Ally McBeal (season 3)

The third season of the television series Ally McBeal commenced airing in the United States on October 25, 1999, concluded on May 22, 2000, and consisted of 21 episodes. The entire season originally aired Mondays at 9pm, just like the seasons before.

Ally McBeal
Season 3
DVD cover
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseOctober 25, 1999 (1999-10-25) –
May 22, 2000 (2000-05-22)
Season chronology

A month before the premiere of the season, Fox began airing Ally, a half-hour show that consisted of re-edited scenes from the first two seasons and previously unseen footage, with the intention of making it a sitcom. 13 episodes of the show were shot, but only 10 were broadcast.[1]

It was released on DVD as a six disc boxed set under the title of Ally McBeal: Season Three on October 7, 2002,[2][3] just like the two seasons that aired before and in the U.S. on December 22, 2009.

The third season had an average rating of 12.3 million viewers in the United States and was ranked #39 on the complete ranking sheet of all the year's shows. This was the second highest rated season of Ally McBeal.

On the 52nd Primetime Emmy Awards, the show won an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special for the season premiere episode Car Wash.[4] Kevin Fallon cited the sex scene from the episode Car Wash as one of "TV's 13 Dirtiest Sex Scenes" in a column for The Daily Beast.[5]

Crew

The season was produced by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and David E. Kelley Productions. The executive producers were Bill D'Elia and the creator David E. Kelley, who also wrote all 23 episodes just like the two seasons before,[6] with the exception of co-writing the episodes Out in the Cold and In Search of Pygmies with Josh Caplan, and co-writing the episode Turning Thirty with Jill Goldsmith. Jonathan Pontell and Alicia West served as the co-executive producers.

Cast

The third season had ten major roles receive star billing. Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal, Greg Germann as Richard Fish, Peter MacNicol as John Cage, Jane Krakowski as Elaine Vassal, Lisa Nicole Carson as Renée Raddick, Gil Bellows as Billy Thomas, Courtney Thorne-Smith as Georgia Thomas, Vonda Shepard as herself, Portia de Rossi as Nelle Porter and Lucy Liu as Ling Woo all returned to the main cast.

The season featured the departure of two original cast members, Gil Bellows and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Bellows left to star on The Agency and Thorne Smith was cast on According to Jim. Bellows' character was killed off in the episode Boy Next Door. According to the actor himself, the character was originally intended to stay only for one season, but the popularity kept him for two more.[7]

James LeGros made his debut as Mark Albert, a lawyer that replaced Billy at the firm. The character was recurring, and was upgraded to contract status as of season 4.[8]

Various supporting characters from the previous seasons returned to reprise their recurring roles, including Dyan Cannon making her final appearances as Judge Jennifer "Whipper" Cone, Albert Hall as Judge Seymore Walsh, Jennifer Holliday as Lisa Knowles, Harrison Page as Reverend Mark Newman, Tracey Ullman as Dr. Tracy Clark, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vatrena King and Sy Smith as the backup singers for Vonda Shepard. Gina Philips had a recurring role as Billy's secretary Sandy Hingle.

This season also featured a variety of celebrities. Al Green, Gladys Knight, and Gloria Gaynor all appeared in the form of Ally's hallucinations, while Macy Gray and Randy Newman appeared as performers at the bar. Farrah Fawcett portrays Robin Jones, a newspaper editor accused of sexual harassment. Loretta Devine appeared as a client who also sings during the course of one of Ally's hallucinations following Billy's death. And Tina Turner made an appearance.

