The most memorable legal shows

Sure, it’s only half the show, but you can’t have “Law & Order” without the legal half of the show. Sam Waterston and the rest of the lawyers were vital to the popularity of “Law & Order,” a show that lasted for years and was recently rebooted. The theme song is forever wedged in our brains, and it’s the first legal show we think of.

“Perry Mason” is one of the first legal shows in American television. The show began in 1957 and starred Raymond Burr as a defense lawyer in Los Angeles, one who basically never lost a case at that. “Perry Mason” was one of the most popular shows on TV during its nine-season run, and Burr won two Emmys.

In terms of comedic legal shows, none beat “Night Court.” The misadventures of the lawyers, judges, and bailiffs in a New York City night court entertained people for almost 200 episodes. If you think Burr winning two Emmys is impressive, John Larroquette won four Emmys for “Night Court” before taking his name out of consideration.

Some people make jokes about “Suits.” Others just know it as the show that Meghan Markle was on. It certainly had its fans, though, as one of USA’s “blue sky” shows, one that actually bridged eras for the network. The law show lasted for nine seasons, even though a few cast members left after the seventh.

“L.A. Law” was one of the top shows of the 1980s, mixing legal drama with primetime soap opera. It mixed legal stories and interpersonal drama into a show that won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series a whopping four times.

Grampa Simpson’s favorite show had to make the cut. Similar to “Perry Mason,” “Matlock” is about Ben Matlock, a folksy defense attorney played by Andy Griffith. Griffith was, of course, a TV legend by this point, and while the show was maybe not a critical darling, it was a popular show and a classic procedural of the era.

It’s more than merely the show with the dancing baby. “Ally McBeal” could be a bit much at times, but it was a hit show for years for a reason. It knew how to grab the zeitgeist and how to get people talking. Plus, it gave us the “Futurama” parody “Single Female Lawyer.”

David E. Kelley is a TV juggernaut. In the same year he created both “Ally McBeal” and “The Practice.” He created “The Practice” as something of a rejoinder to “L.A. Law,” which he felt was a little too romanticized. “The Practice” is a little more “realistic,” and it won two Emmys as well.

“JAG” is basically the legal version of “NCIS.” In fact, it’s the show that “NCIS” spun off from. Yes, “JAG” is one of those mega-popular CBS shows that gets knocked for being a little simplistic and watched by a lot of people you don’t know, but it ran for 227 episodes and you can’t knock that.

“The Defenders” was an “issues” show in the 1960s. It was about father-and-son lawyers who weren’t afraid to take on tough, controversial cases. That’s both in the world of the show and in reality. In one episode the Prestons defended an abortion doctor, and all of the show’s sponsors dropped out. And yet, they went forward, and the show ended up winning multiple Emmys over its run.

“The Bold Ones” was kind of like the “Fargo” of its time, in that it was an overarching series that tackled different stories for a few seasons at the time. There was “The New Doctors,” “The Senator,” and also, of course, “The Lawyers.” They made 29 episodes of this show, which starred Burl Ives as a venerated attorney who hires two brothers to assist him on cases.

We go from old-school prestige to pulpy prestige. “Damages” was early to the game in terms of FX getting into original dramas. Glenn Close was the overarching star, though the series worked in guest stars and recurring names with gusto, as each season featured a different case. One time we even`` got to see Martin Short in a rare dramatic role!

OK, so this is a spinoff of “The Practice.” However, we still felt like we should include it. It lasted for 101 episodes itself, and featured notable names like James Spader, William Shatner, and Candice Bergen. Spader and Shatner both won Emmys for the show.

We personally rep this as the best Adult Swim show of all time. They took the obscure Hanna-Barbera superhero Birdman and turned him into Harvey Birdman, a put-upon lawyer who takes cases for the likes of the Flintstones and the Scooby Gang. It’s absurd, ridiculous, and super funny.

This is the prestigious network legal drama of its era. “The Good Wife” was a CBS show that people from all walks of life agreed on. Julianna Margulies crushed it in the lead role, and the show also had a successful spinoff in “The Good Fight.”

We did say memorable, not necessarily good. “Eli Stone” was a bold show. Jonny Lee Miller plays the titular character, a lawyer who begins having hallucinations. A lot of them involved George Michael. Yes, the George Michael. It was weird, but it definitely made a splash.

Like “Suits,” part of what makes “Franklin & Bash” memorable are the jokes about it. Its name is kind of funny. You may not know anybody who watched it. You may not know which one is Franklin and which one is Bash. Nevertheless, Breckin Meyer and Marc-Paul Gosselaar spent four seasons playing the titular lawyers for TNT, so clearly they found some success.

“The Grinder” goes into the “brilliant, but cancelled” category. It ran only one season, but oh what a season it was. In this meta comedy, Rob Lowe plays an actor whose legal show comes to an end. He then moves back to Boise and figures he can actually help out his family’s actual law practice, even though he has no real legal education. It was goofy, clever, and often hilarious.

This is a legal show, but one centered on a law professor. That professor is played by Viola Davis, one of the best actors working today. This is a strong starting point for any show. Oh, and then there’s a bunch of murder thriller stuff.

Saul Goodman started as a somewhat-comedic side character on “Breaking Bad.” When a spinoff was first considered, they even thought of making it a half-hour comedy. Instead, “Better Call Saul” became another hour-long drama, one that lives up to the legacy of its predecessor. Bob Odenkirk turned himself into one of the best dramatic actors on TV, and he’s surrounded by a cast of quality “Breaking Bad” alums, plus newbies like Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler.