Vonda Shepard, who starred in the iconic 90s show Ally McBeal, has admitted that some elements of the series wouldn't work in contemporary culture as it approaches its 30th anniversary next year. The 63-year-old played a fictionalised version of herself, performing as the resident singer and piano player at the local basement bar where the lawyers from Cage & Fish gathered at the end of every episode.
A groundbreaking show of its time
She also wrote and performed the show's worldwide hit opening theme, Searchin' My Soul, and produced over 500 songs for the series. The show focused on the professional and chaotic personal life of the titular character Ally McBeal, a young, single Boston lawyer. It became a major cultural phenomenon in the late 1990s and famously gave the world the viral Dancing Baby CGI internet meme, which represented her ticking biological clock.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Vonda reflected: "Obviously some of the stuff wouldn't fly now. [The same as] The West Wing doesn't fly. But back then it definitely felt like some woman power was going on and it was good for other shows and other producers and writers to see that that was possible."
Intense workload before the end
While the show was a huge success, it was also a massive workload for the star, and she admits that by the time it was nearing the end, she was ready for a break. "One episode had 23 songs. It was kind of a musical and so my work was intense during that time to the point where when the show was about to be cancelled 6 months later, I was ready," she said.
"I was like, 'Okay, I need a break.' Because I would do the show and then I'd fly out on hiatus during the summer for six, seven weeks on tour the next day. I'd be on tour all over the world, come home, get back into the show. It was a crazy time, but I had had a lot of energy for it," she remembers fondly.
Memories of guest stars and full circle moments
Although she no longer has commitments to the show, she is still writing, recording, and touring. Her latest UK tour ends on October 23, and her most recent album, Nine Songs, was released on September 25. Despite this, Ally McBeal still looms large in her life, particularly the musical guests she collaborated with on the show, such as Barry Manilow, Elton John, and Tina Turner.
One guest in particular stood out for Vonda. "When I was 16 years old we had a music journalist crashing on our couch for a year and he would get vinyl and give it to me. I was constantly practicing the piano and one of the albums he gave me was Al Green's Belle album and I used to listen to it all the time," she recalled.
"At the end of this one song Al does this funny laugh. And I'm in the studio with Al Green and it was literally my favorite album at that time and we record a song [for Ally McBeal]. He was so sweet. At the end of the song, he did that laugh and I just was thinking, 'Oh my god, it's full circle'. It was magical, magical."
As to the other guest stars, she admits: "People mostly remember Sting because he was such a big star. I mean you don't get any bigger than that and so he resonated. And Robert Downey Jr., who people were so surprised at his talent and his voice. He has a real bonafide singing voice and he could play and write. He could have been a recording artist for sure."
Vonda Shepard's latest album Nine Songs is out now. Her UK tour concludes on Friday, 23 October 2026 at The Stables in Milton Keynes.
