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The Best Episodes of Ally McBeal

Every episode of Ally McBeal ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Ally McBeal!

Binge this in 3d 8h•Peaking at 8.4/10

Ally McBeal is a young lawyer working at the Boston law firm Cage and Fish. Ally's lives and loves are eccentric, humorous, dramatic with an incredibly overactive imagination that's working overtime!

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Ally McBeal Season 3 Episode 16 - Boy Next Door
    8.4/10(322 votes)

    #1 - Boy Next Door

    S3:E16

    Billy represents a woman in an annulment action case, who's deeply religious husband wants out of the marriage due to the fact that she has surgically modified her body. Meanwhile, as John gets trapped in an elevator, Nelle pulls another sleazy stunt.

    Director:Jack Bender
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  2. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 13 - Angels & Blimps
    8.0/10(290 votes)

    #2 - Angels & Blimps

    S2:E13

    The lawyers are shocked to discover Ling has been keeping a secret. Ally visits Dr. Butters at the hospital one day and sees he's treating a terminally ill little boy. The little boy, Eric Stall, sees Ally in the doorway and finds out that she is a lawyer. He asks if he can retain her services because he wants to sue God. Ally tries to tell him it's not possible, but Ling, who was at the hospital at the same time, overhears and tells the boy not to listen to Ally.

    Director:Mel Damski
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  3. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 10 - Boy to the World
    7.9/10(392 votes)

    #3 - Boy to the World

    S1:E10

    Judge Whipper Cone asks Ally to take on a pro-bono case of a young prostitute up on her third solicitation charge. Fish, meanwhile, wants to sue his uncle's church for discrimination, due to his uncle's overt bigotry towards vertically challenged people (short people). The church's contention is that they cannot support bigotry of any kind and allowing the uncle a service and proper burial is tantamount to endorsing the appalling views. Fish promises he will not propagate the attitudes in his eulogy. Renee talks Ally into double dating with the salad-dressing-on-the-chin guy if the Biscuit is invited.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  4. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 18 - Those Lips That Hand
    7.9/10(237 votes)

    #4 - Those Lips That Hand

    S2:E18

    Cage and Fish's firm gets a capital case to defend a man accused of murdering his comatose wife. He insists he fired up the chainsaw and cut off her hand after she was dead. Renee, who is prosecuting, has the testimony of the coroner who thinks the wife was alive and that the amateur surgery gave her a heart attack. Meanwhile, Billy and Georgia continue to patch up their marriage after Billy's indiscretion with Ally. Both of them are working on a case in which they are representing a man suing to get his job back with an insurance company who fired him over a bad hair day.

    Director:Arlene Sanford
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  5. Ally McBeal Season 4 Episode 20 - Cloudy Skies Chance of Parade
    7.9/10(245 votes)

    #5 - Cloudy Skies Chance of Parade

    S4:E20

    Larry defends Sting when a man sues him for breaking up his marriage; a Streisand impersonator sues over his nose job; Richard flirts with Cindy Margolis to make Ling jealous.

    Director:Billy Dickson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  6. Ally McBeal Season 3 Episode 11 - Over the Rainbow
    7.8/10(220 votes)

    #6 - Over the Rainbow

    S3:E11

    Georgia blames "Cage & Fish" for the new Billy, and is suing the firm for the break-up of their marriage. She cites many issues as leading to Billy's breakdown and the ultimate dissolution of their marriage. However, during the court hearing they discover that the root of the problem lies elsewhere.

    Director:Alan Myerson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Ally McBeal

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  7. Ally McBeal Season 4 Episode 23 - The Wedding
    7.8/10(242 votes)

    #7 - The Wedding

    S4:E23

    Malcolm Wyatt hires Ally to take his case. He's suing a girl for not going to the prom with him after she said yes in fall. The opposing lawyer is Larry Paul, and Ally is nervous about meeting him in court. But he never shows up, and his partner Coretta tells Ally he left for Detroit. Richard hires Jane Wilco as the office's new secretary, but after she gets the cold shoulder from some people, Richard wonders what ever happened to the friendly workplace he once built. Ally talks to Billy's ghost and decides to go to Malcolm's prom as his date and convinces him to sing solo and never stop believing in love.

    Director:Bill D'Elia
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  8. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 4 - It's My Party
    7.7/10(255 votes)

    #8 - It's My Party

    S2:E4

    Elaine refers a client, George Madison, to the firm who is suing a prominent feminist magazine for wrongful dismissal. The new editor in chief decided to disqualify him for the job because of his religion's views on women. George is confident in the firm and retains the services of Cage. Ally finds herself unmistakably moved by and attracted to their new client. Elaine lets Ally believe she and George are 'involved' and Ally tries to back off accordingly. Ally tries to keep her fantasies about George under control until she and Renee throw a dinner party and Elaine shows up with George as her date.

