Thursday Movie Picks: Television Edition: Legal Dramas


It's the last Thursday of the month so it's time for another TV shows themed Thursday Movie Picks. If you (still) don't know what Thursday Movie Picks is, it is a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves with very simple rules: pick three to five film or TV shows that fit the week's theme.

This week's topic is TV legal dramas, easily my favourite kind of shows, and without further ado here are my picks

Eli Stone (2008-2009)
It's about a lawyer who beings to see things, like people dancing and singing in courtrooms. Turns out he has a brain aneurysm that makes him accept cases of moral goodness over money. It's kind of a legal musical drama and I really loved it. 

How to Get Away With Murder (2014- )
It follows a group of law student and their brilliant criminal defence professor as they become involved in a murder. It got a little too unrealistic over the seasons but I still love watching it. 

Law & Order (1990-2010)
It's the original series, the one following both the police investigation and the following prosecution in court. I watched this all the time when I was a kid, sometimes I skipped the police part but never missed the legal part. It was so intriguing and the reason why I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a kid. That was my dream job. Yep, I was a weird kid. 

16 comments :

  1. I love How to get away with a murder..

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    1. Who doesn't though right? It's such a great show!

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  2. I watched Law & Order all the time and I really enjoyed the show especially when Jerry Orbach was on the show. I haven't watched the other 2 and I know I am in the minority with How To Get Away With Murder. I think most people have watched this show

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    1. I loved Jerry Orbach too. He was one of my favorites. Him and Sam Waterston. I also liked Elisabeth Röhm. Don't worry, there's plenty of people who don't watch How to Get Away with Murder. I'm the only one watching it in my family.

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  3. I really need to watch HTGAWM. Maybe after I finish Mad Men lol

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  4. I LOVED Eli Stone!!!! Both Jonny Lee Miller and Loretta Devine as his secretary could not have been more perfect. Like Pushing Daisies I think it was a bit too unique for mass popularity but that didn't make it any less special.

    I watched How to Get Away with Murder for Viola Davis and she was much better than the show. After the first season I never picked the habit of watching it back up.

    While I didn't make a point to watch Law & Order every week I was a semi regular viewer and always enjoyed it. I was a fan of L&O SVU as well.

    Since the number of shows about lawyers is nearly limitless I did a small theme within the theme. We’re L.A. bound!

    Perry Mason (1957-1966)-Criminal attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr-in the role that took him from villain to hero) aided by his loyal, intuitive secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) and investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper-son of famous gossip columnist Hedda) manages to save his client week after week with a last minute moment of revelation. Loaded with familiar faces including future stars like Robert Redford, Dick Clark, and in a guest shot when Burr was ill-Bette Davis. Based on the Erle Stanley Gardner series of novels.

    The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969-1972)-Venerated Los Angeles attorney Walter Nichols (Burl Ives) takes brother lawyers Brian & Neil Darrell (Joseph Campanella and James Farentino) into his firm and mentors them through their cases and lives. Part of an alternating series of dramas all under the umbrella title (The New Doctors, The Protectors, The Senator were the others) shown on rotating weeks. Again loaded with rising stars, Ellen Burstyn (just before The Exorcist), Martin Sheen, Richard Dreyfuss and Jack Klugman among others as guests.

    L.A. Law (1986-1994)-The trials and tribulations of the members of Los Angeles-based law firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak was a monster hit in its day. While it was highly glamourized rather than using the trials as a sort of mystery to be solved the series approach was more of one focusing on the nuts and bolts of the legal profession (torts, ethics, briefs etc.) at least in its initial seasons. It did however spend a great deal of time in the bedroom and actually created a huge buzz with a supposed sexual position called The Venus Butterfly that never failed to satisfy.

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    1. Yay more love for Eli Stone! I watched L&O SVU sometimes and I liked it and I did see some scenes here and there from Perry Mason. Never heard of the other two.

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  5. The show Eli Stone sounded familiar to me and I had to google it - I have seen that show, and I remember enjoying it though I don't remember anything about it. I'm going to try and rewatch the show. I stopped watching How To Get Away With Murder after season 3, but I loved the show and would always look forward for it. The wait between the midseason finales was torture.

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    1. You're so right about that! There aren't many shows able to keep me hooked like that though

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  6. Aw, I liked Eli Stone! I remember being disappointed that it got canceled so early.

    HTGAWM has gotten beyond ridiculous, and those kids are SO STUPID, but Viola keeps it watchable.

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    1. You're so right about HTGAWM but I still love watching it. And Viola is the main reason.

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  7. We match on How to Get Away with Murder. Great choice, if I do say so myself. I also love Law & Order. I almost picked the SVU version, myself.

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    1. I watched a few episodes of SVU and I liked them. The original one will always be my favourite no matter what though.

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  8. For some reason I thought Eli-Stone ran for more than one season.

    How to Get Away With Murder - Do not like it. Just too over the top for me.

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