January 31, 2008 (2008-01-31) – July 11, 2009 (2009-07-11)
Eli Stone is an American legalmusicalcomedy drama television series that was created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who also served as executive producers alongside Ken Olin who directed the pilot, with Melissa Berman producing.[1] The series originally aired on ABC from January 31, 2008 to July 11, 2009, for two seasons.
The series follows Stone (Jonny Lee Miller), a San Franciscolawyer who begins to have hallucinations (such as a George Michael soundtrack that only he can hear and getting dive-bombed by a World War Ibiplane on a busy San Francisco street) which leads him to two possible conclusions: side effects from his potentially fatal brain aneurysm, or the chance that something greater is at work. His visions lead him to accept cases with little monetary gain but a lot of moral goodness, while also – occasionally – accurately predicting things like earthquakes or plane crashes. Other such events occur throughout the course of the series, but the series was cancelled before reaching a coherent conclusion.
The series has been met with generally favorable reviews from critics, and both seasons have been released on DVD.
Premise
Greg Berlanti, who co-wrote the show with Marc Guggenheim, described Eli Stone in Variety as "a Field of Dreams-type drama set in a law firm where a thirty-something attorney, whose name is the title of the show, begins having larger-than-life visions that compel him to do out-of-the-ordinary things".[2] Eli suffers from an inoperable brain aneurysm that causes him to have realistic hallucinations often relating to the plot of the episode to the extent that he may be considered a modern-day prophet.
Pop singer George Michael was featured prominently throughout the first season of the series, and each episode was named after one of his songs.[3] Berlanti is a fan of Michael and made an effort to have him appear on the show. As luck would have it, Michael claimed he was a "TV junkie". This led to the singer agreeing to do several episodes, including one in which Stone represents him in the case of a teen girl who plays the song "I Want Your Sex" in protest of an abstinence-only sex education program in her school.[4]
The show's legal setting, mixture of comedy and drama, and use of fantasy sequences has drawn comparisons to the series Ally McBeal from some critics.[5]
Production
Produced by Berlanti Television, After Portsmouth, and ABC Studios, the series was officially greenlit and given a thirteen-episode order on May 11, 2007,[6] and it aired as a mid-season replacement in 2008.[7]Eli Stone premiered on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 10:00 Eastern/9:00 Central, following the return of Lost;[8] its first-season finale aired April 17, 2008.
On May 13, 2008, ABC officially announced that the show had been renewed for the 2008–09 season.[9] Moreover, in Canada, CTVglobemedia announced that they would send down the series to CTV's relaunched "A" television system for the 2008–2009 season.[10] Season 2 premiered on Tuesday, October 14 at 10:00 Eastern/9:00 Central.[11]
On November 20, 2008, however, ABC told the show's producers that it had opted not to order any new episodes, signaling that the series would be cancelled once all the episodes were aired.[12]
The last scheduled episode of Eli Stone aired on December 30, 2008. The final four episodes of the series aired on Saturdays at 10:00 Eastern/9:00 Central on ABC starting Saturday, June 20, 2009.[13] The final episode, "Flight Path", aired on July 11, 2009.
The unaired episodes, starting with "Sonoma", were broadcast in Ireland by RTÉ starting on March 13, 2009. The British Sci-Fi channel aired the final four episodes starting on March 16, 2009. The episode aired in Israel's Yes Stars Drama/HD channel and German TV channel Pro7 starting on March 31, 2009. Finally, in Australia, the Seven Network aired the final four episodes in the month of April, on Tuesdays at 22:30.
Cast and characters
Main
Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone, a successful attorney at Wethersby, Posner & Klein in San Francisco, who is diagnosed with an inoperable brain aneurysm which is causing hallucinations. The hallucinations cause Eli to become alienated from his peers and soon his life takes a detour. Despite the fact that he is not religious, he interprets his hallucinations as signs, helping people in accepting lawsuits in hopes of bettering their lives.
Natasha Henstridge as Taylor Wethersby, Eli's ex-fiancee who is also an attorney. She formerly worked in another company, and later joins Eli's firm after they broke up. Although taken aback by Eli's episodes of hallucinations, she is determined to help him by any means. She is the daughter of Jordan Wethersby, managing partner of Wethersby, Posner & Klein.
