Lawyers pick the best legal shows

"L.A. Law"The American Bar Association gathered a jury of lawyers -- and one TV critic (although, oddly, not former Post-Gazette TV critic Robert Bianco, who was a lawyer before switching professions) -- to pick the 25 best legal shows of all time for its ABA Journal magazine.

Among the top picks:

1. "L.A. Law" (1986-1994)

2. "Perry Mason" (1957-1966)

3. "The Defenders" (1961-1965)

4. "Law & Order" (1990-present)

5. "The Practice" (1997-2004)

I was happy to see both "Eli Stone" and "Harvey Birdman, Attorney-at-Law" made the Top 25. Disappointed that "Picket Fences" didn't make the list.

You can also read a list of honorable mentions and vote for your own favorite on the magazine's Web site.

Posted Jul 22 2009, 12:45 PM by Rob Owen
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Comments

??? TV Tattle wrote ??? TV Tattle
on Wed, Jul 22 2009 1:45 PM

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Hassenpfeffer wrote re: Lawyers pick the best legal shows
on Wed, Jul 22 2009 3:36 PM

"L.A. Law," number one?!? What kind of lawyers did they pick for this poll? Yeah, great *legal* action there: Rosalind Shays falling down the elevator shaft, Stuart's infamous "Venus Butterfly," Doug Brackman with a "hands-on" sexual therapist.

Agreed about "Picket Fences." Judge Bone, "Douglas Wambaugh for the defense," and, later, Don Cheadle as the DA--certainly David Kelley's best show, and always interesting on legal matters as on everything else. One episode that leaps to mind involved Kimberly thinking a high-school friend was being molested by her father when in fact the friend was a member of a polygamous Mormon family and her "father" was really one of her husband's many wives. Judge Bone's ruling/opinion was to the point and provocative.

Rob Owen wrote re: Lawyers pick the best legal shows
on Wed, Jul 22 2009 4:41 PM

Yeah, I was surprised about "L.A. Law," too. Great show but not the best legal show. I can only imagine the group thought "Law & Order" would be too on the nose.

Pittbull wrote re: Lawyers pick the best legal shows
on Thu, Jul 23 2009 7:15 AM

As a teenager I enjoyed staying up to watch

OWEN MARSHALL: Counselor at Law (1971-1974).  Arthur Hill played a passionate but cool lawyer.  Almost went to law school because of this program, but settled for being an analyst instead.

Great show and glad it made the list at No. 12.

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on Thu, Jul 23 2009 10:29 AM

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