Family Law (American TV series)

*Family Law*
Family Law
Genre	Legal drama
Created by	Paul Haggis; Anne Kenney;
Starring	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;
Opening theme	"War" by Edwin Starr and the Brink
Composers	Jeff Beal; Bruce Roberts; David Tobocman;
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	68
Production
Executive producers	Paul Haggis; Stephen Nathan; David Shore;
Producers	Chuck Binder; Dana Maksimovich;
Production companies	Paul Haggis Productions; CBS Productions; Columbia TriStar Television;
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 20, 1999 –; May 27, 2002

Family Law is an American legal drama television series, created by Paul Haggis, that 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.^[1]^[2]

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.^[3] A cover version of the song was performed by The Brink and used in season two and three.

Cast

Kathleen Quinlan as Lynn Holt^[4]
Julie Warner as Danni Lipton^[4] (seasons 1–2)
Christopher McDonald as Rex Weller^[4]
Dixie Carter as Randi King^[4]
Cristián de la Fuente as Andres Diaz^[4] (seasons 1–2)
Salli Richardson as Viveca Foster^[4]
Merrilee McCommas as Patricia Dumar^[4]
Michelle Horn as Cassie Holt^{[Note 1]}
David Dorfman as Rupert Holt^{[Note 2]}
Tony Danza as Joe Celano^[4] (seasons 2–3)
Orla Brady as Naoise O'Neill^[4] (season 2–3)
Meredith Eaton as Emily Resnick^[4] (season 3)

Notes

^ Portrayed by Rosemarie Martin in the pilot.
^ Portrayed by Elliott & Jordan Dolling in the pilot. Portrayed by Blake Rossi during season 1.

Episodes

Season	Episodes	Originally aired
Season	Episodes	First aired	Last aired
1	23	September 20, 1999 (1999-09-20)	May 8, 2000 (2000-05-08)
2	24	October 2, 2000 (2000-10-02)	May 21, 2001 (2001-05-21)
3	21	September 24, 2001 (2001-09-24)	May 27, 2002 (2002-05-27)

Season 1 (1999–2000)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code ^{[citation needed]}
1	1	"Pilot"	Paul Haggis	Paul Haggis & Anne Kenney	September 20, 1999 (1999-09-20)	101
2	2	"Damages"	Paul Haggis	Paul Haggis & David Shore	September 27, 1999 (1999-09-27)	102
3	3	"All God's Creatures"	Paul Haggis	Stephen Nathan & Paul Haggis	October 4, 1999 (1999-10-04)	103
4	4	"Prisoners"	Fred Gerber	Anne Kenney	October 11, 1999 (1999-10-11)	104
5	5	"The List"	Richard J. Lewis	Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher	October 18, 1999 (1999-10-18)	105
6	6	"The Nanny"	Fred Gerber	Stephen Nathan	October 25, 1999 (1999-10-25)	106
7	7	"Games"	Perry Lang	David Shore	November 8, 1999 (1999-11-08)	107
8	8	"The Fourth Trimester"	John Patterson	Thomas L. Moran	November 15, 1999 (1999-11-15)	108
9	9	"Holt vs. Holt"	Fred Gerber	Anne Kenney	November 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)	109
10	10	"Four Drops of Blood"	Michael Schultz	Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher	November 29, 1999 (1999-11-29)	110
11	11	"Decisions"	Adam Nimoy	David Shore & Stephen Nathan	December 13, 1999 (1999-12-13)	111
12	12	"Media Relations"	Elodie Keene	Gay Walch	January 10, 2000 (2000-01-10)	112
13	13	"Human Error"	Fred Gerber	Thomas L. Moran	January 17, 2000 (2000-01-17)	113
14	14	"Stealing Home"	Stephen Nathan	Vivienne Radkoff	January 24, 2000 (2000-01-24)	114
15	15	"A Mother's Son"	Richard J. Lewis	Anne Kenney & Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher	February 7, 2000 (2000-02-07)	115
16	16	"Are You My Father?"	Anita Addison	Susan Hamilton Brin	February 21, 2000 (2000-02-21)	116
17	17	"Metamorphosis"	Fred Gerber	Edmond Stevens	February 28, 2000 (2000-02-28)	117
18	18	"Necessity"	Ericson Core	Stephen Nathan & David Shore	March 6, 2000 (2000-03-06)	118
19	19	"Playing God"	Fred Gerber	Tricia Brock & Marc Flanagan	March 20, 2000 (2000-03-20)	119
20	20	"The Witness"	Kari Skogland	Jeff King	April 17, 2000 (2000-04-17)	120
21	21	"Second Chance"	Fred Gerber	Bill Chais & David Shore	April 24, 2000 (2000-04-24)	121
22	22	"Love and Money"	Elodie Keene	Story by : Judith Feldman & Sarah Woodside Gallagher Teleplay by : Stephen Nathan & David Shore	May 1, 2000 (2000-05-01)	122
23	23	"Possession Is Nine Tenths of the Law"	Ericson Core	David Shore & Stephen Nathan	May 8, 2000 (2000-05-08)	123