    Director:Jace Alexander
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  9. Ally McBeal Season 3 Episode 8 - Blue Christmas
    7.7/10(225 votes)

    #9 - Blue Christmas

    S3:E8

    Elaine finds a real, live six-week-old baby in a nativity scene manger and wants to keep him. Cage and Ally represent Elaine in her fight to gain custody, while the rest of the office (full of child-less lawyers) become enchanted with the baby. Even Ling considers having children. Billy attempts to reconcile with Georgia. In preparation for the Christmas party, Elaine convinces Ally to sing a sexy song but Richard and Billy have their reservations.

    Director:Jonathan Pontell
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  10. Ally McBeal Season 4 Episode 7 - Love on Holiday
    7.7/10(226 votes)

    #10 - Love on Holiday

    S4:E7

    Elaine gets sued by a former office clerk because she called him "peanut" due his size. John thinks Larry was ridiculing him by making fun of his relationship with Kimmy and her mother. Nelle and Ling compete about who will have the most bids from the charity auction dinner date and Cindy (Mark's ex-girlfriend the transvestite) has plans for Richard for charity auction.

    Director:Bethany Rooney
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Ally McBeal Season 5 Episode 22 - Bygones
    7.7/10(266 votes)

    #11 - Bygones

    S5:E22

    After Maddie passes out Ally finds out she is suffering from a nervous reaction to all the changes in her life, so Ally decides that the only way she can help her daughter is to move back to New York. While the news come as a big shock to the firm, Richard anticipates his wedding with Liza so Ally can attend the ceremony. While spending her last hours in the town, Ally gets a visit from Renee, Georgia and afterwards, Billy as a ghost...

    Director:Bill D'Elia
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  12. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 17 - Theme of Life
    7.6/10(274 votes)

    #12 - Theme of Life

    S1:E17

    Ally, Georgia and Renee sign up for a kick boxing class to relieve stress. Ally and Georgia wind up having to fight each other because they're both beginners. As they start to carp more and more at the office, all pretext towards civility drops in the ring and their matches in the class increasingly intensify. Ally takes on a case about an attractive surgeon accused of performing an unauthorized and controversial transplant procedure. Cage insists it's time for her to visit with his smile therapist and she agrees. Fish, meanwhile is in hot pursuit of Janet Reno, who is still in town, and is once again busted by Whipper, when she smells perfume on his wattle finger.

    Director:Dennie Gordon
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  13. Ally McBeal Season 4 Episode 1 - Sex Lies & Second Thoughts
    7.6/10(223 votes)

    #13 - Sex Lies & Second Thoughts

    S4:E1

    Brian asks Ally to move in with him, but she questions the entire relationship mostly because their sex life is lackluster. She turns to Renee and a new therapist, who has oddly taken over Tracy's office, for advice. The therapist is weirdly understanding of her problems. She eventually decides to break up with Brian. Then she learns the new therapist isn't really a therapist at all, but a lawyer. Sparks fly between them nonetheless. At the firm, Cage and Fish represent a woman who wants her six-year-marriage annulled because she suspects her husband married her for her money. The woman, who is unattractive, says she and her husband were always great friends and she believed he just had no interest in sex. However, after she catches him cheating on her with a model, she changes her mind about him.

    Director:Bill D'Elia
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  14. Ally McBeal Season 4 Episode 8 - The Man with the Bag
    7.6/10(203 votes)

    #14 - The Man with the Bag

    S4:E8

    John and Nelle defend her father who was fired from his job as a teacher because he claims he's Santa Claus, Ally feels threatened when Larry's ex comes to town. Richard and Ling lip synch at the office Christmas party.

    Director:Billy Dickson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  15. Ally McBeal Season 4 Episode 19 - In Search of Barry White
    7.6/10(203 votes)

    #15 - In Search of Barry White

    S4:E19

    John loses his ability to channel Barry White while going up against Larry in a case involving a man who wants to clone his late wife; Nelle hooks Elaine into on-line romance; Ling's feelings for Jackson grow more intense.

    Director:Adam Arkin
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  16. Ally McBeal Season 5 Episode 7 - Nine One One
    7.6/10(221 votes)

    #16 - Nine One One

    S5:E7

    Ally helps a minister who was fired from his church for not believing in God. Ever since his wife was brutally murdered, he has been questioning his beliefs and he asks Ally to talk to his son. Ally is surprised to see Malcolm again and encourages him to sing at his father's service after he is hired back. Meanwhile, John takes a case opposite a mayor who cancelled the Christmas parade of his town due to a disaster in which people died. Very moved, John proves that Christmas is what they need the most in this time of deep grief. Back in the office, Jenny and Elaine confront each other about Elaine's performance with Glenn in the office's Christmas party.

    Director:Billy Dickson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  17. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.5/10(533 votes)

    #17 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    Ally McBeal, 28, and a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, is harassed on the job by a senior associate. When she confronts the partners, it backfires and she loses her job. On the street, she literally bumps into an old classmate, Richard Fish, who offers her a position working for his new firm. She accepts, despite her misgivings about his ethical standards. While being introduced to her new fellow associates, she receives the shock of her career.

