came the poster child for postfeminist angst. The se-
ries features a woman who bested her longtime
boyfriend at Harvard Law by making theReview
(while he did not), who is the victim of sexual harass-
ment in the workplace and makes sure the offender
is punished, and who makes good money and wears
nice clothes. However, Ally finds that she cannot not
have it all—a contradiction of feminist doctrine,
which told women they could. She appears in con-
trol and confident on the outside but sees herself as
a little girl in a big chair rather than an equal among
her peers. The show drew viewers into her fantasy
world, enabling them to see her innermost thoughts
and desires.
In June, 1998, Ally made the cover ofTimemaga-
zine with the headline “Is Feminism Dead?” The an-
swer was no; it had changed. Characters in the show
representing feminist success, such as Ling, played
by Lucy Liu (cold and power-hungry), are “scary”
but comic. The one woman who appears to have it
all—a great job and a handsome, smart husband—
discovers that her husband is in love with another
woman. Former concerns of the feminist move-
ment, such as equality in the workplace, are in the
past; the women inAlly McBealare successful but of-
ten torn between their professional and personal
lives. Ally supports women’s rights, but not at the ex-
pense of her emotional life.
Critics of the show were not impressed by the
“dancing babies,” representing Ally’s biological
clock, nor did they like her sexy demeanor, with her
pouting lips and extremely short skirts. Some were
disturbed that the very thin Flockhart might be an-
orexic and, therefore, a terrible role model for young
women watching the show. However, the show was
fun. The cast included Elaine, a secretary, played by
Jane Krakowski, inventor of the face bra, and John
Cage, a partner in the firm, played by Peter MacNicol,
whose courtroom antics and fondness for his pet
frog balanced the mostly serious courtroom scenes.28 Ally McBeal The Nineties in America
Calista Flockhart, center, and fellow cast members of Ally McBeal accept the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a
Comedy Series at the 1999 Screen Actors Guild Awards show in Los Angeles.(AP/Wide World Photos)