Watch Philly

Name: Philly
Genre: Drama
Released: 2001-09-25
Cast: Kim DelaneyTom Everett ScottRick Hoffman

2001
1 Season
7.3 (408)

Philly was a legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and aired on CBS from September 25, 2001, to May 28, 2002. The show revolves around the character of Kathleen Maguire, played by Kim Delaney, who is a defense attorney in Philadelphia. Kathleen is a tough lawyer who is not afraid to stand up for her clients, even if it means going against the establishment. She is a single mother, and her personal life often intersects with her professional life, causing emotional conflict. Her relationship with her mentor, Ezekiel "Zeke" Borns, played by veteran actor Robert Harper, adds another dimension to the show.

The office of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney & Kuzak from the famous legal drama L.A. Law is the backdrop of the show. The law firm has expanded to Philadelphia, and Kathleen runs the office. The other attorneys and staff members in the office include Will Froman, played by Tom Everett Scott, who is a former Assistant District Attorney and works as an associate at the firm; Danette Andredes, played by Kyle Secor, who is a fellow attorney and Will's love interest; and Arnold Spivak, played by Rick Hoffman, who is an eccentric and sleazy paralegal.

The show explores complex legal cases, which often have social and political undertones. In the first episode, Kathleen fights to save a mentally ill woman from being executed, despite opposition from the District Attorney's office. She also takes up the case of a man who is falsely accused of murder but is sent to death row due to racial bias.

Philly combines legal drama with a character-driven narrative, where the personal lives of the characters play a crucial role in shaping the show's events. Kathleen's relationship with her ex-husband, Kevin McClain, played by John Doman, and her daughter's teenage angst provide a contrast to her legal battles. There are several stand-alone episodes that deal with topical issues such as gun control, child abuse, and police brutality.

The show's strengths lie in the performances of the actors, with Kim Delaney giving a compelling portrayal of the lead character. She brings a vulnerability to the tough-as-nails persona of Kathleen, making her character relatable. Tom Everett Scott provides a good foil to Delaney's character, bringing a much-needed lightness to the show. Rick Hoffman's Arnold is a character that you love to hate, and he adds a touch of humor to the show.

Philly's production values are impressive, with excellent cinematography and a great soundtrack. The show's opening credits, a montage of Philadelphia landmarks set to the sound of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'," is a standout feature.

The show's ratings, however, were not enough to keep it on air for more than one season, despite critical acclaim. The show's creators, Steven Bochco and David Milch, had previously worked on the highly successful NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues, so the expectations were high. However, it failed to garner enough viewership and was eventually canceled after 22 episodes.

In conclusion, Philly is a well-made legal drama that deserves more recognition. The show's focus on character development and social issues sets it apart from other shows in the genre. The cast members are excellent, and the production values are top-notch. Though it only had one season, the series is a must-watch for fans of legal dramas and those who appreciate good storytelling.

Philly is a series that ran for 1 seasons (22 episodes) between September 25, 2001 and on CBS

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Seasons

22. Mojo Rising

May 28, 2002

An obsessed former juror makes life very scary for Judge Ripley; Kathleen refuses to give up on a client on trial for shooting his attacker; and Will pulls a fast one to get his voodoo-spewing client cleared of a fraud charge.

21. Thanks for the Mammaries

April 23, 2002

A stripper accused of stealing from her club leads Will to the establishment's owner----and the truth about Dan's DA rival; Terry has a hard time with a mercy-killing case that hits too close to home.

20. Tall Tales

April 23, 2002

Kathleen and Erin clash in court over a woman charged with killing her rapist; Will defends a little person who attacked a fellow tabloid talk-show guest; the campaign for district attorney gets ugly as Cabretti goes after the dirt on Dan's abusive past.

19. San Diego Padre

April 16, 2002

Kathleen battles Terry over parental rights while defending a man's efforts to keep his recovering-addict wife away from their son. Meanwhile, Will takes some extreme steps of his own to protect a client from the mobster he's accused of robbing.

