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Ally McBeal, the immensely popular television series by producer David Kelley that ran on Fox television from 1997 to 2002, was both groundbreaking and controversial. Attracting a tidal wave of popular attention, the show’s challenging presentation of gender roles and gender politics broke from convention to wrestle with timely social concerns. The series presentation of the character of Ally and many other cast members placed it in the epicentre of an ever-expanding international debate over feminism and the roles of women in modern society. In 1998,
Time Magazine
ran a cover story featuring a photo of Ally McBeal’s character alongside three of the feminist movement’s most memorable figures. The article was suggestively entitled,
Is Feminism Dead?
This book addresses that important question as it relates to the presentation of women’s behaviours, desires and images in
Ally McBeal . The discussion includes consideration of the definition of feminism in the early twentieth century, the challenges that women’s interests in heterosexuality and bisexuality present to feminism, feminist thought regarding female professionalism and contemporary marriage, and the struggle for an understanding of masculinity in light of feminism’s growing challenge to patriarchy. Contrary to the implications of
Time Magazine ‘s coverage, this book argues that
Ally McBeal
is a positive feminist text from the perspective of post-feminist theory.
Ally McBeal ’s important social function affirms the entertainment industry’s significant role in maintaining the national identity. Central to the series’ success was its departure from conservative conventions that have for decades defined Prime Time television. Concluding chapters address this aspect of the show, highlighting the series’ groundbreaking narrative structure, the critique
Ally McBeal
makes of society and the law in the early 21st century, and the series’ critical treatment of ethnic minority characters.