Episodes
Main article: List of Ally McBeal episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		 Viewers
(millions)
471"Car Wash"Billy DicksonDavid E. KelleyOctober 25, 1999 (1999-10-25)3M0116.02[9]
Ally has random sex with a man at a car wash, only to realize he is the fiance of a client that she has agreed to be a bridesmaid. Renee and Whipper open their own law firm.
482"Buried Pleasures"Mel DamskiDavid E. KelleyNovember 1, 1999 (1999-11-01)3M0216.86[10]
Ling and Ally kiss, then establish there is a missing ingredient, the penis, and they decide to never kiss another woman again.
493"Seeing Green"Peter MacNicolDavid E. KelleyNovember 8, 1999 (1999-11-08)3M0313.65[11]
Ally's hallucinations worsen as she falls in love with her imaginary Al Green. Billy joins a self-help group for men who want to work on their chauvinism.
504"Heat Wave"Alex GravesDavid E. KelleyNovember 15, 1999 (1999-11-15)3M0414.98[12]
Ally gets sued by Risa, the woman whose wedding she destroyed in the season opener. Billy decides to get his hair colored and to hire a new and beautiful assistant.
515"Troubled Water"Joanna KernsDavid E. KelleyNovember 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)3M0514.52[13]
Billy goes completely crazy on the day before Thanksgiving, driving Georgia to kiss "George" in the bar. Ally invites her friends and family to her place for a holiday dinner. "George" is revealed to be Ally's father. Ally's other guests are forced to exit her apartment to finish dinner at Fish's place.
526"Changes"Arlene SanfordDavid E. KelleyNovember 29, 1999 (1999-11-29)3M0614.65[14]
Billy and Cage represent Robin Jones, a sexy, middle-aged women suing her employees for sexual harassment. Robin claims the staff of her magazine held a "sick out," delaying the May publication because they did not want to work for a "nymph". Richard and Ling officially break up. As they lose their case, Billy and Robin argue over his chauvinistic principles, but settle it with a kiss - as Georgia walks in on the duo.
537"Saving Santa"Rachel TalalayDavid E. KelleyDecember 13, 1999 (1999-12-13)3M0714.40[15]
The first case Georgia brings to Renee's new firm pits them against Cage and Fish. Georgia defends Newman's, an upscale department store against Steve Mallory, the store Santa for 17 years. Cage represents Mallory, claiming he was wrongfully fired because Newman wants a younger, thinner Santa. Ally brings Georgia and Billy together to talk, and Billy sees that he wants Georgia back. But Georgia is not as eager to work things out.
548"Blue Christmas"Jonathan PontellDavid E. KelleyDecember 20, 1999 (1999-12-20)3M0812.86[16]
Elaine finds a baby in a nativity scene and wants to keep him, so she gets Cage and Ally to represent her in a custody battle. Billy attempts to iron things out with Georgia. After not being able to convince the others that she can be sexy, Ally does a memorable performance of "Santa Baby" at the Christmas party.
559"Out in the Cold"Dennie GordonStory by : David E. Kelley & Josh Caplan
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley		January 10, 2000 (2000-01-10)3M0915.70[17]
Ally befriends a homeless man, a writer doing research on homelessness. Ling is arrested for running a brothel when one of her escorts have sex with a high school boy. Billy, still on his pro-testosterone kick, hires six of Ling's escorts to be his assistants. Cage and Nelle have an argument after she finds out he had once hired an escort.
5610"Just Friends"Michael SchultzDavid E. KelleyJanuary 17, 2000 (2000-01-17)3M1014.41[18]
Ally has a romantic dream about Cage and wakes up thinking he may be the one for her. When she finally gets up the courage to tell him, he admits that he often thought she might be the one for him also. Elaine goes on a date with a great guy only to learn that he asked her out because his friend said she was easy. Georgia serves Billy with divorce papers, with Renee agreeing to represent her.
5711"Over the Rainbow"Alan MyersonDavid E. KelleyFebruary 7, 2000 (2000-02-07)3M1114.70[19]
The firm is shocked when Georgia sues them for the destruction of her marriage.
5812"In Search of Pygmies"Arvin BrownStory by : David E. Kelley & Josh Caplan
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley		February 14, 2000 (2000-02-14)3M1213.98[20]
Ling defends an old friend asked to leave his retirement home because the director finds his exuberant imagination disruptive for other residents. While Ling tries to decide whether her friend truly believes in his make-believe world or just pretends to, he suffers from a hallucination that has fatal results.
5913"Pursuit of Loneliness"Jonathan PontellDavid E. KelleyFebruary 21, 2000 (2000-02-21)3M1315.11[21]
Ally is pursued by Hammond, the server at her coffee shop, but is turned off by his forwardness. Ally snubs Hammond, only to walk into an appeals court and find he is a presiding judge in her case. When Ally is rude to him in court, he throws her in jail for contempt. John worries Nelle is a snob, and Billy finally kisses his assistant Sandy.
6014"The Oddball Parade"Bryan GordonDavid E. KelleyFebruary 28, 2000 (2000-02-28)3M1415.23[22]
Cage and Fish represent a group of oddballs fired from their jobs. One client is a transvestite, one has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, one is somewhat dorky and nerd-like, and one is obese. Ally and Elaine enter a dance contest in which the winner gets to perform as one of Tina Turner's back-up dancers at the bar. Billy and Ally agree to rekindle their friendship.
6115"Prime Suspect"Rachel TalalayDavid E. KelleyMarch 20, 2000 (2000-03-20)3M1514.41[23]
Cage's 'oddball' client is accused of murdering his old boss and the firm gets involved in their first murder trial. Ally plays detective and goes snooping when things in the case turn dismal.
6216"Boy Next Door"Jack BenderDavid E. KelleyMarch 27, 2000 (2000-03-27)3M1614.55[24]
Nelle breaks up with John while he is stuck in an elevator. Billy represents a woman in an annulment action case whose husband wants out of the marriage. The case gets sidetracked when Billy reveals the truth about his health: he has a brain tumor. During his closing argument he reveals in court that he still is and always will be in love with Ally.
6317"I Will Survive"Barnet KellmanDavid E. KelleyApril 17, 2000 (2000-04-17)3M1713.05[25]
While grieving for Billy, Gloria Gaynor stalks Ally around singing I Will Survive. Ally and Ling represent a woman who beat her cheating husband to death with his prosthetic leg. Fish brings in a new lawyer and assigns him to Ally's case.
6418"Turning Thirty"Jeannot SzwarcDavid E. Kelley & Jill GoldsmithMay 1, 2000 (2000-05-01)3M1812.11[26]
The firm defends a woman accused of murdering her 89-year-old husband via suffocation by her breasts. Ally struggles with turning thirty. She goes to church to find God, but instead finds an angry Reverend Newman who has a pet peeve about women who only need God between relationships.
6519"Do You Wanna Dance?"Michael LangeDavid E. KelleyMay 8, 2000 (2000-05-08)3M1910.75[27]
Ally engages in virtual sex. At Renee’s prompting, Ally tries to arrange a meeting. Upon seeing Brian, the opposing counsel in a case she and Mark are trying, she immediately is drawn to him. Ally is in hot water when she realizes she has been chatting with an underage teen (Jonathan Taylor Thomas).
6620"Hope and Glory"Mel DamskiDavid E. KelleyMay 15, 2000 (2000-05-15)3M2011.50[28]
Nelle schemes to leave Cage & Fish to start her own firm, leaving Richard and John furious. Elaine accepts Nelle's offer to leave the firm. Ally dates Brian Selig.
6721"Ally McBeal: The Musical, Almost"Bill D'EliaDavid E. KelleyMay 22, 2000 (2000-05-22)3M2111.17[29]
Brian and Ally go to dinner with her parents. Nelle tells her lawyer, Hope, she thinks she made a mistake leaving the firm and wants to go back. Renee sings the blues at the bar. The following day Ally's mother visits and tells her she hurt her father's feelings at the dinner the night before.

