On DVD.

Many trainees and associates are sitting at firms now because of how Ally McBeal made litigation and law in general cool.

After the gavel came down on Fox’s legal comedy series "Ally McBeal" in 2002, the Emmy Award-winning show didn’t go into rerun heaven. And only the first season even saw the light of day on DVD.

But now "Ally McBeal" is back. The entire five seasons of the series revolving around a quirky Boston trial attorney (Calista Flockhart), who had a rich fantasy life and a penchant for miniskirts, arrived in a DVD set Tuesday from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The set also features several featurettes, a retrospective and the "Best of Ally McBeal" soundtrack featuring the show’s Vonda Shepard.

Series creator David E. Kelley says the reason for the DVD delay was the same problem that in the past has delayed the release of other series, such as "thirtysomething" and "WKRP in Cincinnati": music rights.

"All our licensing wasn’t in perpetuity," he says. "It just created a huge thicket of problems."

"Ally McBeal" became an instant water-cooler show after its premiere on Fox on Sept. 8, 1997, due to Kelley’s deft way of mixing comedy, drama, music and fantasy — including Ally’s frequent sightings of an imaginary dancing baby.