Kelley and produced by David E. Kelley Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. Kelley and Bill D'Elia were the series' executive producers. The series revolves around Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer working in the Boston law firm Cage and Fish. Although ostensibly a legal drama, the main focus of the series is the romantic and personal lives of the main characters.
The show originally aired on Fox from September 8, , to May 20, The series was canceled by Fox after five seasons. Potential revivals of the show have been reported twice.
In March , it was reported that a revival as a limited series was in early development by 20th Television with Flockhart possibly returning. However, regardless of the report, neither project has eventuated yet. She left her previous firm due to sexual harassment. On her first day, Ally is dismayed to discover that she will be working alongside her ex-boyfriend Billy Thomas Gil Bellows βwhom she has never gotten over. The triangle among the three forms the basis for the main plot for the show's first three seasons.
Although ostensibly a legal drama, the main focus of the series is the romantic and personal lives of the main characters, often using legal proceedings as plot devices to contrast or reinforce a character's drama.
For example, bitter divorce litigation of a client might provide a backdrop for Ally's decision to break up with a boyfriend. Legal arguments were also frequently used to explore multiple sides of various social issues. Lawyers and secretaries in the firm routinely date, flirt with, or have a romantic history with one another and frequently run into former or potential romantic interests in the courtroom or on the street.