References
  1. "Ally on IMDB". IMDB.com. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  2. "Ally McBeal: Season Three, Part One". Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  3. "Ally McBeal: Season Three, Part Two". Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  4. "Awards for Ally McBeal". IMDB.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  5. Fallon, Kevin (October 11, 2012). "'The Good Wife' Ice Cream Shocker & TV's 13 Dirtiest Sex Scenes (VIDEO)". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  6. "David E. Kelley (I) - Filmography by TV series". IMDB.com. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  7. "Gil Bellows - blockbuster.com". blockbuster.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  8. Rice, Lynette (May 19, 2000). "James LeGros joins Ally McBeal". EW.com. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  9. "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 25–31)". The Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  10. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 1–7)". The Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  11. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 8–14)". The Los Angeles Times. November 17, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  12. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  13. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 22-28)". The Los Angeles Times. December 1, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  14. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 29-Dec. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  15. "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. December 22, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  16. "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 20-26)". The Los Angeles Times. December 29, 1999. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  17. "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. January 19, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  18. "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. January 26, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  19. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 7-13)". The Los Angeles Times. February 16, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  20. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 14-20)". The Los Angeles Times. February 23, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  21. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 21-27)". The Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  22. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 28-March 5)". The Los Angeles Times. March 8, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  23. "National Nielsen Viewership (March 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. March 29, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  24. "National Nielsen Viewership (March 27-April 2)". The Los Angeles Times. April 5, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  25. "National Nielsen Viewership (April 17–22)". The Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  26. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 1–7)". The Los Angeles Times. May 10, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  27. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 8–14)". The Los Angeles Times. May 17, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  28. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  29. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. June 1, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
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