18. Brotherly Love

March 19, 2002

Ripley comes under fire after Chris Maguire is busted for falsely claiming to have bribed the judge involved with his sister, while Dan sees the whole investigation as a plot to keep him from running for office. Meanwhile, Will puts his life on the line to get firsthand proof that his client has reliable testimony about a wanted killer.

17. There's No Business Like No Business

March 12, 2002

Dan's office plays hardball with Maguire & Froman after Kathleen testifies against a well-connected D.A. who's looking to try a shady case just for the easy win. But it's Will's innocent date-rape client who may pay the price for Kathleen's crusade once Terry is ordered to make sure the kid is sent away.

16. Here Comes the Judge

March 5, 2002

Dan plays dirty after learning that Kathleen will be defending a madam in Ripley's courtroom; Will and Lisa hash out the ins and outs of their affair while trapped in a City Hall elevator; a law student derails his future with an unlawful protest tactic against a professor.

15. Lies of Minelli

February 26, 2002

Kathleen races to get her wrongfully convicted client a new trial after finding that evidence may have been swept under the rug. Meanwhile, the owner of escort service recruits Maguire & Froman to clear her name in a prostitution case that could ruin her career---and her clients; and Will defends a high-school teacher accused of sexually molesting a student, who may have a darker secret to protect.

14. Meat Me in Philly

February 5, 2002

A dying man's confession gives Kathleen what she needs to get a convicted rapist a new trial; Will and Erin clash in court over a wife charged with assaulting her husband with a frozen steak; and a Maguire & Froman client takes a dramatic leap of faith to avoid a certain prison sentence.

13. Ripley, Believe It or Not

January 15, 2002

A teen on trial for the murder of her mom's abusive lover has Kathleen rethinking the case---and who did the killing; Will's repeat offender makes an insane attempt to avoid jail time by attacking his own lawyer during sentencing; and Judge Ripley decides to lay down the law with one of City Hall's most available attorneys.

12. The Curse of the Klopman Diamonds

January 8, 2002

Will tries to stop a man from serving jail time for a bogus possession charge just to spite his unfaithful rabbi father; Kathleen scores an unusual first date, thanks to her dim diamond-thief client, while another case has her backing up a man intent on serving as his own lawyer.

11. Live and Leg Die

December 18, 2001

Kathleen coaches Lims, a drug addict charged with murdering Wilson, a cop, as to how the prosecution will badger him into falsely admitting he's guilty. Lima feels that he's going to be convicted because it's his word against Al, Wilson's partner, but Kathleen encourages him to keep faith, knowing that Al is trying to frame him to cover up the fact that they shot him by mistake. In court, Lima testifies that he saw another man shoot Wilson and he went over to give him mouth to mouth, then Al came out of nowhere and shot Lima. Terry bullies Lima on the stand and Dan find him afterwards to tell him to cut a deal that will keep Lima in prison for the rest of his life rather than face execution, feeling that Terry will lose. Terry doesn't want to and refuses to step down. Steven is suing Dr. Reynolds for negligence after Reynolds operated on Steven's leg due to a motorbike accident. Will awaits a jury's decision to see if Reynolds is guilty and therefore would have to pay up to five million dollars for negligence. Will sits on the jury but lets another woman be the foreperson in charge. Everyone immediately wants to give Steven the money and go home but Will argues that Reynolds only amputated Steven's leg because he would have bled to death with a tourniquet. Dan talks to Kathleen about cutting the deal but before she can talk to Lima about it, she gets a tip from a source that implicates Al was having an affair at the time of Wilson's shooting. Terry is upset after finding out that Dan offered a deal without his consent. Kathleen is granted a one hour break to look into Denise, the woman suspected of having an affair with Al. She goes to her workplace and tries to convince her to stop protecting Al because Lima will probably die for if falsely convicted. Will continues to argue that Reynolds was doing a great service by stopping on the side of the road to help Steven after the motorbike accident. He continues to argue that Steven may have died had Reynolds not tied t

