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Family Law (American TV series)

American legal drama TV series

Summary

American legal drama TV series

FieldValue
genreLegal drama
creator{{Plainlist
starring{{Plainlist
opentheme"War" by Edwin Starr and the Brink
composer{{Plainlist
countryUnited States
languageEnglish
num_seasons3
num_episodes68
executive_producer{{Plainlist
producer{{Plainlist
company{{Plainlist
networkCBS
first_aired
last_aired
  • Paul Haggis
  • Anne Kenney
  • Kathleen Quinlan
  • Julie Warner
  • Christopher McDonald
  • Dixie Carter
  • Cristián de la Fuente
  • Salli Richardson
  • Merrilee McCommas
  • Michelle Horn
  • David Dorfman
  • Tony Danza
  • Orla Brady
  • Meredith Eaton
  • Jeff Beal
  • Bruce Roberts
  • David Tobocman
  • Paul Haggis
  • Stephen Nathan
  • David Shore
  • Chuck Binder
  • Dana Maksimovich
  • Paul Haggis Productions
  • CBS Productions
  • Columbia TriStar Television

Family Law is an American legal drama television series, created by Paul Haggis, that was produced by Paul Haggis Productions, CBS Productions and Columbia TriStar Television and aired on CBS from September 20, 1999, to May 27, 2002. This series starring Kathleen Quinlan as divorced lawyer Lynn Holt, who attempted to start her own law firm after her husband left both her and their law practice, taking all of their clients with him.

The show also starred Christopher McDonald as opportunistic, ambulance-chasing attorney Rex Weller, Julie Warner as Lynn's friend Danni (and the one member of her former firm's staff who did not defect with Lynn's ex-husband), and Dixie Carter as "pit bull" divorce attorney Randi King. Later cast additions included Tony Danza, Cristián de la Fuente, Salli Richardson, and Meredith Eaton as Emily Resnick, an ambitious attorney hoping to make partner.

Edwin Starr's 1970 hit song, "War" was used as the series' opening title theme, in season one. A cover version of the song was performed by The Brink and used in season two and three.

Cast

  • Kathleen Quinlan as Lynn Holt
  • Julie Warner as Danni Lipton (seasons 1–2)
  • Christopher McDonald as Rex Weller
  • Dixie Carter as Randi King
  • Cristián de la Fuente as Andres Diaz (seasons 1–2)
  • Salli Richardson as Viveca Foster
  • Merrilee McCommas as Patricia Dumar
  • Michelle Horn as Cassie HoltPortrayed by Rosemarie Martin in the pilot.
  • David Dorfman as Rupert HoltPortrayed by Elliott & Jordan Dolling in the pilot. Portrayed by Blake Rossi during season 1.
  • Tony Danza as Joe Celano (seasons 2–3)
  • Orla Brady as Naoise O'Neill (season 2–3)
  • Meredith Eaton as Emily Resnick (season 3)

; Notes

Episodes

Season 1 (1999–2000)

Season 2 (2000–01)

Season 3 (2001–02)

Release and syndication

Since fall 2018, the show has been syndicated on the channel Start TV. Currently it airs Saturdays at 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. EST.

Reception

Ron Wertheimer of the* New York Times* wrote: "Ms. Quinlan is most appealing, but this series can't survive on her determination alone." Tom Shales of The Washington Post gave it a positive review, "Quinlan is admirable and believable as a woman who won't let setbacks set her back; she's easy to root for."

On Rotten Tomatoes, season one has an approval rating of 10% based on reviews from 10 critics. The site's consensus is "Although Kathleen Quinlan gives a commendable performance, Family Law fizzles out with its bizarre tonal shifts, two-dimensional characterizations, and unbelievable storylines."

References

References

  1. Bogdanovich, Peter. (February 8, 1999). "Betty White on lousy sitcoms … Paul Haggis is back". New York Observer.
  2. Hontz, Jenny. (February 10, 1999). "Haggis inks three-year, first-look deal with Col". Variety.
  3. (2 April 2003). "Motown's Edwin Starr Dead At 61".
  4. Terrace, Vincent. (2011). "Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010". McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.
  5. (September 29, 1999). "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 20–26, 1999)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
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  69. (April 3, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (March 25–31, 2002)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
  70. (April 17, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (April 8–14, 2002)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
  71. (April 24, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (April 15–21, 2002)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
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  76. "Family Law: Season 1".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1999-american-television-series-debuts 2002-american-television-series-endings television-series-created-by-paul-haggis television-series-by-cbs-studios 1990s-american-legal-drama-television-series 2000s-american-legal-drama-television-series television-series-by-sony-pictures-television cbs-legal-dramas
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