In this article, we will be covering the 10 best legal drama TV shows of all time. So, stick till the end.
Legal issues have always been there since the times when mankind decided to organise themselves into Societies and we have a general propensity of discussing what’s legal and loathing when we ourselves get into the same situation.
Now, the entertainment industry has become all-encompassing and there is not any dimension of life that they have refrained from transmuting into a show or movie or romanticise to put it more precisely. Therefore, Legal issues are being taken up as TV shows. We are not going to present some sort of a social paper weaved around the “legal sphere’ but rather get into something more fathomable and more relevant to the entertainment seeking masses who have a penchant for Legal dramas and want to know what are some of the best legal shows that they can start off with, because let’s face it we are standing over the abundance of everything and finding something superlative is a daunting task.
Best Legal Drama Shows
- The practice
IMBD rating: 7.7
Created by David E Kelley, the practice is one of the highly extolled shows out there owing to the fact that they kept the correctness of the profession intact and weaved the story around a conflict between personal morality and legal ethics, something that is rife in the modern world.
The story revolves around a Boston law firm and partners and associates thereof. The show originally ran from March 4 1997 to May 16 2004 on ABC and won the Emmy in the year 1998 and 1999.
- Your Honor
IMBD rating: 7.7
Your honour by the title itself suggests that the show is going to be revolved around the courtroom and is one of the few shows where sequences tend to follow successively meaning that there is continuity contrary to the conventional ways of showing a particular case for a given episode.
The show stars Bryan Cranston as Michael Desiato who is professionally a judge but his teenage son soon gets into a predicament when he kills another teenager in a hit and run case.
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
IMBD rating: 8.0
Law and Order SVU has a more crime drama orientation the story of which revolves around the fictionalized NYPD. SVU is basically a spin-off of the original Law and Order and has more ratings than the original itself.
Another USP of the show is that the crimes that it focuses on are partially based on the original events, therefore, giving you the impression of familiarity.
- Damages
IMBD rating: 8.1
The genre that this show latches onto is a legal thriller premiering on July 24, 2007. The story revolves around Patty Hewes, an infamous lawyer and her new disciple Ellen who is a recent law school graduate.
What makes the viewer enthralled the most is the sheer research that has gone into the show. All the limbos and deliberations that a show of legal nature should display have actualised in the show, therefore, making a particular case an entire season long.
- How to get away with murder
IMBD rating: 8.1
This show premiered on September 25, 2014, and was concluded on May 14, 2020, making it the most recent one on the list so far.
The show revolves around Annalise Keating(Davis) a law professor who is a protege to a group of 5 students who also gets entangled in a murder plot.
- The Good wife
IMBD rating: 8.3
The show revolves around Alicia Florrick who gets into practising law again after finding her husband, Cook County State’s attorney enmeshed in a sex scandal.
The good wife is essentially a serialized drama show where exists multiple arcs unfold over several episodes along with a specific character arc that concludes towards the end of a particular episode. Many fans have fretted about this kind of structuring of the show.
Apparently, the show is based around real-life stories one of which has been inspired by the story of Bill Clinton.
4. American Crime Story
IMBD rating: 8.4
American Crime Story is an American Crime Anthology that has been made up to the second season with its third season in production. The first season did exceedingly well and was based on the murder trial of O.J Simpson while the second season revolved around the murder of the famous designer Gianni Versace. The third season’s premise would be based around the Clinton Lewinsky scandal. Therefore, keeping the historicity of all three seasons intact.
- Boston Legal
IMBD rating: 8.4
The Boston Legal is a spinoff of ‘The practice’ with various characters from the eighth season shifting to the Boston Legal. The show however became more popular than the roots itself and has 5 seasons in total. The show is different from the ones in this list by virtue of its belonging to the legal comedy-drama. So, there is an air of gaiety prevalent throughout all the seasons.
When it comes to the premise of the show, it revolves around Alan Shore, an ex Practice character along with his co-workers at the Boston litigation department office.
- Suits
IMBD rating: 8.5
I think when it comes to most heard Legal Dramas of all time Suits has to be mentioned. Some of the credit to its popularity has to go to Netflix. One thing that makes this show different is the internal functioning or how the law firms actually work rather than making pivot any particular case that the Firm is supposed to take up.
The show has an intriguing premise that follows Mike Ross, a law associate who has never been to law school but however engages with cases while keeping or perpetuating this secret.
- Better Call Saul
IMBD rating: 8.7
Making it the top pick of this list ‘Better Call Saul’ is another rip-off, of the show Breaking Bad the events of which takes place before the latter happens. The show is set up in Alberquque, a city where malicious activities are rife.
The key highlight of the show is the way courtroom drama is portrayed in it and the breathtaking legal battles between Jimmy and Chuck. The air of originality with which the show has been created has extolled the show by fans and thereby marking its appearance at the top of our list.
Hope you liked our list of the 10 best Legal drama shows. Stay tuned for more such crazy lists.
