There was a time, not that long ago, when David E. Kelley was considered an unstoppable one-man television machine. The writer/creator associated with “Picket Fences,” “Chicago Hope,” L.A. Law,” “Ally McBeal” and “The Practice” wrote reams of dialogue every day, reportedly in longhand and on legal-sized yellow pads.

But that was then. Tastes change, and the appetite for Kelley’s quirky characters, topical dramedy and arch dialogue has not been the same since the advent of reality TV. A few years back, Kelley’s production company was forced to fire half the cast of “The Practice” just to survive. Last season, Kelley’s very “Practice”-like drama “Boston Legal” found itself bounced off the schedule by the surprise success of “Grey’s Anatomy” (though it will return to ABC’s schedule in September).

In a primetime case of if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em, Kelley has produced “The Law Firm” (8 p.m., NBC), a legal reality show so clearly modeled on “The Apprentice” that it’s lucky none of its cases involve plagiarism. “Firm” challenges 12 hotshot attorneys to measure up to the expectations of host Roy Black, a man, we are told, who is rather famous among trial lawyers.

The fact that we have to be told this, and by lawyers no less, is a clear indication of the differences between Donald Trump’s show and this photocopy. Black lacks Trump’s brand-name recognition, his telegenic swagger and his trademark buzzwords.

Given the lowered expectations of summer programming (not to mentioned the lowered standards of the once-proud Peacock network), “The Law Firm” should make a fine placeholder until non-repeat episodes of “Law & Order” and “The Apprentice” come along.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Sandy sleeps alone after confronting Kristen about her drinking on “The O.C.” (8 p.m., Fox).

¢ Tales from the new frontiers of Internet dating on “Hooking Up” (8 p.m., ABC), produced by ABC News.

¢ Scheduled on “Primetime” (9 p.m., ABC): a woman who fled a polygamous cult confronts her past; a transsexual golfer on the LPGA circuit.