Season 2 (2000–01)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
24	1	"The Choice"	Paul Haggis	Paul Haggis & Edmond Stevens	October 2, 2000 (2000-10-02)	201
25	2	"One Mistake"	Fred Gerber	Paul Haggis & David Shore	October 9, 2000 (2000-10-09)	202
26	3	"Affairs of State"	Fred Gerber	Paul Haggis & Stephen Nathan	October 16, 2000 (2000-10-16)	203
27	4	"Going Home"	Fred Gerber	Linda McGibney & David Shore	October 23, 2000 (2000-10-23)	204
28	5	"Telling Lies: Part 1"	Fred Gerber	Paul Haggis & Anne Kenney	October 30, 2000 (2000-10-30)	205
29	6	"Telling Lies: Part 2"	Jerry Levine	Stephen Nathan & David Shore	November 6, 2000 (2000-11-06)	206
30	7	"For Love"	Stephen Nathan	Bill Chais & Marjorie David	November 13, 2000 (2000-11-13)	207
31	8	"Family Values"	Oz Scott	Ashley Gable & Thomas L. Moran	November 20, 2000 (2000-11-20)	208
32	9	"Echoes"	Martha Mitchell	Jonathan Estrin	November 27, 2000 (2000-11-27)	209
33	10	"Generations"	Fred Gerber	E.J. Safirstein	December 11, 2000 (2000-12-11)	210
34	11	"Intentions"	Richard J. Lewis	Linda McGibney & Edmond Stevens	January 8, 2001 (2001-01-08)	211
35	10	"Film at Eleven"	Ericson Core	Christopher Ambrose & Lawrence Kaplow	January 15, 2001 (2001-01-15)	212
36	13	"Separation"	Fred Gerber	Stephen Nathan & David Shore	January 29, 2001 (2001-01-29)	213
37	14	"The Quality of Mercy"	Miles Watkins	Majorie David, Stephen Nathan & David Shore	February 5, 2001 (2001-02-05)	214
38	15	"Liar's Club: Part 1"	Jeremy Kagan	Ashley Gable & Thomas L. Moran	February 19, 2001 (2001-02-19)	215
39	16	"Liar's Club: Part 2"	Fred Gerber	Stephen Nathan & David Shore	February 26, 2001 (2001-02-26)	216
40	17	"Soul Custody"	Oz Scott	Bill Chais & Stephen Nathan	March 12, 2001 (2001-03-12)	217
41	18	"Safe at Home"	Paul Haggis	Thomas L. Moran & Paul Haggis	March 19, 2001 (2001-03-19)	218
42	19	"The Gay Divorcee"	Jerry Levine	Stephen Nathan & David Shore	April 9, 2001 (2001-04-09)	219
43	20	"Bringing Up Babies"	Richard J. Lewis	Linda McGibney & David Shore	April 16, 2001 (2001-04-16)	220
44	21	"Americans"	Elodie Keene	Stephen Nathan, David Shore & Scott Cameron	April 30, 2001 (2001-04-30)	221
45	22	"Recovery"	Fred Gerber	Stephen Nathan, David Shore & Jason Preston	May 7, 2001 (2001-05-07)	222
46	23	"Clemency"	Paul Haggis	Bill Chais, Paul Haggis & Thomas L. Moran	May 14, 2001 (2001-05-14)	223
47	24	"Planting Seeds"	Elodie Keene	Ashley Gable, Stephen Nathan & David Shore	May 21, 2001 (2001-05-21)	224

