The primetime of Ms Julie Bowen

Julie Bowen plays hard-nosed lawyer, Denise Bauer in Boston Legal.

The cast of Boston Legal are a bunch of nutters. But two stand out - lovable homophobe Denny Crane (played by William Shatner), and his dry and outlandish best mate, Alan Shore (James Spader).

There is also a voice of reason in the crazy courtroom comedy and that belongs to hard-nosed lawyer, Denise Bauer.

To be fair, she does have her share of kooky cases, like last week's Ass Fat Jungle episode - where she acted for a plastic surgeon who took his own bum fat and injected it into his patients.

"Nothing says funny like ass fat," hoots actor Julie Bowen, who plays Denise.

However, during the show's second series Denise changes from an uptight, hard nut to a more caring and supportive soul.

"She changes a lot because she falls in love with Michael J. Fox," says Bowen excitedly.

Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, stars as a billionaire dying of lung cancer in three episodes starting with The Cancer Man Can on May 16.

"He does a great deal to soften her up," she says.

Bowen confesses she had to practise being nice and sweet because in reality she's more like a feisty lawyer.

"Whenever I get into a fight with my husband he always says, 'You've got to stop being a lawyer.'

"But he used to say that well before I ever played one. So I think [Boston Legal] is just an opportunity for my inner lawyer to come out."

The 36-year-old has worked in television for years, on shows like, ER and Ed. As well as Boston Legal she also stars in Lost as Jack's wife, Sarah.

She says it was daunting joining Boston Legal in its second season because she had to work hard to get up to speed with the show.

It didn't help her nerves that acclaimed actors like Shatner, Spader, and Candice Bergen were involved.

"I felt a need to earn my place. And they did nothing to foster this, it was just my own insecurity.

"But I like to think I got there, personally. I've never worked with so many smart, experienced, and well-travelled people.

"Sometimes in Hollywood you get caught in the trap where all the actors sit round talking about their last job and their next job, or what they're going to wear to the next event."

Bowen gushes happily about how "Candice has spent time in India shooting Gandhi and [she's] more interested in her family and living a good life than who got a face lift".

And Spader, she says, is one of the most intelligent people she's ever met.

She also has a lot of respect for Shatner: "Every day he comes to work like a 15-year-old kid - he's excited.

"You know, he rides a motorcycle to work, and this is a guy who clearly loves life and really loves what he's doing. Some guys in their 70s are sitting in a chair.

"There's some great war story swapping that happens every now and then. But William Shatner is not a guy living in the past. He'll come back from a weekend, and he's been off racing cars, or breeding horses, or sea kayaking."

He doesn't really need to work, does he?

"No," she laughs. "But he loves it and everybody, at the end of the day, is interested in doing a good job and going home and having a real life outside this world."

The world Boston Legal creator and writer, David E. Kelley , came up with is an unusual one.

"It never ceases to amaze me," says Bowen.

And although it is far from being typical of the American justice system, Bowen says, what it does do cleverly is comment on that system, and other social issues.

"He [Kelley] never wants to have that big hugs and big message moment at the end of an episode. He likes to sneak it in when you're busy laughing and then all of the sudden you think, 'Oh, that was interesting'.

"Luckily, I agree with his politics.

"I think it would be really hard to be on a David Kelley show and not agree with his politics.

"He doesn't hide his political views, it's pretty clear how he feels about the war, how he feels about this Government. And he's a real Democrat and he's not a big fan of George Bush, and in my opinion Denny Crane is a great satire of a Republican."

However, Bowen's "die-hard", Republican-supporting father watches the show too and he doesn't see Denny as a satire.

"He thinks Denny is a great guy and he doesn't get that it's a satire. It just kills me that he sits there and enjoys it and thinks that this is a guy, who's a gun-toting, cigar-smoking Republican just like him," she laughs.

Still, Republican or not, you've got to love Denny. 

* Boston Legal, Tuesdays, 9.30pm, TV3