Fall TV’s Best Legal Dramas

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate but equally important groups: The police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. The crime and legal TV genres go hand-in-hand (sometimes in the same show, like every iteration of Law & Order), but we’re going to focus on the latter.

The TV courtroom drama has a storied history beginning with Perry Mason in the ’50s and featuring plenty of other landmark series (Matlock, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, The Practice, JAG, and many, many more). Please join us in a moment of silence for the end of Suits, a.k.a. the most fun and frothy legal drama around for the past nine seasons.

The fall brings the debut of a handful of new additions to the genre, including NBC’s Bluff City Law, about a father-daughter legal team, and CBS’ All Rise, about the goings-on at a Los Angeles courthouse, plus the return of some more established legal-themed shows, like the historic 21st season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the final season of ABC’s mystery How to Get Away With Murder).

Check out the list below of the best legal dramas hitting the small screen this fall.

All Rise: Season 1 (2019)
56%

#7

Adjusted Score: 56.421%

Critics Consensus: While All Rise can't quite rise above the shows it aspires to be, it shows potential for future growth while providing a decent showcase for Simone Missick.

Synopsis: A courthouse drama following the judges, district attorneys and public defenders contending with a flawed justice system in L.A.... [More]

Starring: Simone Missick, J. Alex Brinson, Jessica Camacho, Lindsay Mendez

Bluff City Law: Season 1 (2019)
36%

#6

Adjusted Score: 36.244%

Critics Consensus: Though Bluff City Law's procedural proceedings often feel outdated, fans of Jimmy Smits and Caitlin McGee may find comfort in its familiar beats.

Synopsis: Despite a tumultuous past, Sydney Strait joins her father's law firm to fight for the greater good. After years of... [More]

Starring: Jimmy Smits, Caitlin McGee, MaameYaa Boafo, Barry Sloane

Bull: Season 4 (2019)

#5

Adjusted Score: -0.089%

Synopsis: A renowned psychologist heads a prolific trial consulting service in this drama series based on the early career of Dr.... [More]

Starring: Michael Weatherly, Freddy Rodriguez, Geneva Carr, Jaime Lee Kirchner

Goliath: Season 3 (2019)
80%

#4

Adjusted Score: 35.534%

Synopsis: This season, the unexpected death of an old friend leads Billy McBride (Thornton) to take a case in the drought-stricken... [More]

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt, Olivia Thirlby, Maria Bello

How to Get Away With Murder: Season 6 (2019)
80%

#3

Adjusted Score: 35.534%

Synopsis: A law professor and a group of her best students are drawn into a real-life murder conspiracy.... [More]

Starring: Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 21 (2020)
80%

#2

Adjusted Score: 33.869%

Synopsis: Lieutenant Olivia Benson leads a team that finds justice for victims of the city's worst crimes. NYPD Detectives Odafin Tutuola,... [More]

Starring: Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino

Unbelievable: Season 1 (2019)
98%

#1

Adjusted Score: 104.285%

Critics Consensus: Heartbreaking and powerful, Unbelievable transcends familiar true-crime beats by shifting its gaze to survivors of abuse, telling their stories with grace and gravity.

Synopsis: After a teen reports being raped, then recants her story, two female detectives follow evidence that could reveal the truth.... [More]

Starring: Toni Collette, Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever, Blake Ellis

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