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Formerly titled Crazy Lawyers, the weekly, 60-minute comedy drama series Head Cases got under way as Jason Payne (Chris O'Donnell), a former hotshot corporate attorney, emerged from three months' treatment at a wellness center after suffering a nervous breakdown, exacerbated by a bitter divorce. With no job prospects, the still-panicky Jason started up all over again in a private law practice, specializing in "underdog" cases. His new partner was another wellness-center "graduate," low-rent lawyer Russell Shultz (Adam Goldberg), who suffered from an embarrassing rage disorder that compelled him to punch out people without warning (and not much provocation!). In the pilot episode, Rachael Leigh Cook was introduced as Kate, another recovering neurotic whom Jason hoped to assist in readjusting to the outside world, but by the time the series proper premiered over the Fox network on September 14, 2005, Kate had been written out of the show. In her place, more or less, was Richard Kind as Lou Albertini, a mercurial paralegal who'd formerly been "employed" as a bank robber. Others in the cast were Krista Allen as Jason's ex-wife, Laurie; Jake Cherry as his eight-year-old son, Ryan; and Rockmond Dunbar as Jason and Russell's therapist, Dr. Robinson. Head Cases was created by Bill Chais, a real-life former attorney whose previous TV credits included The Practice.