'Ally McBeal' spinoff created

NEW YORK (AP) - Could there be an Ally Lite? David E. Kelley, creator of the hit Fox series "Ally McBeal," said Tuesday that he began pushing for a half-hour spinoff after experimenting with the editing of the original. The new series would feature the same characters, cast and theme: an unconventional Boston law firm filled with attorneys who break into song in the unisex bathroom. But the spinoff would consist of unused and repeat footage shot for the hour-long series, as well as new scenes, all edited into half-hour stories. "It looks like it's going to happen," Kelley said. While the original series intermixes drama with zaniness, the freestanding spinoff would have a distinctively comic bent, with its stories set in the firm and after hours. There would be no court scenes. Fox, which unveils its fall prime-time schedule Thursday, declined to comment. ###