10. Fork You Very Much

December 11, 2001

Kathleen tries to talk with Flores about his rape case. Flores only wants to Kathleen to stick with the legal process in order to keep himself out of prison. He brags about his procedure of raping women to Kathleen. After she tells him she's leaving, he tries to intimidate her by stating he's going to try to rape her next. Kathleen's goes to her office and Trish tells her that her mother is inside waiting for her. Her mother scolds her for defending Flores. Afterwards, Kathleen tries to get removed from the case, but the judge denies her request and makes her stay with the case. Will defends a woman accused of stabbing her husband in the butt with a fork after she saw him having sex with a woman at a swingers' club. She claims that Garfield, her husband, made her go but he claims that she wanted to go voluntarily. She testifies in court that he tricked her into believing that he only wanted to watch other people have sex but after coming back from getting him some food, she saw him having sex with another woman. She claims that she didn't intend on stabbing him, just wanted to hit him and forgot she had a fork in her hand. Kathleen runs into John, the detective, and confirms their date for the evening. Afterwards, Dan pulls her into his office and asks her to ask for a continuous on the Flores case just to keep him off the streets. Kathleen says she'll think about it. Kathleen tells Teresa that she'll more than likely be convicted on child abuse/neglect due to her drinking habits. Teresa refuses to accept a deal that would give her two months in an alcohol center instead of jail time because she feels that she will not be convicted and can spend time with her children. An officer testifies that Teresa left her children in a hot car while she went into a bar and got drunk. The officer got the children out of the car, then took her into custody only after she asked him to buy her a drink. Kathleen puts Teresa on the stand and with a heartfelt testimony gets her acqui

9. Loving Sons

December 4, 2001

Kathleen defends Neil in the case against Jeffrey's death with Judge Tate at the bench. At recess, Carol admits that she's scared because Tate is Black. She then tells Kathleen that she's sometimes afraid of Neil. Back in court, a student at Neil's school, Michael, testifies that most students made fun of him before he did harm to anyone. At the second recess, Carol tries to comfort Neil, but he yells at her to not touch him. Will tells Freddy that he may get six years in jail for burglary. After Freddy mentions that his father is dying of kidney failure, Will comes up with a plan to convince the judge that Freddy will donate his kidney to his father for a lesser sentence. The judge considers the deal only after he meets Freddy's father. At the break, Will's father comes up to him and congratulates him on how he handled the case. He invites Will to have lunch with he and Judge Brennan but Will dodges it, citing work. Later, Will tells Kathleen that he and his father both slept with Brennan. One of Terry's experts testifies that Neil is a violent killer and needs long-term rehabilitation in an adult facility. After Kathleen cross-examines the expert, Neil makes an outburst in court that embarrasses the expert. At another break, Neil's impatient father lunges toward him for his actions, but Neil only smarts off to him once again. The judge meets Freddy's father and sentences him to probation after he donates the kidney but he warns Freddy that he's going to serve years in prison if he decides not to go through with the donation or if he's caught stealing again. Will finally meets Brennan and his father for a quick moment, but he's somewhat rude to them both. After Brennan leaves, Will confronts his father on having an affair with Brennan when he was a kid, but his father tells him that his life is none of anyone's business. Will tells him that he's not going back to New York with him for Thanksgiving and his father tells him that he hopes he does come, but if he does

