David E. Kelley’s Ally McBeal was a smashing success in the realm of legal drama, and now it has been announced that ABC is working on a sequel. Its final episode aired on Fox twenty years ago, and the programme went on to win several Emmys throughout the course of its five-season run from 1997 to 2002. Karin Gist is writing and serving as executive producer for a new series that centres on an entirely new protagonist.
Reports suggest that Gist is also working as the show’s runner. According to reports, the new programme would centre on a talented young black woman who, upon graduating from law school, finds a position at the same legal office where Ally McBeal had worked. The primary character in the sequel series is said to be Renée Raddick’s daughter, Ally’s former roommate. The role of Renée was originated by Lisa Nicole Carson, who primarily retired from acting after the cancellation of Ally McBeal.
Calista Flockhart, who played the original Ally McBeal, may return to the new series in an expanded role and also work as an executive producer, according to reports. Some say Flockhart won’t decide if she’ll return for the sequel series until the script is locked. Despite supposedly giving his consent to the sequel series, Kelley will not be returning in any manner. Since Ally McBeal was cancelled, he has produced other great shows including Big Little Lies and Big Sky. Gist has worked as a producer on several hit series, such as Girlfriends, House of Lies, Revenge, and Mixed-ish. Mike, a biopic that is airing as a limited series, with Gist as its showrunner.
The Ally McBeal prequel will be produced by 20th Television, a division of Disney TV Studios. Flockhart is featured as a young lawyer navigating adulthood in the original Ally McBeal sitcom. The sitcom mostly focused on Ally and her coworkers at Cage and Fish, a law firm in Boston. Big celebrities including Robert Downey Jr., Lucy Liu, and Jon Bon Jovi were among the show’s cast. Careers of Jane Krakowski, Regina Hall, Julianne Nicholson, James Marsden, and Hayden Panettiere were also launched because of the series.
Ally McBeal won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999 and the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The original dancing baby meme may be traced back to the Ally McBeal sitcom. The production of Ally McBeal: Season 2 has just begun.