Loretta Devine as Patti Dellacroix, Eli's helpful and bossy assistant. She considers Eli as a dear friend of hers and she is always blatantly honest to Eli.
Matt Letscher as Dr. Nathan Stone, Eli's caring, elder brother who is a doctor. He is the one who first discovered Eli's conditions and is skeptical about his visions. Nathan dated Beth, a girl who Eli lost his virginity to in college, after Eli introduced both of them to each other at his engagement party.
Sam Jaeger as Matt Dowd, Eli's co-worker and rival in the law firm. He is described as sarcastic, arrogant and having a frat-boy personality. He is dating Taylor Wethersby and they are going to have a baby.
James Saito as Dr. Chen, an acupuncturist who explains Eli's conditions as a prophetic message. He helps Eli to analyze the visions Eli has and advises Eli to pursue them. He studied acupuncture in Beijing as well as holistic medicine. It is revealed that he is not a Chinese immigrant, and the "Dr. Chen" is merely an act so he will be taken seriously, because "No one trusts an acupuncturist from New Jersey". He once worked for Eli's father, who told him once that he would repay a favor by helping his son (Eli) someday.
Julie Gonzalo as Maggie Dekker, a junior attorney who is ambitious and enthusiastic to her work. Much to Eli's dismay, she often assists him in his cases in hopes of moving up the career ladder. She is in love with Eli, which is somewhat mutual on his part. She is considered a religious person and is the first person to believe in Eli's visions without hesitations. She was engaged to Scott, until she learns that he feels he is second to Eli and had chosen to start an affair with a married woman. Months later, she and Eli consummate their relationship a single time, but awkwardly step back.
Jason Winston George as Keith Bennett, a criminal law attorney who sued a potential employer for racism. After Keith lost the lawsuit, Jordan hired him as he saw Keith's potential.
Victor Garber as Jordan Wethersby, the co-owner of the firm and Taylor's father. He is often skeptical of Eli's imaginings. However, he is a mentor and father figure to Eli, and represented Eli when Eli was brought before the bar for allegedly being unable to represent clients' interests while suffering visions.
Recurring
Laura Benanti as Beth "Lizzie" Keller, the girl to whom Eli lost his virginity back in college who now has an autistic son. She dated Nathan.
Tom Amandes as Martin Posner, one of the co-owners of the firm. He had a relationship with Patti in the past.
Katey Sagal as Marci Klein, one of the co-owners of the firm. She is unfriendly, being primarily interested in the financial benefits that accrue to the firm. She dislikes Eli's intention to help more individuals than major corporations.
Tom Cavanagh as Jeremy Stone (flashbacks; finale episode as God), the late father of Nathan and Eli. He also had a brain aneurysm which causes hallucinations. He suffered from depression and was an alcoholic, which causes Nathan and Eli to resent him. He died from a heart attack 10 years ago.
George Michael as himself (and one episode as God). (Season 1)
Katie Holmes as Grace, a woman whom Eli's father arranged for him to meet (via notes left to Nathan).
On November 6, 2008, TV Guide reported that Jamey Sheridan would guest-star as an evening news anchor.[14] On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Gregory Smith would make a guest appearance in the show's finale.[15]
Eli Stone is a rising, successful attorney. Not only is he working for Jordan Wethersby's renowned law firm, but he is engaged to Jordan's daughter Taylor, also an attorney. However, Eli begins having hallucinations (many of which involve singer George Michael) that may either be linked to a medical condition, or the bizarre chance that he is a modern-day prophet. The hallucinations lead him to reluctantly take a case involving his college friend/first lover, Beth Keller. Beth's son developed autism, which Beth blames on a childhood vaccine produced by a major pharmaceutical company. At the same time, Eli's behavior about his visions makes him recall his estranged relationship with his now-deceased father, whom Eli believes was an alcoholic.
After two weeks without the visions, Eli hesitates to take the case of a Mexican couple suing a produce conglomerate for their use of pesticides, believing he has no chance of winning. However, he begins to doubt the odds after his visions prove more truthful than before.
Eli has visions of World War II before taking on a National Guard soldier's custody battle with her husband, who is represented by Eli's fiancee Taylor. Meanwhile, Eli asks his brother Nathan (a physician) for help with his medical records in order to conceal his medical condition from the law firm's senior partners, thus allowing Eli to continue practicing law.