8. Truth or Consequence

November 27, 2001

As Kathleen goes into a convenient store, Richie flies out the door and plows into her, causing them both to fall to the ground. They recognize one another and Kathleen realizes that he's hiding a bag full of cash. Richie gets up and runs away with the bag of cash. When the cops show, Kathleen gives a full description of Richie but does not let them know that she knows him. As Kathleen talks with TINA about a case, Dan pulls her aside and tells her that he's not going to harass her just because they had sex one night. It's clear that he wants more, but she doesn't. Back at Tina's desk, she accepts a deal for her client who turns out to be Richie. After the sentencing, Kathleen takes Richie into another room and scolds him for robbing the store. She tells him that if the cops ask her to identify him as the robber, she will. Richie asks her to just not volunteer her ID to the cops because his pregnant wife is depending on him. Will tries to talk Terry into making a deal that would keep a cop out of jail for shooting his partner. Terry rejects the proposal and they go to court. In court, Will examines Officer Cook on the stand, who testifies that Officer Orlando shot him on purpose during a drug bust. Will tries to prove that Cook is lying about Orlando shooting him because a police report surfaced stating that Orlando was sleeping with Cook's wife. He also tries to get Cook to admit that the only reason he didn't get the bullets removed from his body is because he's afraid that forensics will prove that the bullets belonged to the drug dealer rather than Orlando's gun. A detective finds Kathleen and tells her that they found the man who robbed the store, named Lopez. Kathleen tells him that he doesn't have the right man because she knows the real thief. He tells her that she must give up a name before they can release Lopez, to which she agrees. She goes to Richie's house to tell him that she's going to turn him in and finds that he doesn't have a wife and kid. She s

7. Prisoner of Love

November 20, 2001

Kathleen cries over the fact that it's her anniversary with Dan. In court, Kathleen defends Janice Bonner, a prison guard accused of having a sexual relationship with Solano, an inmate. Kathleen tries to prove that Janice is being made a martyr by the prison security system by forcing Solano to testify against Janice. When Solano burst out that he agrees with Kathleen's theory, Judge Hawes orders a sidebar and demands that Kathleen and Mr. Bingham stick to the original charges. At recess, Janice and Solano go to lunch together despite Kathleen's objections. Kathleen and Will discuss Judge Brennan (Veronica Hamel), the new, rich, and widowed judge whose court Will be trying a case. As Will examines a woman on the stand, the prosecution argues with his tactics. Judge Brennan calls a sidebar and they both go to her. Brennan quickly orders them to stop the bickering then flirts with Will after realizing she knows his father. After asking him out for a drink, the prosecution gets upset. Brennan sends them back to their clients then takes recess. After Kathleen gives her closing statements for Janice, Judge Hawes still finds her guilty and gives her two years in jail. Solano tries to follow a crestfallen Janice out of the courtroom, but Hawes holds her back. She doesn't seem to upset about going to jail, but upset that she won't be able to see Solano for two years. Terry pulls Kathleen aside and tells her that Judge Armstrong wants to see them both in her chambers immediately. Armstrong tells them that she's reversing her decision in a case that involved the identification of Felix, an overweight Black man, in favor of Kathleen. Terry is upset, but Armstrong tells him to get over it because she made a mistake. Terry and Kathleen work out a deal for Felix. Hawes calls Kathleen to his chambers and gives her discreet tips as how to handle her appeal for Janice, which includes the lawyer who will be handling the case, Terry. Hawes also shares that he had a huge crush on Bren

6. Blown Away

November 13, 2001

A client threatens Kathleen's son to keep her from revealing his plans to kill the one person who could put him away for assault; drug charges against a mobster's daughter hint at a dirty deal within Dan's office; and Will is faced with putting a defendant on the stand knowing that she may lie about her husband's fatal postcoital mishap.

