Mackenzie-Brackman was made up of an eclectic cast of characters. Founding partner Leland McKenzie (Richard Dysart) always has one eye on the balance sheet, but manages to act as father figure of sorts, offer advice when needed; Douglas Brackman Jr. (Alan Rachins) is his late partner’s hawkish son, and the two oversee the office together. Other partners at the firm included the slick, yuppie, womanizing divorce lawyer Arnold ‘Arnie’ Becker (Corbin Bernsen), cuddly, nebbish tax lawyer Stuart Markowitz (Michael Tucker), do-gooder attorney Ann Kelsey (Jill Eikenberry), Ann’s intern Abby Perkins (Michele Greene), and idealistic trial attorney Michael Kuzak (Harry Hamlin). Fiery public defender Victor Sifuentes (Jimmy Smits) is brought in as an associate during the pilot episode. Grace Van Owen (Susan Dey) introduced in the second episode, is a driven lawyer from the D.A.’s office who soon becomes Kuzak’s love interest. The cast is rounded out by Roxanne (Susan Ruttan), Arnie’s ever patient secretary, who puts up with his never ending frat boy antics.
The regulars were characters who seemed to have it all—successful careers, wealth, smarts—everything that the yuppie culture of the 1980’s stood for. However, where LA Law succeeded most was its ability to show these people as flawed; plagued with insecurities and personal problems just like everyone else. The first season’s scripts—including the excellent pilot—do an excellent job of humanizing the characters, and showing that while they may be sure, almost cocky in the courtroom that rarely transfers to their personal lives.
Freed of the episodic structure that constrained dramas of the past, LA Law a particular storyline might run for several weeks, others could be solved within the structure of a single episode. That freedom allowed the writers to expand stories, and provide details about characters and situations that made audiences care what happened to them.
This is not to say that LA Law didn’t have its flaws. Watching the first season now, there are a few things that haven’t aged well. In the pilot, a trans woman is revealed as having been the lover of a dead man, and thus described as a “gay man.” Cue the snickering about her genitalia—though in the end, time show is empathetic to her plight. While there are certainly moments when LA Law shows itself to be a product of its time, few shows—St. Elsewhere comes to mind—dealt with issues of homosexuality and AIDS quite as openly as LA Law did.
The most talked about episode of the first season, “The Venus Butterfly,” handled both sensitive and topical subject matter in a serious and funny way. Grace found herself going up against a man on trial for the mercy killing of his AIDS-afflicted partner, while Arnie and Stuart represent he estranged wives of a chiseling bigamist who kept the ladies happy with a certain sexual position. LA Law may not have aged perfectly, but even after all these years, it still males for fun and interesting viewing.
LA Law: Season One consists of 22 episodes, spread over six discs.
Presented in 1.33:1 widescreen, the video quality here isn’t the greatest. Like much of 1980’s television, he original 35mm prints of LA Law were transferred on to videotape so that credits could be added. These video dupes likely represent the best surviving sources available. The episodes themselves lack any real color vibrancy, and look a bit dim on occasion. Though props are due to Shout!, as it’s great to finally see this series on DVD!
The mono soundtrack provided here sounds slightly muffled throughout, and dynamic range is very limited. Thankfully, the dialogue is understandable at all times.
No subtitles or closed captioning are provided.
The following extras are included:
- The Lawyers (103:08) The actors who played the following characters—Arnie Becker, Roxanne (Secretary), Douglas Brackman, Jr., Victor Sifuentes, Michael Kuzak, Grace Van Owen, and Stuart Markowitz and Ann Kelsey—are interviewed, and discuss what being on the series was like. It’s clear that it was definitely a highpoint in their careers.
- The LA Law Story (128:37) An extensive and detailed look at how the show came to be, production and reception. Interviews with various cast and crew are included. As a longtime fan of the series, this was a very interesting watch.