As Eli struggles to come to terms with the end of his engagement to Taylor, his visions convince him to help a former coma patient who wants to get his life back. Meanwhile, Jordan defends an old friend in a discrimination lawsuit against another of the same ethnicity.
Eli gets an opportunity to make things right when he revisits an old case that he unscrupulously won for an automaker, but his efforts could be undone by a series of courtroom hallucinations. Meanwhile, Jordan welcomes two new lawyers to the firm, one of whom he had fought against in the previous episode.
Eli needs Jordan's help when he is in danger of being disbarred, after an embarrassing courtroom episode puts his ability to practice under scrutiny. However, Eli's fate may ultimately rest with Nathan's testimony about his brother's condition---and Eli's own conscience.
Eli's bar hearing admission may saved his law license but compelled Jordan to reduce him in stature at the firm. It places him in the unfamiliar position of playing second fiddle to the inexperienced Maggie. The two are involved in a malpractice suit against an anesthesiologist who used to work at Nathan's hospital but was fired after a botched anesthesia that led to the death of the teenage plaintiff's mother during heart surgery.
Eli's defense of a real estate mogul takes an interesting turn when his client's desire to evict residents from their homes (in an area where he wants to build a shopping mall) may be the only way to save them from an earthquake Eli has foreseen.
Eli's occasional visionary muse, George Michael, seeks his counsel in person on behalf of a teenage girl who was expelled from school for playing a suggestively titled song of Michael's during an abstinence education assembly. Jordan, who is heading the case, begins to display an unusual upbeat side, leading Eli to believe his senior partner is a fan of George Michael's music. Meanwhile, Nathan has found a neurosurgeon to help his brother, but is unwilling to make the choice that could decide Eli's fate.
Eli's visions take him into Nathan's memories of the day their father died. Nathan asks Eli to represent him in a case dealing with the heart transplant of a patient. Eli's vision makes him aware of the fact his brother is keeping a secret that could be of great help for his case.
11
11
"Patience"
Perry Lang
Brett Mahoney & Alex Taub
April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10)
111
Eli has visions, set in the future, of David Moseley speaking to a massive crowd in Times Square. Learning that Moseley is a prisoner currently being held at Tipton Bay, Eli secures help from Keith and Maggie in representing Moseley and other Tipton Bay prisoners in a case for prisoners' rights. Taylor and Matt work together on a struggle for chimpanzee rights, and a long-lost partner returns to the firm. A final vision refines the earlier one, showing Moseley is simply opening for Eli's speech to the crowd and showing Maggie, with her and Eli's baby, in attendance.
12
12
"Waiting For That Day"
David Petrarca
Oscar Balderrama & Anna Beth Chao
April 13, 2008 (2008-04-13)
112
Eli's visions bring him back to the supposed earthquake. This time, he sues San Francisco to close the Golden Gate Bridge. Supported by a so-called quack scientist, Eli opposes Ms. Klein and Maggie in a court case that could decide the lives of hundreds. At the same time, Ms. Klein uses Jordan's apparent lack of control over Eli as ammunition to remove Jordan as managing partner. At the end of the episode, the earthquake does hit and destroys the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately, because the bridge was closed (they managed to persuade San Francisco to close it), no one was killed on it when it collapsed. Ms. Klein reconciles and keeps Jordan as managing partner.
Musical number: "The One You Knew" by Joshua Radin
13
13
"Soul Free"
Michael Lange
Andrew Kreisberg & Courtney Kemp Agboh
April 17, 2008 (2008-04-17)
113
Eli takes a case involving a man's right to die; the case is intertwined with the aftermath of Eli's surgery to remove his brain aneurysm, which forces Nathan to decide whether to remove Eli from life support. Eli apparently comes face to face with God . . . who bears an uncanny resemblance to George Michael.
Musical number: "Feeling Good" (George Michael and cast)
Season 2 (2008–09)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod. code
14
1
"The Path"
Perry Lang
Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg
October 14, 2008 (2008-10-14)
201
Eli is free from his visions for the past six months after having an operation to remove his brain aneurysm—or so he thinks. Nate experiences visions of his own suffering a similar fate as Eli that go along with the gift. Taylor faces a dilemma when her father is trapped in a collapsed building.
