Has "Boston Legal" Jumped the Shark?

There’s a phenomenon in the world of television known as “jumping the shark.” It comes from an episode of “Happy Days” where Fonzie jumped over a shark while skiing. It refers to the moment when a show starts to go downhill. For example, most people agree that “Frasier” jumped the shark when Niles and Daphne got together.

It’s an extremely overused term, so I don’t say it very much. But I think the time has come to apply it to one of my favorite shows—“Boston Legal.”

I’ve given up on “BL” before. Last season, when it started to get a little too serious, I stopped watching; but it found its sense of humor again and I came back. This time, however, I’m not so sure…

The main problem is Craig Bierko, who joined the cast as Jeffrey Coho. Bierko is annoying in every way. Even his case (especially the creepy peeping tom neighbor) was annoying. Instead of humorous, Coho comes off as an unlikable version of Alan Shore.

But why did we need another Alan? James Spader is still there. And more importantly, why did the show need another male lawyer at all? I mean, why do they even have Mark Valley (Brad) on the payroll if they’re not going to use him?

Because of the emergence of Bierko, Spader is forced to play second fiddle in the secondary storyline, which is now all about sex. First, he hired a sex surrogate for Jerry Espenson. Then he hired her for himself to measure him for pants—and that’s not a euphemism. Alan was always a little perverted, but now he’s just becoming weird.

I’m hoping now that Coho’s big case is over, things will get back to normal. But I have a bad feeling that “BL” jumped the shark the minute Craig Bierko opened his mouth.

“Boston Legal” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.