Word: benzali
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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What an auspicious beginning it had: a captivating plot that centered on the murder of a 15-year-old prostitute; suspects who included a malevolently elegant businessman, a sleazy psychiatrist and a drug-addicted movie star; and, in the starring role, impassioned defense attorney Teddy Hoffman, played by Daniel Benzali as a man of such unwavering rectitude that he made lawyer jokes seem as gauche as postmortem Nixon bashing. And yet with all that going for it, Steven Bochco's Murder One finished last season as the 74th-ranked show in network prime time and seemed fated for dismissal...
Instead, it was given a reprieve--but there have been alterations. This season the brooding Benzali has been replaced by Anthony LaPaglia, whose new character, Jimmy Wyler, is younger, sexier and more emotionally accessible. Meanwhile, the show's ambitious concept of following a single case all season has been scuttled in favor of offering three separate trials that will last about six weeks each. Despite the changes, Bochco insists that the show has maintained its integrity. Says he: "We haven't dumbed it down...
...actor wasn't the first choice to replace Benzali's Hoffman, whose steely self-control and dour sanctimony made him almost unbearable by season's end. "Danny's main strength was an enigmatic, very still quality, which I was really attracted to," reflects Bochco. "But he didn't do much beyond that with any particular ease." After approaching too costly stars like Alan Alda and Danny Glover, Bochco settled on LaPaglia, a talented character actor who has made his mark in a number of independent films including Bulletproof Heart and the current Steve Buscemi film Trees Lounge. Bochco then...
...roles are often recast, for example--but this year changes have been far more sweeping. In one of the most talked-about shifts, ABC's drama Murder One, which failed to keep viewers hooked last year despite lavish acclaim, will lose the solemnly didactic lead attorney played by Daniel Benzali. In his stead is younger, rich-of-hair Anthony LaPaglia. Another change: instead of following a single trial over the course of the season as it did last year, this time Murder One will track three consecutively...
...DANIEL BENZALI Murder One is renewed, but its star is sent packing. Possible replacement: Alan Alda...