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Boston Legal, the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning quirky legal drama from David E. Kelley, creator of Ally McBeal, returns to LIVING for a fourth season. Boston Legal tells the professional and personal stories of a group of brilliant but often emotionally challenged attorneys. Fast-paced and wildly comedic, the series confronts social and moral issues, while its characters continually stretch the boundaries of the law.

Back-to-back Emmy Award winners James Spader and William Shatner return to play Alan Shore and Denny Crane, unlikely kindred spirits among the brigade of high-priced litigators at Crane Poole & Schmidt. In addition, Shirley Schmidt (played by five-time Emmy winner Candice Bergen), a founding partner of the firm, continues to help bring order to the chaotic office. She keeps a vigilant eye on all, particularly on Denny Crane, with whom she shares a chequered past.

New to the legal team this year are Lorraine Weller (played by Brit actress Saffron Burrows, Reign Over Me, Troy, Deep Blue Sea), a sexy, sophisticated litigator who once had a passionate affair with Shore, the chemistry of which still lingers and distracts, and senior partner Carl Sack (Emmy® Award winner John Larroquette) brought in by Schmidt from the New York office, considered a worthy nemesis by Denny Crane. Jerry 'Hands' Espenson (Christian Clemenson), Shore's friend and fellow lawyer who suffers from Asperger Syndrome, and Clarence Bell (Gary Anthony Williams), who suffers from such an extreme case of social inadequacy and shyness that he can morph into a number of personalities at the drop of a hat. Fresh out of law school and eager to learn is Katie Lloyd (Tara Sumers), a new young associate, alongside Whitney Rome (Taraji P. Henson), a premier though unconventional litigator from the New York office who transfers herself to Crane Poole & Schmidt in Boston.

Catch Boston Legal, Thursdays at 10pm from January 31st.

Meet the cast:

An actor with a taste for extremes, James Spader has forged a career built upon exploring the darker side of human nature. Spader appeared alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal in the critically-acclaimed film, Secretary, which won the 2002 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Originality. Spader also starred in Speaking of Sex, Supernova, Slow Burn, Critical Care and Crash.

Spader's additional film credits include 2 Days in the Valley, Star Gate, Wolf, White Palace, The Music of Chance, Bob Roberts, True Colors, Bad Influence, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Jack's Back, Mannequin, Less than Zero, Wall Street, Pretty in Pink and Endless Love.

William Shatner has cultivated a career that has spanned 50 years as a professional actor, director, producer, screenwriter and author. He is one of pop culture's most recognizable figures, and has also established himself as a major Hollywood philanthropist.

Born in Montreal, Shatner developed an early interest in acting and started working professionally at the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) even before he reached his teens. He found himself drawn to the theatre and eventually joined the Stratford Shakespeare Festival under Sir Tyrone Guthrie. Tamburlaine, one of the festival's productions, moved to Broadway, and Shatner was immediately noticed by the New York critics. He later returned to Canada, winning the Tyrone Guthrie Award soon thereafter.

Mark's first role was working in John Schlesinger's The Innocent, which starred Anthony Hopkins and was filmed in Germany. Valley made an impact on television viewers with his lead role in Pasadena, as well as in recurring roles on ER and Once and Again.

Additional television work includes guest spots on CSI, The Lone Gunmen and Gideon's Crossing, as well as a stint on the long-running daytime drama, Days of Our Lives. He also appeared in the title role of Keen Eddie for Fox Television, which continues to be a favourite on Bravo, and in several telefilms, including Running Mates and Breast Men, and portrayed Senator Robert Kennedy in George Wallace. In feature films, Valley appeared in The Seige and The Next Best Thing.

For 10 years Bergen played Murphy on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy Murphy Brown, for which she received five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She had earlier received extraordinary critical and audience response for her performance in Getting Straight; in Mike Nichol's Carnal Knowledge; and as the newly liberated wife in Starting Over, for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Bergen's other television credits include three TV movies for CBS—Mayflower Madam, Murder: By Reason of Insanity and, most recently, Mary & Tim, about a May/December relationship. She was also seen in the highly rated ABC miniseries, Hollywood Wives, based on the bestselling novel by Jackie Collins. Bergen most recently was seen in Warner Bros. Pictures' The In-Laws with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. On television Bergen had her own show on the Oxygen Network, Bergen Checks It Out. Before that she hosted Exhale, a nightly one-hour talk show, also on the Oxygen Network.

Julie Bowen was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she caught the acting bug as a child while putting on plays with her two sisters in their backyard. She attended Brown University, earning a degree in Italian Renaissance studies while starring in productions of Guys and Dolls, Stage Door and Lemon Sky.

On the big screen, she can be seen in the upcoming comedy/drama Kids in America. She starred opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy Happy Gilmore and appeared with Michael Keaton in Multiplicity. She also starred in An American Werewolf in Paris, performed with Lynn Redgrave in the romantic comedy Venus and Mars and starred with Tim Allen in Joe Somebody.

Burrows' diverse acting credits range from Wolfgang Petersen's Troy, with Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom, to Klimt, where she starred opposite John Malkovich. Additional credits include opposite Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in Mike Binder's critically acclaimed film, Reign Over Me, Hal Hartley's Fay Grim, opposite Parker Posey and Jeff Goldblum; Renny Harlin's Deep Blue Sea; Mike Figgis' film adaptation of the classic play Miss Julie; Enigma opposite Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam; Paul McGuigan's Gangster No. 1 with Paul Bettany and David Thewlis.

An accomplished stage actress, Burrows starred opposite David Schwimmer in Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s) on the West End stage. Other stage credits include The Powerbook, directed by Deborah Warner for the Royal National Theatre in London, also performed in Paris and Rome, and The Earthly Paradise, where she portrayed Pre-Raphaelite Janey Morris for London's Almeida Theatre.

Born in Atlanta where his career started with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival. Williams moved to Los Angeles in 1998. He played the recurring role of Abe Kenarban on Malcolm in the Middle and was a regular on WB's Blue Collar TV. He is also the voice of Uncle Ruckus on Boondocks (adult swim tv).

He had bit parts in Undercover Brother (2002), Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (2004), Soul Plan (2004), Jiminy Glick in La La Wood (2005), Ride (1998) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). Gary plays the transvestite secretary turned straight on Boston Legal.

Best known for his multiple Emmy award winning role (1985-88 inclusive) of Reinhold 'Dan' Fielding, Assistant D.A. on Night Court. He most recently won another Emmy in 1997 for his portrayal of Joey Heric in 4 episodes of The Practice. He has worked beside Rutger Hauer, Bill Murray, Keith Carradine, Bruce Willis and Bette Midler to name but a few.