5. Philly Folly

October 23, 2001

Kathleen defends Ray, a man accused of raping of a woman. Her closing arguments seems to sway the judge into believing that the woman was rejected by Ray and fabricated the rape charge to get his attention. At a recess, Kathleen goes to the women's room to find that Ray is in a stall having sex with a different woman. The judge reprimands Ray for having sex in the bathroom and when she demands an explanation for his behavior, she seems to become attracted to Ray. Judge Haas tries to give Kathleen a new client, Christopher Brandt, his campaign manager, arrested for resisting arrest after a hit and run accident. Christopher is released on his own recognizance but frantically goes to Kathleen's office and tells her that the cops stole $7000 of the campaign money from him. Officer BROOKS only logged $30,000 of the $37,000 that was in his bag. She later finds Brooks in a café and tells him that if the money is returned to her office by 5:00, she won't tell Judge Haas. Kathleen visits Joey, a thief falsely convicted of rape, in prison and comforts him after his mother died. She discusses the DNA evidence and assures him that she'll get him out to attend his mother's funeral. Kathleen talks to the judge to get Joey released from prison or at least just to go to the funeral, but the judge states that he never received a motion to dismiss from Terry. Terry states that he sent Kathleen and the judge a copy, but she can't find it. The judge will give her until 4:00 that day to get a new motion. Terry finds Kathleen's motion to dismiss in his desk and apologizes for not sending it. Kathleen rushes it over to the judge, but he's already left town for the weekend due to Will's courtroom tactics. Kathleen searches for another judge to approve the motion. After trying another case in Haas' courtroom, he calls her to his office and asks her why Christopher has not paid the workers for his campaign. Kathleen assures him that Christopher is doing his job, but he tells her that if he

4. Tempus Fugitive

October 16, 2001

Hank Tyler, a man cleared in a check fraud case, shows up at Kathleen's house after breaking out of jail and asks to sleep on her couch until he turns himself into the police with her as his lawyer. The next morning, Patrick sees Hank reading the newspaper in his underwear. He innocently tells Patrick that Kathleen is in the shower. Danny calls and Patrick answers the phone. At the police station, they quickly cuff Tyler and take him away. Kathleen and Diana immediately start to work on getting Tyler out of jail because while charges were pending against Tyler, the police arrested him believing he was Hank Taylor, a man already convicted of another crime. LISA, the prosecuting attorney, presses full charges against Tyler for escape and theft of another man's clothing. The judge does not want to proceed, but Lisa, operating under Danny's orders, proceeds with the charges. Kathleen tries to talk Lisa out of the bogus charges but she's very stubborn about it. Later, Kathleen talks with Danny about talking with Lisa about getting rid of the charges but Danny tells her that it's Lisa's decision to go forward. Will asks Terry to get a continuous on a case because he needs more time to prepare to interview a witness, Mr. Patel. Terry says no, stating he should have been prepared by now. When Will goes to interview Patel, Patel is resistant to talking to him because Terry has already told him about Will's slick and conning ways of abstracting information from witnesses. When in court while Patel is on the stand, Will asks Patel if the reason he wouldn't answer questions from Will is because of Terry's comments and Patel says yes. The judge throws the case out of court. Later, the judge pulls Will into her office and suggests that he stop embarrassing his opposition. Kathleen talks with Terry about Vincet Ramos, a man convicted of killing an elderly woman while trying to rob her. Since the victim resisted, Ramos feels that the woman deserved to be hurt. Later, Terry's assis

3. Light My Fire

October 9, 2001

Ms. Vaughn calls Kathleen and Danny to Patrick's school to inform them that he's fighting again and if it happens once more, he's expelled. After Patrick leaves the room, Ms. Vaughn suggests family counseling, but Danny is against the idea. Kathleen talks with RUBEN, a man in prison on the three strikes law. Ruben tells her that his second trial was unfair and therefore shouldn't be in prison. She tells him that she'll research his file before making a decision to accept him as a client. Kathleen goes to court to defend her father, Frank, against a bar fight. He shows up drunk and offends Judge Haas. Haas has him arrested for disorderly conduct. Trish brings Patrick to the courthouse and Kathleen takes him up to the jail to see that Frank is behind bars. Patrick is upset to see Frank behind bars but Kathleen tells him if he continues picking fights with others, he'll end in jail also. Frank is upset that Patrick saw him but then softens and tells Kathleen that he's scared of getting old and dying. Will visits Reggie in jail to find him badly beaten by a Dominican gang for withholding money. Reggie will give Will information on another murder case if he helps Reggie get transferred to another prison. Afterwards, he visits Angela in jail, who is charged with unknowingly running drugs for her boyfriend, NICK, a doctor. He promises to get her probation if she testifies against Nick, but she's disappointed because she wanted to marry him, even though it's clear that he doesn't want to marry her. Will invites Nick and his lawyer to his office to discuss the charges against Angela. He tells Nick's lawyer that if Nick wants to keep a good reputation as a doctor without having Angela testify against him, he should marry Angela because the law states that a spouse doesn't have to testify against the other if they choose not to. In addition, he'll have to pay Angela 50,000 dollars, a percentage going to Will. Nick immediately accepts the deal. Will goes back to Reggie to get

