As sitcoms go, the US TV series Ally McBeal became something of a legend in its own time. It made its wraithlike star Calista Flockhart a household name, provided an enormous boost to the profile of vocalist Vonda Shepherd and had some of Hollywood’s top celebrities queuing up for a guest spot. Now, however, Fox network is axing the award-winning show.
The announcement that the series will end its five-year run was made on the programme’s set on Wednesday by its creator, David E Kelley. The news was apparently a surprise to the cast and crew. “There were tears and it was emotional,” said a spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television.
Despite featuring the likes of Matthew Perry, Robert Downey Jr and top names from the music world including Elton John, Barry White and Mariah Carey, the series had slipped in popularity. It won a best comedy series Emmy in 1999 and in its heyday scored high in the top twenty ratings, but in recently release figured it had slipped to 43rd place.
“It’s lost some of its steam since Downey left,” reveals one industry expert, referring to the sacking of Ally’s love interest, who was written out of the show following further problems with substance abuse. The chemistry between Calista and Robert had created what many see as the show’s high point in recent years.
With the show’s demise, David E Kelley will presumably be freed up to concentrate on his three other network shows – Boston Public on Fox, The Practise on ABC and The Girls Club, a new series also based on legal singletons, this time in San Francisco.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