Eli has his vision back with a beautiful brunette singing to him. The lady is Grace (Katie Holmes) who turns out to be very much real and not just a vision after meeting her. Eli and Grace fall for each other. The same week Eli represents a father attempting to stop his son from receiving a military burial.
Musical number: "Hit Me With a Hot Note" (Katie Holmes)
16
3
"Unwritten"
Vincent Misiano
Andrew Kreisberg & Leila Gerstein
October 28, 2008 (2008-10-28)
203
Jordan has a tough task of defending against charges of insanity. Eli is on a mission against lead paint manufacturers that may bring him before the Supreme Court.
17
4
"Should I Stay or Should I Go?"
Jamie Babbit
Steve Lichtman & Brett Mahoney
November 11, 2008 (2008-11-11)
204
In the aftermath of their law firm's split, Eli and Jordan struggle to retain associates and they must face the financial repercussions of Jordan's coup; the firm's largest clients opt to go with rival firm Posner/Klein.
18
5
"The Humanitarian"
David Petrarca
Wendy Mericle & Dahvi Waller
November 18, 2008 (2008-11-18)
205
Eli and Jordan have problems with regular clientele and keeping up with costs with their new firm. Eli convinces Jim Cooper (Steven Culp), a billionaire philanthropist, to lead the case on trial drug testing. Eli is put in a difficult situation when he learns Cooper's son (Marshall Allman) wants no part in the trial. Meanwhile, Keith represents Patti's daughter, Angela, while Matt and Maggie work to find the traitor amongst their midst.
Eli envisions himself within his father's body. Taylor has news to tell Matt about her pregnancy. Keith presumes the worst of Angela daughter.
20
7
"Help!"
Michael Grossman
Andrew Kreisberg & Steve Lichtman
December 9, 2008 (2008-12-09)
207
Patti's daughter is arrested for drug abuse. Eli is convinced that Angela's innocent after his most recent vision. While attending a nightclub performance by Seal, Matt finally professes his love to Taylor – causing a riff when Taylor does not reciprocate.
After a few dates with Ashley, Eli is ready to tell her about his gift, but is surprised to see her reaction. Keith and Eli defend a 22-year-old girl (Danielle Panabaker) who could discover the secret of cold fusion.
22
9
"Two Ministers"
David Petrarca
Dahvi Waller & Wendy Mericle
December 30, 2008 (2008-12-30)
209
Eli finds out more about Nate and Beth's engagement being called off. Keith and Eli help a Methodist minister (Dallas Malloy) with a lawsuit against his own church, and Taylor and Matt find out about their baby's health.
June 20, 2009 (2009-06-20) (US)[16] 13 March 2009 (Ireland) 16 March 2009 (UK) 7 April 2009 (Australia)
210
When a news anchor from one of the biggest media corporations loses his job, Eli, Taylor, Matt and Maggie share an awkward car ride to Sonoma to question a witness (Suzie Plakson) – and suffer a more awkward presence before a judge (Michaela Watkins) whom Matt dated in law school but broke up with by e-mail after graduation. When Maggie helps Eli realize that they she fell for him when he gave a speech at her law school, they consummate their relationship. In the morning, Maggie hurriedly decides that he wants to dismiss it as due to his now-two brain aneurysms, which he and Chen believe are the consequence of his repeated 'Dark Truth' treatments.
Musical Number: "Red Red Wine" (Choir in Eli's dream)
24
11
"Mortal Combat"
Michael Schultz
Marc Guggenheim & Leila Gerstein
June 27, 2009 (2009-06-27) (US) 20 March 2009 (Ireland) 23 March 2009 (UK) 14 April 2009 (Australia)
211
Eli takes the case of the former news anchor (Jamey Sheridan) suing for being squeezed out of his job over exposing of his station's top advertiser. After sleeping with Maggie in Sonoma, Eli faces off against her in their latest trial and realizes she's emerged as a formidable attorney. Meanwhile, Matt tries to assist his former firm - which ultimately leads to a profound decision on his part.
