Boston Legal/Trivia

• Actor Allusion:
  • There's quite a few jabs at William Shatner's iconic Captain Kirk role, such as when Denny is given a cellphone by one of his many girlfriends and it makes the Star Trek communicator beeping sound whenever he flips it open.
  • Also, when describing a parasitic water bug,

Alan: They call them cling-ons.
Denny: Did you say Klingons!?

• • The third season episode "Son of the Defender" used footage from a 1950's TV movie featuring Shatner to present Denny as a young attorney clashing with his father. It was surprisingly emotional.
  • In one episode, Valerie Bertinelli appeared as a guest character, and her appearance was heralded with the theme from One Day At a Time, the show that made her a star.
• Actor Shared Background: Denny Crane's larger-than-life persona, and his anxieties about being washed-up. One could argue that Shatner fits that bill and in many ways Denny is a reflection of himself. Especially Denny doing Priceline commercials. David E Kelley mentioned wanting William Shatner for the role precisely because he would fit perfectly and was willing to poke fun at himself.
• Fake American: Canadian William Shatner as staunch, gun-loving Denny Crane.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Nicknamed the "science fiction retirement home" for featuring Captain Kirk, Odo (who clearly prefers working with Sisko), Daniel Jackson, and Seven of Nine among others.
  • Taken even further in a third season episode with Odo and Quark, who are described as "old friends," arguing with each other.
    • Guest starring Neelix. And the voice of Leela, if you're in to that kind of thing.
  • Looks like Murphy Brown has a successful legal career after broadcasting.
• I Am Not Spock: For a lot of people, this show was responsible for William Shatner not just being Captain Kirk. In fact inverted, now people make Denny Crane jokes about old Star Trek the Original Series episodes.
• You Might Remember Me From: Candice Bergen's earlier claim to fame was on the long-running sitcom Murphy Brown.
  • And Christian Clemenson played sidekick to Bruce Campbell as another lawyer, Socrates Poole, in The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
    • Perhaps more relevantly, Clemenson played Spader's brother in Bad Influence.
      • John Larroquette, who joined the cast as the straight-laced Deadpan Snarker Carl Sack is certainly better known for playing a lawyer, who was the complete opposite on Night Court, Dan Fielding.
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