2. Porn Again

October 2, 2001

Eileen stops by Kathleen's house in fear because her husband keeps threatening her for stabbing him. Kathleen tells her that it's okay for her to stay at her house until she can figure a way out. As Kathleen drives Patrick to school, a car follows her. She looks back for a second then accidentally runs into Bernard Marlin's car. Bernard gets out and falsely complains about neck pains, but when a cop shows up, he wants to leave and forget about the entire incident. The cops already know who he is and arrest him for a prior bench warrant. Kathleen uses a cheap camera to take a picture of Bernard's license plate then gives him a business card. Afterwards, she spots the man in the car that was following her and chases after him for questions, but he speeds off. Will finds out from a source that Bernard is involved in child pornography. He visits Bernard in jail and tells him that the police found child porn in the trunk of car. Will tells him that he and Kathleen will represent him, especially since Bernard's lawyer just had a heart attack. When Kathleen finds out that Will accepted Bernard's case, she tells him to drop it. Will refuses then gives Kathleen all her other court cases back, quitting. Kathleen tells Terry that she wants him to drop the charges against Anthony Cole, but he just laughs at her. Sheena is arrested and faces ten years in jail for fighting another woman who was trying to sell drugs in an area where Sheena operates. Kathleen tells her that she may be able to get the charges reduced or dropped if she testifies against Jerome to free Anthony. Kathleen then asks Terry for advice as to how to clear Anthony of the murder charge while still keeping Jerome from getting in trouble for the murder. Terry is upset because he knows that Jerome won't be able to prosecute Jerome anymore, but tells her that she should forget it all and tell Danny the whole story to protect her reputation in the future. She talks to Danny and he tells her he can't help her. Whil

1. Pilot

September 25, 2001

In a Philadelphia courthouse, Clyde stops Kathleen and begs her to go into the courtroom to check on her law partner, Mary, who is having a nervous breakdown in the middle of a court case. Mary defends an older woman who was arrested for being baited into showing her breasts to young and handsome man. Kathleen is worried because Mary has been on a diet that has her acting strange. When she walks into the courtroom, Mary is showing her breasts to the galley and judge. Kathleen hides Mary's body from everyone and begs for a recess, to which the judge grants. Kathleen rushes to take over Mary's cases and the first one involves Jerome, a man arrested for robbing a store while high on drugs. Judge Armstrong arrogantly grants Kathleen a few moments to talk with Jerome and possibly strike a deal with the assistant district attorney, Terry. Jerome tells Kathleen that he's innocent and after examining the evidence, she believes him. Terry offers Jerome a good deal, but Kathleen advises him not to take it. Jerome wants it anyway because he feels the jury will still find him guilty and give him a stiffer sentence. After clearing a different client's name in a case, Kathleen defends Irene Hart, a woman indicted for stabbing her husband. Judge Hawes offends Hart in front of the court and Kathleen demands an apology. Hawes cites her in contempt and has arrested. Will Froman, another defense attorney, follows her out and tells her that he'll handle her next case. In the courtroom, Will charges the client another 1500 dollars and tells him that he'll get the ADA to give him probation. The judge grants Will a few minutes to talk it over with her and inside the room, Will and the ADA have sex while working out the details. While in her cell, Kathleen talks with Sheena, a woman charged with fighting another woman in the women's room. Sheena tells Kathleen that she and the other woman were fighting over Jerome. She then tells Kathleen that Jerome only took the plea bargain because he

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Where to Watch Philly

Philly is available for streaming on the CBS website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Philly on demand at Amazon.