25
12
"Tailspin"
Bethany Rooney
Andrew Kreisberg & Steve Lichtman
July 4, 2009 (2009-07-04) (US) 27 March 2009 (Ireland) 30 March 2009 (UK) 21 April 2009 (Australia)
212
Eli starts to get envious of Maggie going out with Paul, especially since Paul works with her at Posner & Klein. Matt starts his tenure at Jordan and Eli take on corporate greed when hundreds of employees are left penniless when they are laid off and the ex-CEO (Michael Reilly Burke) walks with $43 million.
26
13
"Flight Path"
David Petrarca
Oscar Balderrama & Lindsey Allen
July 11, 2009 (2009-07-11) (US) 3 April 2009 (Ireland) 30 March 2009 (UK) 28 April 2009 (Australia)
213
Eli's visions lead him to believe that someone close to him will die in a plane crash. As Eli tries to unravel the mystery, he and Keith take on the case of Diane (Jaime Murray), who is in need of a heart transplant, but whose donor's parents have reversed their consent over Diane's atheism. Eli prevails and Diane is being prepped for surgery when an embolism causes brain death. Eli's visions show him that he dies of a heart attack at an airport boarding gate for a specific flight; he later learns that Maggie and Paul will be on the flight, but one of his aneurysms bursts as he rushes to the gate. Unconnected, Maggie suddenly disembarks, realizing that she truly loves Eli, inadvertently saving his life by informing the paramedics that it is likely his aneurysm, not a heart attack. With the delay, the pilot has to rerun all safety checks, discovering the problem that would have downed the plane. Eli's final vision (of the series) is God, embodied as his and Nate's father, explaining that the heart meant for Diane saves Grace's life – and points out that, during this brief conversation, Eli has acknowledged that he loves Maggie.
Season one was met with generally favorable reviews, and currently holds a Metacritic score of 62 out of 100, based on 24 collected reviews.[19] Season two was met with a more enthusiastic response, and holds a Metacritic score of 72 out 100, based on 9 collected reviews.[20]
Controversy
The debut episode attracted controversy due to its plot line, which depicts the hypothesis that autism is caused by a mercury-based preservative formerly used in common childhood vaccines[21] and treats the hypothesis as being credible and legally compelling.[22]This hypothesis is not supported by scientific evidence, but has contributed to decreased vaccination rates.[23][24] The American Academy of Pediatrics asked ABC to either cancel the episode or include a disclaimer emphasizing that mercury is not used in routine childhood vaccines, and that no scientific link exists between vaccines and autism.[25] ABC instead decided to present a written notice and voice-over after the episode saying "The preceding story is fictional and does not portray any actual persons, companies, products or events",[26] with a second card directing viewers to the autism web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[26][27]
Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline - "The Humanitarian," "Happy Birthday, Nate," "Help"
Nominated
International airings
Eli Stone premiered on ABC on January 31, 2008. It premiered on Fox Life in Greece, and AXN in Japan in 2010. In the UK, the show was first shown on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2008[28] and was then broadcast on Fiver in June 2010.[29] In Malaysia, the show premiered on TV2 in June 2009, airing all the complete 26 episodes until December 23, 2009. The series was later re-run in 2010.
Home media
On September 2, 2008, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (under the ABC Studios brand name) released the complete first season of Eli Stone on DVD in Region 1.[30] Season 1 was also released in Region 4 on March 18, 2009.[31] The second and final season was released in Region 1 on August 18, 2009.[32] By February 2013 the First Season had also been released as Region 2 in a combined Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland set. This set includes the original English dialogue with no captions as the default.
DVD name
Ep #
Release dates
Region 1
Region 2
Region 4
The Complete First Season
13
September 2, 2008
By February 2013
March 18, 2009
The Complete Second Season
13
August 18, 2009
Unknown.
Unknown.
Future
The series lasted two seasons with 26 episodes. Series creator Marc Guggenheim revealed that, if the show had been renewed for a third season, Eli would have had a complete wrap-up, including Taylor giving birth to a baby girl and Matt being a surprisingly good father with a better attitude to others, Jordan meeting his ex-wife for the first time since the divorce, and Eli briefly meeting Grace again. The planned series finale would have shown that Eli eventually gained a high profile as a prophet sharing his visions and message of hope and compassion with the world, hinted at in the first season episode "Patience", though predictably placing his life in danger.[33]
