in the crazies.

Richard Fish

The other initial senior partner at Cage and Fish and Ally's classmate, who offers her a position at his firm. Played by Greg Germann.

Beta Couple: Season 1, with Whipper.
Casanova: And really enjoys it.
Likes Older Women: Enjoys older women for the waddle, skin around the neck that clumps.
Nietzsche Wannabe: Often says things like this.
Noble Bigot: Can be very sexist, but is never outright mean.
Poor Communication Kills: Richard believes the opposite, that communication itself is the death knell of any marriage.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to John.

Elaine Vassal

Gossipy and nosy secretary at Cage and Fish. Played by Jane Krakowski.

The Cast Showoff: Subverted. Jane Krakowski is a Tony award winning actress and sings many times during the show, but it always works within the show.
Cool Big Sis: Has this vibe for John, and coaches him about sex and confidence to help him get intimate with Nelle.
Fan Service: She once asks John if she oozes sex. His response: "In buckets."
Gossipy Hens: Enjoys office gossip and sits in the unisex with her legs up so no one thinks she's around.
Really Gets Around: Meets and sleeps with many men.
- Urban Legend Love Life: But maybe not as many as she implies.
Sexy Secretary

Billy Thomas

Associate at Cage and Fish, former boyfriend of Ally, and husband of Georgia. Played by Gil Bellows.

Back for the Finale: As a ghost.
Expository Hairstyle Change: Bleaches his hair in Season 3.
First Girl Wins: Doubly Subverted. Dates Ally, leaves her, marries Georgia, but always loved Ally.
Killed Off for Real
Testosterone Poisoning: Goes through this in Season 3, hiring several attractive women to be his assistants.

Georgia Thomas

Associate at Cage and Fish, wife of Billy. Played by Courtney Throne-Smith.

Back for the Finale: Surprises Ally with a visit.
Never My Fault: Blames the sexualized office of Cage and Fish for her destroyed marriage.
Put on a Bus: Leaves after Season 3, after Billy's death.
Working with the Ex: When Georgia comes to work at the firm, she does this with Ally, who dated Billy. They actually work very well together. At first, then Ally and Billy kiss, they go to therapy, and it goes downhill from there.

Nelle Porter

Associate at Cage and Fish, joined at the beginning of Season 2. Played by Portia de Rossi.

Beneath the Mask: Can actually be very sweet and loving beneath her cold exterior.
Blondes Are Evil: Easily one of the nastiest people on the show. Ally once asked her to be nicer by singing at the bar.
Bunny Ears Lawyer: Just as eccentric as everyone else, but she was the firm's most productive associate and was specifically brought in as a "rainmaker", to generate new business.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Season 4 really starts this for her, starting when she spends the day with a doctor going to jail for euthanizing a client.
Kick the Dog: Nelle leaves the firm in Season 3, and tries to steal the clients by manipulating Elaine. It doesn't go well for Nelle.
Ice Queen: She was called "sub-zero" for this reason. She doesn't even stick her hand all the way out for a handshake. It changes as the series progresses.
Pet the Dog: Nelle has a few, but ultimately the largest is when she helps Elaine fulfill her dream to become a Broadway star.
Pitbull Dates Puppy: With John. She's the pitbull.
Those Two Girls: Has this vibe with Ling.
Woman Scorned: Leaves the firm in Season 3, but comes back later.

Ling Woo

Associate at Cage and Fish, started as a client of Nelle's before she was hired a few episodes later. Friend of Nelle's. Played by Lucy Liu.

Alpha Bitch: And HOW!
Beneath the Mask: Sobs when one of her clients dies of leukemia, but only when she's alone.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: The second she opens her mouth, the bitch comes out.
Dragon Lady: Trope Codifier
Freudian Excuse: In a show known for these, she is noticeably the only one who doesn't have one.
Iron Lady: To which both Ally and Nelle admire her for.
Pet the Dog: Volunteers at an old folk's home, and went out of her way to make Elaine feel better after she lost in a contest.
Refuge in Audacity: Convinces a dying boy that he can sue God, yells at handicapped people for getting all of the good parking spaces, pretends to be blind and causes car accidents to cross a street, and it goes on.
Sweeps Week Lesbian Kiss: Engaged in one with Calista Flockheart.
Those Two Girls: With Nelle.

Mark Albert

Associate at Cage and Fish, hired during the end of Season 3 following the death of Billy. Series regular in Season 4. Played by James LeGros.

Bunny Ears Lawyer: Nicknamed "The Closer" due to his skill in closing arguments, and obsessed with hygiene.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappeared from the firm in Season 4 with no explanation.
Out of Focus: Thanks to Robert Downey Jr. joining the cast.
Two First Names
Your Cheating Heart: How he ends his relationship with Elaine. He's the victim.

Coretta Lipp

Associate at Cage and Fish. Guest starred in Season 4, became a series regular in Season 5. Played by Regina Hall.

Jenny Shaw

Associate hired by Ally at the beginning of Season 5. Glenn's former girlfriend. Played by Julianne Moore.

Adorkable
Put on a Bus: Written out in the middle of Season 5.

Glenn Foy

Associate hired by Richard at the beginning of Season 5. Jenny's former boyfriend. Played by James Marsden.

Put on a Bus: Written out in the middle of Season 5.

Raymond Millbury

Associate hired at the beginning of Season 5, played by Josh Hopkins.

Other Characters

Vonda Shepard

Singer at the piano bar the lawyers frequent. Played by herself.

Softer and Slower Cover: Former Trope Namer.

Renee Raddick

Ally's roommate and D.A. then later plain attorney. Ally's rational friend. Often sets Ally up with many different men. Played by Lisa Nicole Carson.

Absentee Actor: Disappeared after Season 4 due to mental health problems with the actress.
The Cast Showoff: Less so than Elaine, but frequently sings. Still subverted, as her singing is incorporated into the plot.
Black Best Friend: To Ally.
Friendly Enemy: Being a D.A, she's often speaks against Cage and Fish's clients. Still goes out to the bar with them after work, and lives with Ally.
Really Gets Around: She gives Elaine a run for her money.

Larry Paul

Lawyer introduced in Season 4 when Ally mistakes him as her therapist. Ends up dating Ally, played by Robert Downey Jr.

Absentee Actor: Written out after Season 4 ended due to Robert Downey Jr. having drug problems
Official Couple: With Ally.
Two First Names

Whipper Cone

Judge, later attorney and on-again, off-again lover to Richard. Played by Dyan Cannon.

Beta Couple: With Richard in Season 1.
Those Two Girls: Joins Renee's firm in Season 3, giving up the bench.