Boston Legal gets a little gay (again)

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We came across word that David E. Kelly's award-winning lawyer dramedy Boston Legal will feature a gay storyline in episode four of this season. In the ep a military general friend of Denny Crane (William Shatner) comes out of the closet and of course is not welcomed by his superiors with a ticker-tape parade, leading him to come for legal counsel in the face of being discharged. Denny is apparently troubled by his old friend's admission and turns to his colleagues for advice.

Boston Legal had a similar "gay ep" last season, in which recurring character Judge Clark Brown (Henry Gibson) came out of the closet while suing an ex-gay group for not being able to "cure" him of his sexuality. The episode handled the topic quite well, and we can only hope that this similarly headline-friendly plot will be handled with the same sensitivity.

Gibson appears as Judge Brown in this episode as well, so hopefully he'll have some interaction with the military client. But the real good news is that Denny's gay friend is played by Sam McMurray, one of my favorite "Hey, it's that guy!" actors (my favorite McMurray appearance was in the underappreciated L.A. Story).

Boston Legal airs Tuesdays on ABC.