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5 Legal TV Shows to Binge-Watch This Summer

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. on May 27, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Don't let anybody tell you that summer isn't the perfect time to binge-watch television shows.

Why drive all the way to the beach to just sit and roast in the sun all day, when you can bask in the warm glow of some of television's finest legal series from the comfort of your own couch? There are a ton of different ways to get hurt during the summer, but watching too many awesome TV shows isn't one of them.

Here are five legal-themed TV shows you can, and should, binge-watch this summer.

  1. 'Night Court.' "Night Court" had an almost-200 episode run from the mid '80s to the early '90s, and you'd still be hard-pressed to find a bad episode. The show was set in a Manhattan courtroom during the night shift. And though the show is now off the air, you can still visit the real life New York City night court, but be forewarned: it's nowhere near as funny as the show.<
  2. 'Judge Judy.' Not only is "Judge Judy" a show about legal proceedings, but each episode is actually a real legal proceeding of sorts. Judge Judy was once a judge in New York, but is technically now an an arbitrator. However, her rulings on the cases she hears on her show are final and binding.
  3. 'The Good Wife.' "The Good Wife" is (duh!) a good show. It stars Julianna Margulies as a former lawyer forced back to work after her husband is sent to jail. It just wrapped up its fifth season, and Celebrity Justice covered every single episode!
  4. 'Ally McBeal.' Known for introducing most of the world to what might have been the first internet meme, the "dancing baby," "Ally McBeal" was also a darn good legal drama. The show's namesake character Ally McBeal, as played by actress Calista Flockhart, was also the top-ranked woman lawyer on The ABA Journal's 2010 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers list.
  5. 'Law & Order.' No matter how many different versions of this show they make -- "Law & Order Special Victims Unit," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," "Law & Order: LA" -- as soon as you hear this sound, you know your next 45 minutes is occupied.

Between these five shows, you should have summer just about covered. Just remember: stand up every once in awhile. You don't want to get deep vein thrombosis.

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