Ally McBeal may have ended 20 years but ABC is ready to bring the legal dramedy back.
According to Deadline, ABC is in development on a sequel series with Calista Flockhart expected to return to the titular role. Written and executive produced by Karin Gist (Mike), the new series will follow a young Black woman who joins the law film from the original series (or its current incarnation) straight out of law school. The young woman is believed to be the daughter of Ally McBeal’s (Flockhart) D.A. roommate Renée Raddick, who was played by Lisa Nicole Carson on the mothership series.
Flockhart has yet to sign on to the project, which she will also executive produce. The trades says she will wait to see the script before she commits to an onscreen return. David E. Kelley, who is the creator of the original series, has already given his blessing to the sequel but isn’t expected to be involved. Gist serves as showrunner and executive producer through her production banner, The Gist of It, alongside the company’s EVP Claire Brown.
Ally McBeal originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002. The series received critical acclaim in its early seasons, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 1998 and 1999, and also winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999. As of 2021. Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk creatives have said that Ally McBeal was used as an inspiration for their series.
