Best Legal Drama Series Worth Watching
TL;DR — For smart, serialised legal drama, watch The Good Wife and its sequel The Good Fight. For glossy fun, Suits. For twisty thrillers, Damages or How to Get Away with Murder. For a character study, Better Call Saul. For case-of-the-week, Law & Order. For courtroom comedy, Boston Legal.
Get series picks based on this article
Want a smart drama for tonight? Get series picks matched to your mood.
Get series picksTell us your mood. We'll do the picking.
8 quick questions. Real series picks from real catalogs — not ads. Free, no sign-up.
Take the quizSmart and serialised
The Good Wife (CBS, 2009-2016, 7 seasons). After her husband, Chicago's state's attorney, is jailed in a sex and corruption scandal, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) returns to law after 13 years. Network TV with prestige-level writing, and a Season 5 that is among the best of the era. Its spin-off, The Good Fight, follows Diane Lockhart.
Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015-2022, 6 seasons). Jimmy McGill wants to be a respectable lawyer like his brother Chuck. He becomes Saul Goodman instead. Slow, precise and devastating.
Glossy and fun
Suits (USA Network, 2011-2019, 9 seasons). Hotshot closer Harvey Specter hires Mike Ross, a college dropout with a photographic memory and no law degree. Sharp suits, sharper insults. Meghan Markle co-starred for seven seasons.
Boston Legal (ABC, 2004-2008, 5 seasons). A spin-off of The Practice, with James Spader's Alan Shore and William Shatner's Denny Crane closing each episode with a drink on the balcony. Funny, political and odd.
Thrillers
Damages (FX, then DirecTV, 2007-2012, 5 seasons). Rose Byrne plays a young lawyer under Glenn Close's terrifying Patty Hewes. Each season is one big case told through flash-forwards. Close won two Emmys.
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, 2014-2020, 6 seasons). Viola Davis as law professor Annalise Keating, whose students get caught up in a murder. Twisty and melodramatic; Davis won an Emmy for the role.
Classic case-of-the-week
Law & Order (NBC, 1990-2010, revived 2022). The first half of each episode follows detectives, the second half prosecutors. Endlessly rewatchable, with hundreds of standalone episodes.
The Practice (ABC, 1997-2004, 8 seasons). David E. Kelley's drama about a small defence firm forced to represent people it suspects are guilty. Grittier than most legal TV of its time.
Our verdict
Start with The Good Wife Season 1. If you want something lighter, Suits; darker, Damages.
Frequently asked questions
Is Suits worth watching? Yes, as glossy, fast-talking entertainment. It found a huge new audience on Netflix in 2023. Don't expect realistic law.
What should I watch after The Good Wife? Its spin-off, The Good Fight (Paramount+, 2017-2022), follows Diane Lockhart and is sharper and more political.
Want a drama for tonight?
Our series quiz can match one to your mood, with season counts for each pick.