15 best TV legal dramas according to Scotland's solicitors - from Sutherland's Law to Silk
The news the BBC has commissioned a high-octane legal drama set in the courtrooms of Glasgow got everybody talking - so what are the greatest legal dramas of all time, asks Joshua King.
The Journal posted the question what is the best legal TV series and Scotland's legal profession responded with verve. It remains to be seen whether Counsels, the new series from Bryan Elsley (The Crow Road, Skins) and BBC Writers’ Drama Room graduate Gillian McCormack, will one day trouble this list.
There is, however, clearly a clutch of much-loved series which have inspired and entertained different generations of legal practitioners here in Scotland and further afield. I'll reveal right now that Suits, the biggest programme in the world just a few years ago, does not make the cut.
Presented in alphabetical order, here are your 15 favourite legal dramas and how to watch them:
Ally McBeal
1997-2002
This turn-of-the-Millennium legal romantic comedy was a cultural juggernaut, and won not one but two Golden Globes for a comedy series, and an Emmy in the same category. Starring Calista Flockhart in the titular role as a lawyer at Boston firm Cage and Fish, Ally McBeal dealt with the office politics and personal life of its characters and starred other big names including Peter MacNicol, Lucy Liu, Jane Krakowski and, latterly, Robert Downey Jr.
One Journal reader, Jen, said: "As someone who started uni in 1999, we all wanted to be in This Life or Ally McBeal" (More on This Life to come).
Where to watch: Channel 4
Better Call Saul
2015-2022
Breaking Bad, the anti-hero tale of down-on-his-luck high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who turns to a life of drug baron-dom to support his family, can rightly contest the title of best TV series of all time. So when it's run came to an end, how did creator Vince Gilligan plan to top it? By writing a prequel centred around the rise of Walter White's crooked defense attorney, Jimmy McGill AKA Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk), of course. Often darker and, some critics consider, superior to the show which spawned it, Better Call Saul explores the ethical and moral decline of its protagonist. Were it not for the competition of the Succession cast, Odenkirk would have been showered with Emmy's for his turn as Jimmy.
Shout out to Jim Bauld at TC Young for the recommendation.
Where to watch: Netflix
Boston Legal
2004-2008
It's a legal comedy drama starring Mr Star Trek himself, William Shatner. Oh and with a generous helping of James Spader thrown in. What's not to love? Boston Legal, recommended by several Journal readers, is a spin-off from The Practice and is set at a Boston law firm (a trend is emerging here). Winner of the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 2007, Boston legal ran for 101 episodes across five seasons charting the work of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, a high-end litigation firm which, for narrative reasons, handled both civil and criminal work. I wonder how Shatner's Denny Crane would have responded to the Trump administration's war on Big Law...
Where to watch: Channel 4
Crown Court
1972-1984
Has there ever been programme like Crown Court? I'd wager not. Launched to coincide with the new Crown Court system in England and Wales in the early 1970s, the series ran for a whopping 879 episodes and took in 300 fictional cases in 25 minute bursts broadcast throughout the week. The cases and plots, which were confined to the courtroom itself, adopted a neutral perspective and the silent jury was even played by members of the general public. They alone decided the verdict after 30 minutes of deliberation and, famously, multiple endings for each case were written and rehearsed to respond to the jury's real verdict. Cases were all recorded in a single day, and then broken up into multiple episodes.
Reader and solicitor advocate Victoria Ayre wrote in: "I watched it when I was off sick when I was 6 — it made me want to be a lawyer, which I still am over 50 years later."
Where to watch: DVD (Purchase from Amazon)
Garrow's Law
2009-2011
A rare legal period drama, this series follows the career of the real life 18th-century lawyer William Garrow. It only ran for 12 episodes (a far cry from the longevity of a programme like Crown Court), but was nevertheless well-received. Based on real cases recorded in the Old Bailey Proceedings, Garrow's Law stars Andrew Buchan alongside Alun Armstrong and Lyndsey Marshal. The real and pioneering barrister, William Garrow, is remembered for indirectly reforming the advocacy system and is credited with, in part, ushering in the adversarial court system. The show was filmed at Dumbarton Studios (where they also filmed River City) and at locations in Scotland including Old College in Edinburgh, Parliament House, and Linlithgow Palace.
Journal reader Charlotte Edgar, Senior Associate at Clyde & Co, said: "I absolutely must send in a vote for the BBC 18th-century legal drama Garrow’s Law, which ran from 2009-2011.
"I am biased though, as when I was a law student I was an Extra on the show – I had the absolute time of my life."
Where to watch: DVD (Purchase from Amazon)
Judge John Deed
2001-2007
Unusually on this list, Judge John Deed follows not a solicitor or barrister or attorney, but a judge (the title probably let that particular cat out the bag). Martin Shaw stars as Mr Justice Deed who is constantly and perhaps excessively in pursuit of justice in his courtroom. Jenny Seagrove co-stars as barrister Jo Mills QC, a professional and romantic interest of the judge. Popular with audiences, Judge John Deed was not without its fierce detractors. Many legal professionals and critics outright condemned the romanticised and unrealistic legal proceedings depicted, including repeated conflicts of interest. This went so far that in the second Damilola Taylor murder trial, the presiding judge (Mr Justice Leveson, no stranger to conflict with media) actually warned the jury to disregard Mr Justice Deed's approach to jury service from a contemporary episode in which the judge not only ended up on a jury but actually undertook investigations of his own.
Where to watch: U (Stream Online)
Kavanagh QC
1995-2001
John Thaw stars as James Kavanagh QC, one of the country's top barristers and a working-class lawyer from Bolton who faces challenges both in and out the courtroom. In a typical episode, Kavanagh will be defending a client who ultimately is found not guilty thanks to a twist in the case.
