She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is tonally a very different kind of Marvel show, leaning into the law and comedy elements more than the superhero action (at least in its premiere, which dropped yesterday on Disney+). That makes sense, when you consider some of the influences cited by series star Tatiana Maslany. The series, which is already getting comparisons to Ally McBeal, has a self-consciously feminine log line, being the only Marvel production to include the main characters’ relationship status — single — in its official blurb on Disney+, and that’s reflected in characters like Elaine from Seinfeld and Elle Woods from Legally Blonde.
That’s no accident, says Maslany. Even though everybody loves Robert Downey, Jr., she says she hasn’t watched Ally McBeal, but sees Elle and Elaine as kind of kindred spirits for Jennifer Walters.
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“I haven’t ever seen an episode of Ally McBeal, I’m sorry to say,” Maslany told Variety. “But! I did watch Legally Blonde. That felt in line somehow to me. Elle Woods is perceived a certain way and always fighting to be seen for who she really is, and also fighting to know herself for who she really is. She’s also a lawyer. She’s also a woman. All of that stuff. But I feel like Elaine Benes [from Seinfeld] was more of a touchstone to me. Just in terms of, she’s obviously an incredibly capable person, but she also gets in her own way and has hang ups or rigidities that make her a mess. I also just love Elaine. She was who I grew up watching.”
Certainly you get the bright colors and bizarre courtroom antics of Elle in here, although it’s arguable that if Jen becomes as unlikable as a Seinfeld character, it may require SHIELD intervention. You don’t want a Hulk who refuses to be a good Samaritan, after all.
You can see the official synopsis for She-Hulk below.
See Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman-oriented legal cases. “She-Hulk” will welcome a host of Marvel characters to the series, including the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and the Abomination, played by Tim Roth.
Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) will play Marvel Comics villain Titania, while Josh Segarra (Arrow, Orange Is the New Black), Anais Almonte (Slumber Party), and Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, The Good Wife) also appear on the series.
