In the space of 60 minutes, last Tuesday’s episode of “Boston Legal” managed to combine the laughably absurd with the starkly real in a not-so-subtle swipe at Stanford.

The season premier of the hit series — featuring an elevator sex scene between Stanford’s fictional legal counsel and actor James Spader — managed to touch on one of the most heated debates currently surrounding the nation’s top research institutions.

Stanford and other leading universities that have accepted research funding from oil companies took a prime-time blow last week as the ABC show borrowed facts from a real-life Stanford controversy. The episode essentially retold the true story of millionaire donor Steve Bing ‘87, who rescinded a $2.5 million gift to the University in March after hearing about ExxonMobil’s $100 million donation to Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) research program.

Stanford researchers have expressed frustration that the program’s prime-time influence — despite the show’s flippant voice and comedic content — attracted national attention and disapproving looks from the public regarding GCEP’s association with ExxonMobil.

On “Boston Legal,” a Stanford graduate and lawyer at the firm reneges on a $3 million donation to the University under circumstances identical to Bing’s. During a courtroom scene dialogue, the character addresses many of the real-life concerns surrounding GCEP’s controversial association with the oil giant.

“Do we think for a second these [oil company] contributions won’t tilt these findings?” the character, Shirley Schmidt, asks. “I no longer trust that research. A study to explore alternative energy sources essentially funded by an oil company ... would you swallow that?”

Series producer David E. Kelley’s studio said that he was unavailable for comment this week.

“The show is fiction,” said GCEP Director Franklin Orr, formerly the dean of the School of Earth Sciences. “If they would look at what we do they would be assured that there’s good stuff going on. The reputation of Stanford will stand or fall based on our scientific quality, and we’re happy to be judged on the quality.”

Before Hollywood took its swipe, universities like Stanford and UC-Berkeley — which received $500 million from oil giant BP earlier this year — have absorbed attacks from figures such as Berkeley ecologist Ignacio Chapela and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, as well as consumer advocacy groups like the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR).

With public criticism of projects like GCEP mounting, Orr shrugged off the latest round of attacks, this time from Hollywood.

“We’re just going to continue to do a good job with our research,” he said, “because that’s what we do.”