Reader of the Journal Paul Rae, Head of Litigation at RBS/Natwest, said: "John Thaw is outstanding – a good example to young lawyers as to court room etiquette and the legal challenges aren’t too far fetched."
Where to watch: ITVX
L.A. Law
1986-1994
Across 172 episodes of this California legal drama, the firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak tackle the social and political issues of the time: capital punishment, abortion, discrimination, sexual harassment and a host of others. The cast was quite remarkable, a rotating cadre of then little-known guest stars included Don Cheadle, Jeffrey Tambor, Kathy Bates, David Schwimmer, James Avery, Bryan Cranston, Kevin Spacey, Richard Schiff, Carrie-Anne Moss, William H. Macy, Lucy Liu, Christian Slater and Steve Buscemi. L.A. Law picked up 15 Emmys.
Journal reader Graeme McWilliams, a Fellow of the Society and retired in-house solicitor, remembered: "I was also a big fan of LA Law, and in one Glasgow law firm, the assistants took turns to host regular evenings when we played LA Law video recordings, and echoed any mentions of Pro Bono."
Where to watch: Hulu
Law & Order: UK
2009-2014
American titles have proved popular with readers - so how about taking a US format and translating for a British setting? That's exactly what happened with Law & Order: UK - the longstanding Law & Order franchise, which serves as both police procedural and courtroom drama, was given a fresh face for UK audiences including the casting of the likes of Bradley Walsh, Freema Agyeman, Jamie Bamber, Harriet Walter and Bill Paterson. It was the first time an American series was imported in this way - adapted for the UK with stories from its parent American show.
Paul Rae added: "Who knew Bradley Walsh could act?! (well, kind of) Again insightful look into the roles of 'in the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the crown prosecutors who prosecute the offenders…. These are their stories….'."
Where to watch: Apple TV
The Paper Chase
1978-1986
An early entry for this Best Of list, and a series with a twist. The Paper Chase, an adaptation of the 1971 novel of the same name by John Jay Osborn Jr, follows not lawyers but law students, in this case James T. Hart and his friends at an unnamed US college.
Graeme Fordyce, solicitor and notary public, recommended The Paper Chase and said: "The Paper Chase helped me decide on the law as a career."
Where to watch: DVD (Purchase from Amazon)
Rumpole of the Bailey
1978-1992
Perhaps the quintessential British interpretation of the courtroom drama, Rumpole of the Bailey follows the hard graft of cigar-and-fry-up-loving Horace Rumpole (John Mortimer), beloved of the criminal class, as he defends a rogues' gallery of clients with his mantra "I never plead guilty" (unless, of course, he is morally bound to). A bastion of the presumption of innocence, Rumpole's attitude and resistance to moving to a more respectable senior position as a QC or even judge sparked many, many legal careers as well as spin-off radio and book series. Not to be missed.
Where to watch: ITVX
Silk
2011-2014
Maxine Peake's fabulous turn as barrister Martha Costello of Shoe Lane Chambers did well to capture the relentlessness of the criminal bar. Series creator Peter Moffat, who also wrote Criminal Justice and North Square as well as an episode of aforementioned Kavanagh QC, wanted Silk to capture the politics of court. Perhaps its greatest strength, besides Peake, is the exploration of what happens inside chambers, and the dynamics of the barristers and clerks.
Where to watch: Prime Video
The Split
2018-2024
The most current title to appear on this list, The Split benefits, as Silk does, from brilliant leading performance from one of British TV's best actresses, Nicola Walker. The show charts the fortunes of the Defoe family who work for a divorce law firm (a neat central conceit sparking no end of familial jeopardy). Stephen Mangan, Fiona Button, Annabel Scholey and Barry Atsma appear alongside Walker.
The Split, the most recent episode of which aired at New Year, was recommended by Linda Pacitti of Morton Pacitti Solicitors in Falkirk.
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Sutherland's Law
1973-1976
Sutherland's Law was, alongside Rumpole of the Bailey, the most recommended series on this list and it's not hard to understand why. Unlike almost every other legal drama mentioned, Sutherland's Law is set not at the heart of the legal system but in a quiet corner of Scotland (the series was filmed in Oban), charting the course of local procurator fiscal John Sutherland (played by Iain Cuthbertson). It may have been largely forgotten by the wider viewing public, but there can be no denying the inedible impact Sutherland's Law has had on a generation of Scottish solicitors, advocates and judges.
Thanks to Journal readers Graeme McWilliams (aforementioned), John Hughes (Partner at Connor Malcolm Solicitors) and Stuart Stoker for recommending.
Where to watch: DVD (Purchase from Amazon)
This Life
1996-1997 (and 2007 special)
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
This Life is the tale of law graduates, early in their careers and sharing a home in London. It can only loosely be described as a courtroom drama as not a single courtroom scene appears in the first or second seasons, however this is another legal series which has left its mark on a certain vintage of practitioners thanks to the tumultuous lives of its protagonists. Starring Amita Dhiri, Andrew Lincoln, Daniela Nardini and Ramon Tikaram among others, This Life went on to become a word-of-mouth success and appeared on the BFI's list of the 100 best British TV shows ever made.
Linda Taylor, solicitor with North Ayrshire Council, wrote in to recommend and added: "This Life - a must watch for all the 90s law students."
Where to watch: Prime Video
Everything we know about BBC's new 'high-octane' Scottish legal drama Counsels
Television has given us captivating courtroom dramas, from Rumpole of the Bailey and Kavanagh QC to Silk and The Split. But has any legal series ever done justice to the Scottish profession?
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