The original post: /r/television by /u/soifua on 2025-09-29 14:00:30+00:00.
TLDR: rediscovering The Practice and its incredible list of guest star judges has really been an unexpected pleasure.
———— My wife recently started watching The Practice on Prime and I decided I wanted to watch it with her, so I’ve been binge-ing the show to catch.
I caught a few episodes back in the 90s on ABC, but I wasn’t a regular viewer. I don’t think I even had a tv at the time. But I wasn’t unfamiliar with it. I even remember seeing the crossover show with Ally McBeal, a show I’d completely forgotten about.
But now I’m really enjoying the show. It’s fast paced, well-written and well-produced. And most of the acting is excellent. Not a fan of Jimmy and cringe a little when the story shifts to his inept lawyering, but for the most part everything else is quality.
A couple of things before I get into this. Dylan McDermott is better looking than any human deserves to be. Talk about a dude who won the life lottery. I always had a crush on Lara Flynn Boyle from her Twin Peaks days. I think the show does her a bit of disservice. No DA loses as much as she does, but as the show is about defense lawyers, it needs a foil. And I’m mesmerized by her eyebrows. Still. Steve Harris is absolutely phenomenal. And I wonder why I haven’t seen him in more stuff. Maybe just bad luck. I need to check his IMDB.
One of the joys for me of The Practice, and I’m only at the end of season 2 at this point, is the incredible roster of guest stars. I’m at that age where I see someone on screen and sometimes I’m like, I know this actor, but from where? And what’s his/her damn name? It’ll come to me. Any second now. Ok, I’ll IMDB it in 5 minutes if it doesn’t.
Sometimes, I just know. Maybe an actor whose name I never knew. Cool, that’s Spiros Vondas from The Wire. It’s Tuco Salamanca! But mostly it’s the I know I know this guy and then it comes to me. Holy fuck, it’s the guy who played the admission rep from Princeton in Risky Business. And on and. And it’s so great.
But in The Practice, it’s really the guest star judges who shine brightest. Linda Hunt. Phillip Baker Hall. Ed Asher. Dyan Cannon. Paul Dooley. Holland Taylor. There are others who may resonate with you depending on what shows you watch. But the performances of these actors, in this show, are wonderful.
And there’s one more of significance. One episode, I was watching but was distracted by something and wasn’t really paying attention. I hear this judge’s voice. And it’s so distinctive. Without even looking up, I know it’s the guy who played Chief in Apocalypse Now. No one sounds like him. Not even close. I never knew his name. I dont think I’ve ever seen him in anything else. I looked it up. It’s Albert Hall. Like all these other guest star judges, he’s incredibly good.
I really hope it keeps going on like this for the seasons I have left to watch.