Ally McBeal may be revived as a limited series with Calista Flockhart

TVLine

The Fox legal drama created by David E. Kelley and starring Flockhart that became a phenomenon when it premiered in 1997 may be ready for a comeback. "An Ally McBeal limited series revival is in the early stages of development, with titular leading lady Calista Flockhart being eyed to reprise her iconic role," reports TVLine's Michael Ausiello. "The series’ creator, David E. Kelley, would be involved in the potential sequel series as an exec producer, but a female auteur would likely take the showrunner reins, as Kelly himself previously hinted." In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kelley said a woman should lead any reboot of Ally McBeal. “I’d be open to the idea of Ally McBeal being done again, but I don’t think it should be done by me. If it were going to be done, it really should be done by a woman,” he said. “If it’s going to be new, it should be new and different. And I did it: 100 hours.” Ally McBeal aired for five seasons, winning Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999, the same year Kelley won Outstanding Drama Series for The Practice. As Ausiello notes, "the series also became known for pushing the kind of sexual boundaries — particularly within the workplace — that would be verboten in the #MeToo era."