'Practice' creator wowed William Shatner

LOS ANGELES, May 13 (UPI) -- William Shatner said he was not eager to do episodic TV again, but joined the cast of "The Practice" because he was impressed with the ABC drama's creator.

"When David Kelley calls, trumpets sound, tympanis," Shatner, 73, told Zap2it.com Thursday, recalling the initial phone call about "The Practice."

"Anyway, (Kelley) proceeded to describe this character that he was thinking of, and wanted to know if I was interested or not. I didn't want to do another television series. I didn't want to get involved in that kind of work. I had seen with mine own eyes what devastation it wreaks on your life.

"But there is a siren song played by trumpets from David Kelley, and soon I was lured to brake my barque on the islands of his talents. Ooooh, I like that," Shatner said.

The veteran actor joined "The Practice" in March as Denny Crane, an eccentric senior partner in the Boston law firm of Crane, Poole and Schmidt, hired to represent Alan Shore, played by James Spader, in a wrongful termination suit.

Shatner appeared in the final episodes of the drama series' final season, which ends its eight-year run Sunday.