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Audiences have always loved lawyers. Legal eagles have been among the most enduring and crowd-pleasing characters ever to shine on the small screen.
But what television lawyers do we consider the best of all time? It’s time to make our case. The following seven lawyers have been judged by popular Internet Movie Database and other media sites as, arguably, the best lawyers of all time.
Perry Mason of 'Perry Mason'
Hollywood's first weekly one-hour series filmed for television, "Perry Mason" is one of TV's longest-running and most successful legal series. Star lawyer, Perry Mason, played by Raymond Burr, became synonymous with the role of criminal defense lawyer according to media site MeTV. Without Mason, MeTV asserts that the courtroom drama as we know it may not exist.
Ben Matlock of 'Matlock'
Nominated for a Golden Globe, and a Primetime Emmy Award winner, TV drama, Matlock gave fans nine years of award-winning performances. Star lawyer, Ben Matlock, played by the legendary Andy Griffith, established himself as one of TV’s most pricey criminal defense attorneys, charging $100,000 to take a case, according to IMDb.
Jack McCoy of 'Law & Order'
John James "Jack" McCoy is the star lawyer in the television drama "Law & Order." Created by Michael S. Chernuchin and portrayed by Sam Waterston, his on-screen TV role spanned 16 years from 1994 until 2010. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, appearing in 364 episodes, according to IMDb. On lawyers, Waterston once claimed, “It's more fun to play one than to be one.”
Saul Goodman of 'Breaking Bad'
Saul Goodman rose to fame in TV drama "Breaking Bad" — termed by Forbes magazine as the perfect anti-hero story. Goodman was an attorney to star characters, Walt and Jesse, and defined by being a criminal lawyer, with an emphasis on criminal. His character, played by Bob Odenkirk, performed so well on the "Breaking Bad" series that Saul Goodman went on to have a spin-off series "Better Call Saul."
Alicia Florrick of 'The Good Wife'
The TV drama "The Good Wife" earned two Emmy nominations in the Writing category, with Alicia Florrick as courtroom lead, according to IMDb. But what really landed attorney Alicia Florrick, played by Julianna Margulies, lasting notoriety was the conflicting morality of Florrick's character.
The Guardian put it this way, “In Alicia, we had a protagonist who was that holy grail of primetime female figures – More Than One Thing. She was a lawyer, wife, mother, lover and friend – in the round, all of them, all the time, and it was great. She was good, bad, wrong, right, petty, brave, clever, stupid – she was real. And viewers coped. The writers coped. The cast coped. It was a small-screen miracle not really seen on that scale since the days of 'Cagney and Lacey.'”
Ally McBeal of 'Ally McBeal'
In the five years "Ally McBeal" aired on TV, it was nominated for 115 awards and won 42, including a pair of Golden Globes and an Emmy according to IMDb. Boston-based lawyer, Allison Marie "Ally" McBeal, played by Calista Flockhart, is the central fictional character in the Fox series "Ally McBeal."
The series became a top-20 hit, capturing — at its peak — an average of more than 13 million viewers and making TV history as the first, and only, hour-long program to win the Emmy for best comedy series, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Arnie Becker of 'L.A. Law'
Arnie Becker was a divorce lawyer credited by The New York Times as being the first to show an authentic portrayal of attorneys in and out of the courtroom. The role of Becker, played by Corbin Bernsen, earned the actor multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations over the show's eight-year run. "L.A. Law" had 171 episodes with Becker standing out among the show’s many memorable characters according to IMDb.
And there you have it. Seven of television’s most iconic lawyers to have graced the small screen. Drop the gavel, because this case is closed.
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