9 Characters Who Saved Failing TV Shows

Oh, would ya look at that. More James Spader. With all due respect to Dwayne Johnson, it seems like Spader was the original "franchise Viagra", at least when it comes to failing television.

For the uninitiated, The Practice was an Emmy-winning legal procedural about how Dylan McDermott handles being a very handsome lawyer in Boston. And presumably some other stuff, too. The show ran for 8 seasons, but towards the end, ratings had sunk so much that the show was forced to say goodbye to its high-priced stars, McDermott and Lara Flynn Boyle.

In their stead, Spader and William Shatner came in to liven things up a bit. Shatner was great, but it was Spader -- as Alan Shore, a morally righteous lawyer who nevertheless had no qualms about getting justice through the use of distasteful methods -- that truly refocused the show's energy. He brought a sense of levity to the increasingly stuffy series.

The duo were such a success with fans that they were quickly shuffled off onto their own spin-off, Boston Legal, where they could work more freely, without having to carry their cohorts across the finish line.

So while he may not have technically "saved" the show he was added into, Spader's presence was so invigorating he actually spawned a new one. That's some Frasier-like rejuvenation, folks.