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‘She-Hulk’ lists ‘Ally McBeal’ and ‘Fleabag’ among its influences

"There's a lot there that I can definitely see that they drew from."

She-hulk attorney at law takes a photo with a phone
Image via Marvel Studios / Disney Plus

Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law comes out next month. It offers a light-hearted take on what it is like as a green monster and, according to star Tatiana Maslany and writer Jessica Gao, it looks at another fictional lawyer and woman as some inspirations.

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In an article published today by Total Film, the pair and others involved with the production discuss how their core idea for it was to look at the everyday life of these characters in a world with recurring extraordinary stakes. They want to see dating and grocery shopping, and Gao says Calista Flockhart’s Ally McBeal and her professional life inform how Maslany’s Jennifer Walters goes.

“[It’s] a little bit like Ally McBeal, but still exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We talked a lot about Fleabag.”

Ally McBeal was a legal comedy-drama that ran on Fox from 1997-2002. It was about a lawyer in her 30s, and, like Fleabag, it found humor in navigating that messy time in a woman’s life. Maslany says the same kind of style is here, though not to the same adult degree as the BBC and Amazon show.

“The irreverence of [Fleabag] and the sense of humor … there’s a lot there that I can definitely see that they drew from as inspiration.”

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts Aug. 17 and concludes Oct. 12 on Disney Plus. It also features Tim Roth returning as Emil Blonsky/Abomination after a minor appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and The Incredible Hulk earlier.