    Director:James Frawley
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  18. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 6 - The Promise
    7.5/10(336 votes)

    #18 - The Promise

    S1:E6

    Ally has to defend a friend of Whipper brought up on solicitation charges. She is serving as second chair to Cage, whose idiosyncrasies become increasingly apparent and mystifying to Ally as well as the other attorneys. At the same time, on a different case, a severely rotund attorney passes out from a near heart attack just outside the courtroom and Ally has to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

    Director:Victoria Hochberg
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  19. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 12 - Cro-Magnon
    7.5/10(320 votes)

    #19 - Cro-Magnon

    S1:E12

    Ally is shocked to discover that her biological clock is ticking, unleashing strange libidinal impulses in her. During a sculpting class with live nude male models, she and Renee become enamored by one particular model with obviously generous endowments. Meanwhile, Ally has taken on the case of the 19-year-old son of an important client, who has been charged with assault because he slugged a guy in a bar who was verbally harassing his date. The boy tells Ally he felt justified because he warned the guy first, which serves to increase Ally's cradle robbing interest in him.

    Director:Allan Arkush
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  20. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 16 - Forbidden Fruits
    7.5/10(274 votes)

    #20 - Forbidden Fruits

    S1:E16

    A high-profile case opens up for Cage and Fish when a jilted spouse plans to sue a U.S. Senator for "interfering with happy marital relations". The Senator's case perversely parallels the awkward love triangle between Georgia, Billy, and Ally. Uncomfortable with how close the case mirrors her own life, Georgia quits the case; Fish and Cage step in to try and keep the Senator from losing his job.

    Director:Jeremy Kagan
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  21. Ally McBeal Season 1 Episode 23 - These Are the Days
    7.5/10(256 votes)

    #21 - These Are the Days

    S1:E23

    Cage must represent his second cousin, a harmless but eccentric man with a Cupid Complex. His cousin was brought up on assault charges for swatting couples in the head with a paddle to goose them into realizing they're in love. On the way out of the courthouse, the client swats Ally and Bobby Donnell, who have grown considerably closer over a case they are co-counseling. The matter entails two men who want the court to order/force a hospital to perform a heart-swap surgery. The judge turns the tables on the lawyers and asks Ally to role-play by pretending she's the judge who must render the ruling. Billy and Georgia realize their relationship is in a rut. They resolve to be less predictable, and spontaneously decide to have sex in the conference room. Ally who always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time inadvertently walks in on Georgia and Billy.

    Director:Jonathan Pontell
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  22. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 2 - They Eat Horses Don't They?
    7.5/10(253 votes)

    #22 - They Eat Horses Don't They?

    S2:E2

    Ally is feeling increasingly antipathetic towards Nelle Porter. She thinks Nelle brings out the darker side of the firm. Nelle represents a First Amendment case about a popular radio talk show host, ala Howard Stern, who is accused of inciting a hostile work atmosphere through his vulgar discourse. Nelle triumphs by implying that the talk show host has certain sexual dysfunctions, then promptly drops the case as a legal tactic. Ally becomes disgusted. Cage takes on the case of a restaurant owner being sued by a man claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress for serving horse meat to patrons. During the course of the case, Cage finds it increasingly difficult to do his job due to a preponderance of empathy for the horse in question.

    Director:Mel Damski
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  23. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 3 - Fools Night Out
    7.5/10(256 votes)

    #23 - Fools Night Out

    S2:E3

    Nelle is already making her presence felt in the change of office atmosphere when Fish dumps another groundless case on Georgia. Ling Woo, the unpleasant plant manager, is back to sue a nurse in her sister's plastic surgeon's office for misrepresentation of results from breast implant surgery. Georgia would love to drop the case but can't. She confronts Nelle for dumping it on her anyway, but Nelle justifies the reassignment by saying she and Ling are friends and would end up hating each other as a result of the lawsuit. Cage reflects on Ally's progress with a mediation case between Fish's minister and a jilted choir singer. Nelle moves on to Cage and confronts him about his resistance to the notion of a potential interoffice romance.

    Director:Peter MacNicol
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  24. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 10 - Making Spirits Bright
    7.5/10(238 votes)

    #24 - Making Spirits Bright

    S2:E10

    Richard throws his annual Christmas bash as Ally and Billy get drawn into a high stakes case involving a wealthy bond trader claiming wrongful termination. Renee and Matt consummate their affair but with painful consequences. Ling tries out Christmas cheer but it doesn't work. John tries to use the mistletoe to his advantage in trying to make a move on Nelle.

    Director:Peter MacNicol
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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  25. Ally McBeal Season 2 Episode 17 - Civil War
    7.5/10(223 votes)

    #25 - Civil War

    S2:E17

    Word that Billy and Ally came perilously close to an adulterous affair is spreading through the law firm. What is most uncomfortable are the icy stares and cold shoulders Georgia is throwing Ally's way. But who can blame her? The adversarial relationship between the two women is played out in a most unusual way.

    Director:Billy Dickson
    Writer:David E. Kelley

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Best Episodes Summary

"Boy Next Door" is the best rated episode of "Ally McBeal". It scored 8.4/10 based on 322 votes. Directed by Jack Bender and written by David E. Kelley, it aired on 3/27/2000. This episode scored 0.4 points higher than the second highest rated, "Angels & Blimps".