Season 3 (2001–02)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code ^{[citation needed]}
48	1	"Irreparable Harm"	Fred Gerber	Story by : Paul Haggis & Jan Nash and Lawrence Kaplow Teleplay by : Lawrence Kaplow and Stephan Nathan & David Shore	September 24, 2001 (2001-09-24)	301
49	2	"Moving On"	Fred Gerber	Christopher Ambrose & Lawrence Kaplow	October 1, 2001 (2001-10-01)	302
50	3	"Obligations"	Oz Scott	Ashley Gable	October 8, 2001 (2001-10-08)	303
51	4	"My Brother's Keeper"	Ericson Core	Story by : Thomas L. Moran & Vivienne Radkoff Teleplay by : Thomas L. Moran	October 15, 2001 (2001-10-15)	304
52	5	"Against All Odds"	Fred Gerber	Christopher Ambrose	October 22, 2001 (2001-10-22)	305
53	6	"Sacrifices"	Oz Scott	Gregg Gettas & Scott Cameron	October 29, 2001 (2001-10-29)	306
54	7	"All in the Family"	Jerry Levine	Ayanna Floyd	November 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)	307
55	8	"Security"	Fred Gerber	I.C. Rapoport	November 12, 2001 (2001-11-12)	308
56	9	"No Options"	Jerry Levine	Lindsay Sturman	November 19, 2001 (2001-11-19)	309
57	10	"Sex, Lies and the Internet"	Oz Scott	Bill Chais & Thomas L. Moran	December 10, 2001 (2001-12-10)	310
58	11	"Angel's Flight"	Max Mayer	Paul Haggis & Jan Nash	December 17, 2001 (2001-12-17)	311
59	12	"Blood and Water"	Max Mayer	Jan Nash	January 7, 2002 (2002-01-07)	312
60	13	"To Protect and Serve"	Fred Gerber	Ayanna Floyd & Ashley Gable	January 14, 2002 (2002-01-14)	313
61	14	"Arlene's Choice"	Stephan Nathan	Lawrence Kaplow	February 4, 2002 (2002-02-04)	314
62	15	"Children of a Lesser Dad"	Oz Scott	Christopher Ambrose	February 25, 2002 (2002-02-25)	315
63	16	"Celano v. Foster"	Fred Gerber	Bill Chais & Thomas L. Moran	March 4, 2002 (2002-03-04)	316
64	17	"Big Brother"	Julie Warner	Story by : Stuart Wolpert Teleplay by : David Shore & Stephen Nathan	March 18, 2002 (2002-03-18)	317
65	18	"Once Removed"	Oz Scott	Pamela Davis	March 25, 2002 (2002-03-25)	318
66	19	"Admissions"	Fred Gerber	Lindsay Sturman	April 8, 2002 (2002-04-08)	319
67	20	"Ties That Bind"	Max Mayer	Ashley Gable & Jan Nash	April 15, 2002 (2002-04-15)	320
68	21	"Alienation of Affection"	Fred Gerber	Stephan Nathan & David Shore	May 27, 2002 (2002-05-27)	321

Release and syndication

Since fall 2018, the show has been syndicated on the channel Start TV.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Ron Wertheimer of the New York Times wrote: "Ms. Quinlan is most appealing, but this series can't survive on her determination alone."^[5] 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."^[6]

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."^[7]

References

^ Bogdanovich, Peter (February 8, 1999). "Betty White on lousy sitcoms … Paul Haggis is back". New York Observer. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
^ Hontz, Jenny (February 10, 1999). "Haggis inks three-year, first-look deal with Col". Variety. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
^ "Motown's Edwin Starr Dead At 61". Cbsnews.com. 2 April 2003.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 326–327. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
^ Wertheimer, Ron (20 September 1999). "NEW TV SEASON IN REVIEW; Suddenly Single, but Sure To Succeed on Her Own (Published 1999)". The New York Times.
^ Tom Shales (September 19, 1999). "Primal-Time Programming". The Washington Post.
^ "Family Law: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2021-01-01.

External links

Family Law at IMDb

[5] Portrayed by Rosemarie Martin in the pilot.

[6] Portrayed by Elliott & Jordan Dolling in the pilot. Portrayed by Blake Rossi during season 1.

[1] Bogdanovich, Peter (February 8, 1999). "Betty White on lousy sitcoms … Paul Haggis is back". New York Observer. Retrieved August 4, 2015.

[2] Hontz, Jenny (February 10, 1999). "Haggis inks three-year, first-look deal with Col". Variety. Retrieved August 4, 2015.

[3] "Motown's Edwin Starr Dead At 61". Cbsnews.com. 2 April 2003.

[etvs-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 326–327. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

[7] Wertheimer, Ron (20 September 1999). "NEW TV SEASON IN REVIEW; Suddenly Single, but Sure To Succeed on Her Own (Published 1999)". The New York Times.

[8] Tom Shales (September 19, 1999). "Primal-Time Programming". The Washington Post.

[9] "Family Law: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2021-01-01.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Paul Haggis
Films directed	Red Hot (1993) Crash (2004) In the Valley of Elah (2007) The Next Three Days (2010) Third Person (2013) 5B (2018)
Films written only	The Return of the Shaggy Dog (1987) Million Dollar Baby (2004) The Last Kiss (2006) Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Casino Royale (2006) Quantum of Solace (2008)
TV series created	City (1990) You Take the Kids (1990–91) Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001) Due South (1994–99) EZ Streets (1996–97) Family Law (1999–2002) The Black Donnellys (2007)
Other works	"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" (2010 music video, directed) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011 video game, wrote) Show Me a Hero (2015 miniseries, directed)