Top 10 Legal Drama Series Of All Time, Ranked

‘Your Honor‘ is special because it’s one of the few legal dramas that is serialized, as opposed to other series that tend to be procedural case-of-the-week type shows. On top of that, ‘Your Honor ‘ is led by the powerhouse performer, Bryan Cranston.

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 focuses on lies, deception, and impossible choices.

9. How To Get Away With Murder

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 evokes 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 for ‘ How To Get Away With Murder.’ The show also has a few interesting crossovers with ‘Scandal‘. Certainly, a strong feat!

8. The Practice

‘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 story made law look flashier and cooler than it was in the real world.

The X factor of the series was realism and its treatment of viewers as smart. When it came to legal proceedings, deep themes were explored, including personal morality. It was a great initiative considering criminal lawyers had never really been depicted in such a light before.

7. The Good Wife

Before ‘American Crime Story‘ ripped apart the scandal involving Bill Clinton, ‘The Good Wife‘ drew from that real-life incident. The show is about the wife of a state attorney who gets back into law when her husband is caught in a sex scandal.

The show interestingly explores the dynamic between the women who allow their careers to take a backseat for the benefit of their husbands’ ambitions, even if they cheat and mistreat them. The drama is recognized for its interesting storylines and dynamic character development.

6. The Lincoln Lawyer 

Adapted from Michael Connelly’s novels, ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is a fast-paced legal drama led by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in the role of criminal defense lawyer Mickey Haller. Now, Mickey’s world is packed with characters of all sorts, and he makes some morally grey choices to get the job done. His quirk? The man operates out of his Lincoln Navigator, and he is as smooth as the ride he likes. But, personal struggles catch up to him.

Yes, Matthew McConaughey was great in the movie adaptation, but the show fleshes out the cases in an engaging manner, building the intrigue and keeping the tension going to the end.

5. Law And Order

‘Law and Order‘ was the most famous legal drama of its time, which got overshadowed by its own spinoff, ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit‘. The show has more than two dozen seasons, making it 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 displays the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. 

5. Damages

‘Damages,’ created by Daniel Zelman, is one of the most engaging legal dramas of all time. Though it’s fairly short-lived, each major case runs a whole season, so more time and effort has gone into the research. It’s amazing how they properly break down legal proceedings, unlike other shows that only throw weeks-long events into a 40-minute episode. 

The first two seasons of ‘Damages‘ 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 her old firm, both personally and professionally.

3. Boston Legal

‘Boston Legal‘ is a successful spin-off series. In fact, it is better than the original, ‘The Practice‘. Here, the characters kept the soul of who they were but blossomed into powerful attorneys.

The show 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.

2. Better Call Saul

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 how organized crimes operated in the meth-head city.

The spinoff features the character development of Jimmy McGill, professionally known as Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk). He is a con man turned criminal defense attorney. The man embraces his proclivities, emerging out of his previous life as a scam artist.

1. Suits

When thinking of top-notch legal drama, one always thinks of the iconic duo of Harvey Specter and Mike Ross. ‘Suits‘ is one of the most interesting shows that made corporate law fun. The show focuses on the inner workings of a law firm as well as the cases. It also offers romance, politics, and humor, and its dense law terminology somehow works.

The premise of ‘Suits‘ is also brilliant as a brilliant dropout impresses New York’s best closer and becomes his associate. His secret of never having gone to law school keeps up the tension. Over the course of nine seasons, this show rose to the ranks of the best of what the TV industry has to offer.