Legal drama is one of the most-watched genres among people. It gets you so involved in the world of law that, by the end of it either you become a lawyer or develop a flaming desire to practice it. Behind every successful legal drama, there is in-depth research and accuracy of technical terms used in the everyday courtroom.
So, if you are wondering which legal dramas are worth your time, here is a list of the top 10 legal dramas of all time.
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1. Suits (2011)
When hearing of Legal practices, one always thinks of the iconic duo of Harvey Specter and Mike Ross. ‘Suits‘ is one of the most interesting legal dramas as it focuses more on the inner workings of a law firm than the cases the firm takes up. Along with the legal drama, it also offers romance, politics, and humor but at the same time, it is loud with the densest law terminology.
‘Suits‘ follows Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who accidentally interviews for the position of associate, to work under Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). Impressed with his performance, he hires Mike, even though Mike never went to law school. The series revolves around this duo handling the cases at the firm and covering Mike’s secret.
2. Better Call Saul (2015)
How can one forget, this epic and intense crossover of ‘Breaking Bad‘? ‘Better Call Saul‘ expands the criminal underbelly of Albuquerque in a very creative and unimaginative way. The show digs deep into how Gustavo Fring built his meth empire and organized crimes happening in the meth-head city.
It features the character development of Jimmy McGill starring Bob Odenkirk, a con man into a criminal defense attorney Saul Goodman. The character embraces his proclivities, who was previously a scam artist, and begins to represent criminals while being deeply involved with the city’s criminal world.
3. How To Get Away With Murder (2014)
Criminal defense lawyer Annalise Keating and her understudies take us through the world the murder and more importantly how to get away with one. It’s a fascinating drama, as those very people become intertwined in their very own murder plot, which almost gives us anxiety in each season. Apart from courtroom drama, it also travels in flashbacks and flashforwards, giving us insights into the characters’ personal lives.
Viola Davis was the first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The show also has a few interesting crossovers with ‘Scandal‘. The show has been widely appreciated for its screenplay, the structure of the storyline, and the interesting dynamics of the characters.
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4. Law And Order (1990)
‘Law and Order‘ was the most famous legal drama of all time, which got beaten by its own spinoff ‘Law and Order: Special Victim Unit‘. The show aired for 20 seasons till 2010 and it is marked as the longest-running law enforcement series on American television. This legal drama showcases a complicated process of demarcating guilty and innocent while highlighting legal, ethical, and personal dilemmas.
It follows a two-part approach; the first part of an episode is the investigation of a crime and apprehension of the suspect by the New York Police Department, and the second half of it displays the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
5. The Good Wife (2009)
Apart from ‘American Crime Story‘, ‘The Good Wife‘ is more grounded in reality than any other legal drama. The show is about the wife of a state attorney who gets back into law when her husband is caught in the middle of a sex scandal. The series is inspired by real-life incidents such as the scandal involving Bill Clinton.
The show interestingly explores the dynamic between the women who allow their careers to take a backseat for the future benefit of their husbands’ ambitions, even when they are caught in scandals. The drama is popularly recognized for its presence of fresh and interesting storylines and dynamic character development.
6. American Crime Story (2016)
Seeing Ross Geller taking up a serious role is very exciting. The first two seasons of the show took the internet by storm, especially its first season, which was a reenactment of the infamous trial of O.J. Simpson.
The second season followed the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace, which wasn’t phenomenally well-received, yet enjoyed by the audience. The third season is based on the impeachment of Bill Clinton and his sex scandal.
7. Damages (2007)
‘Damages‘ created by Daniel Zelman is one of the most engaging legal dramas of all time, though is it fairly short-lived when compared with other legal dramas.
Each major case in the show runs a whole season, so more time and effort has gone into the research and how it properly breaks down how legal proceedings take place, unlike other shows that only throw weeks-long proceedings into a 40-minute episode. The first two seasons revolve around the law firm Hewes & Associates in New York City, while later seasons focus primarily on Patty and Ellen’s relationship and Ellen’s attempts to distance herself from Hewes & Associates, both personally and professionally.
8. Boston Legal (2004)
Like ‘Better Call Saul’ or ‘Law and Order‘, ‘Boston Legal‘ is also a spin-off series. But it rarely happens when the spin-off series is better than its original series. ‘Boston Legal‘ is the spin-off series of ‘The Practice‘.
‘Boston Legal‘ is a little different than ‘The Practice‘. It is known to break the fourth wall a lot more, but there’s just as much law hocus-pocus for any fan of procedural courtroom dramas would love.
9. The Practice (1997)
‘The Practice‘ is among the initial legal dramas created as an answer to ‘L.A. Law‘, which was a show that totally romanticized the American legal system. The show made law look flashier and cooler than it really was.
The series was much more realistic and it actually treated its viewers as if they were smart. It came to legal proceedings, and deep themes were explored which included personal morality. It was a great initiative considering criminal lawyers had never really been depicted in such a light before.
10. Your Honor (2020)
‘Your Honor‘ is special because it’s one of the few legal dramas that is serialized, whereas the other series tends to be procedural case-of-the-week type shows. On top of that, ‘Your Honor‘ is a limited series, too, meaning there won’t be another season.
A respected judge, Desiato’s life is turned upside down when his son is involved in a hit-and-run accident. The series is adapted from the Israeli series ‘Kvodo‘, which promises to focus on lies, deception, and impossible choices.
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