‘Ally McBeal’ 20th Anniversary: Cast Then and Now

‘Ally McBeal’s’ 20th Anniversary

Premiering on Sept. 8, 1997, David E. Kelley’s eccentric law dramedy starring Calista Flockhart as the titular character won seven Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes during its five-year run on Fox. Now, Variety looks at what the most memorable fictional Cage and Fish lawyers have been up to since the show debuted 20 years ago.

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David E. Kelley

Creator

While “Ally McBeal” was on the air, Kelley was also producing the legal drama “The Practice” for rival broadcast network ABC. In an unprecedented move, the shows shared a crossover in 1998. A year later, Kelley won both the drama and comedy series Emmy Awards for the two shows. Since “Ally McBeal” went off the air in 2002, though, he hasin the third season. But in 2001, she began splitting her time with what became a guest role on this law dramedy with her new gig opposite Jim Belushi on the family sitcom “According to Jim.” She was there for eight years before moving onto the raunchier sitcom “Two and a Half Men” for another five years. Though originally known for dramatic fare like “Melrose Place,” Thorne-Smith has become a comedy queen, most recently appearing on “Fresh Off the Boat.”

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Vonda Shepard

Singer/Songwriter

Shepard played a lounge singer who worked at a bar the Cage and Fish lawyers would frequent after hard days at work. Her original song “Searchin’ My Soul” was the show’s theme song and her most popular track from her time on the series, which netted two full