Legal dramas have been a TV staple for more than 60 years, and for good reason. Every episode comes with built-in conflict, big stakes, and a verdict at the end. Here are the best legal dramas ever made, from the classics that started it all to the shows people are binging right now.
Perry Mason (1957 to 1966)
Raymond Burr’s Perry Mason practically invented the TV legal drama. Each episode followed a defense attorney who almost always proved his client innocent, usually by getting the real culprit to confess on the stand. It’s not realistic, but it set the template for everything that came after.
HBO released a darker reimagining of the character in 2020, set in 1930s Los Angeles. It’s a very different take, with Matthew Rhys playing a younger, rougher Perry Mason. Both versions are worth watching if you want to see how the genre has changed.
L.A. Law (1986 to 1994)
L.A. Law brought legal dramas into the modern era with a focus on the personal lives of attorneys at a big Los Angeles firm. It mixed serious cases with office politics and romance. The show was so popular that some law schools reported a jump in applications during its run.
Law & Order (1990 to Present)
Law & Order split every episode into two halves, one following police and one following prosecutors. Its “ripped from the headlines” approach made it feel timely, and its format was so successful it spun off a whole franchise. The original show ended in 2010 and returned in 2022, and reruns seem to be on some channel at every hour of the day. It’s still one of the best TV introductions to how a criminal case moves from arrest to verdict.
The Practice (1997 to 2004) and Boston Legal (2004 to 2008)
The Practice followed a struggling Boston defense firm and wasn’t afraid to show lawyers losing cases or making ethically murky choices. It won multiple Emmys during its run. Its spinoff, Boston Legal, took a more comic and eccentric turn, largely thanks to James Spader and William Shatner as two unforgettable attorneys.
Damages (2007 to 2012)
Glenn Close plays Patty Hewes, a ruthless and brilliant litigator, in this tense legal thriller. Each season revolves around one major case told through flashbacks and flash-forwards. It’s more thriller than procedural, and Close’s performance is a big reason to watch.
The Good Wife (2009 to 2016) and The Good Fight (2017 to 2022)
Julianna Margulies stars as Alicia Florrick, who returns to practicing law after her politician husband’s public scandal. The Good Wife blended case-of-the-week episodes with sharp storytelling about politics, technology, and power. Its spinoff, The Good Fight, followed Christine Baranski’s character and leaned into satire of current events.
Suits (2011 to 2019)
Suits follows a brilliant college dropout who talks his way into a job at a top New York law firm without a law degree. It’s stylish, fast-paced, and more about office drama than courtroom scenes. The show found a huge second audience in 2023, racking up 57.7 billion minutes of viewing, a Nielsen streaming record at the time.
How to Get Away With Murder (2014 to 2020)
Viola Davis plays a criminal defense attorney and law professor who gets pulled into a murder with a group of her students. The show is twisty, dramatic, and often over the top. Davis won an Emmy for her performance, making history as the first Black woman to win for lead actress in a drama. The Television Academy Foundation’s Emmy TV Legends archive covers that historic win.
Better Call Saul (2015 to 2022)
This Breaking Bad prequel follows small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill as he transforms into Saul Goodman. It’s slow and character-driven, and many critics consider it even better than the original. The legal storylines are surprisingly detailed, especially in later seasons.
The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016)
The first season of American Crime Story dramatized the O.J. Simpson trial, and it’s one of the best depictions of a real case ever made for TV. Sarah Paulson won an Emmy for playing prosecutor Marcia Clark. It’s a great watch even if you lived through the original trial, which still ranks among the most famous trials in American history.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022 to Present)
Based on Michael Connelly’s novels, this Netflix series follows a Los Angeles defense attorney who runs his practice out of the back of his car. It’s a fun, polished legal procedural with a new major case each season. Fans of the books will recognize plenty of familiar storylines.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
This South Korean series follows a brilliant young lawyer on the autism spectrum as she starts her career at a big law firm. It became a global hit on Netflix. The show is warm, clever, and full of creative courtroom moments.
Picking Your Next Legal Binge
If you want classic courtroom mysteries, start with Perry Mason. For smart, layered writing, The Good Wife and Better Call Saul are hard to beat. And if you want something based on a real case, The People v. O.J. Simpson is essential viewing.
Legal dramas rarely get the law exactly right, but the best ones capture something true about the pressure and moral gray areas lawyers deal with. That’s what keeps audiences coming back season after season. If you’d rather watch a story from start to finish in one night, try my list of the best courtroom movies.