A father and son lawyer duo take a variety of cases that often deal with the important issues of the day.
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Title: The Defenders (1961–1965)
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Cast
| Complete series cast summary: | |||
| E.G. Marshall | ... | Lawrence Preston 132 episodes, 1961-1965 | |
| Robert Reed | ... | Kenneth Preston 132 episodes, 1961-1965 | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Recent law school graduate (Robert Reed) joins his father (E.G. Marshall) as the pair tackle challenging legal cases, often involving issues which were highly touchy for the times (abortion, euthanasia, "un-American" activities, movie censorship). In most the freshly minted lawyer has much to learn from his father's extensive legal experience. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords:
lawyer | law | legal drama | father son relationship | father son partnership |Taglines:
Tense drama in and out of court in the noted series with E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed.Parents Guide:
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Trivia
More than half of the actors who played jurors in 12 Angry Men (1957) have roles in the show. In addition to E.G. Marshall, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, and Robert Webber appeared in multiple episodes, often as District Attorneys or judges. Furthermore, Ossie Davis appeared in eight episodes as District Attorney Daniel Jackson. Davis played a juror in 12 Angry Men (1997). Series Creator Reginald Rose was nominated for an Oscar for writing 12 Angry Men (1957). See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Release Date:
16 September 1961 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Defenders See more »Company Credits
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"The Defenders" realistically portrayed issues of the day, often in a court room setting. They produced the show in New York City with, if memory serves, location exteriors. The court room scenes were well written and directed, usually the high point of each program.
At its best, the acting could be very good indeed. E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed worked well together as father and son attorneys. Their roles in this series provided them with career high points. The guest stars added further strength to the show.
As a teenager then, I thought it was a cutting edge show. It would probably be dated if viewed today, since it was filmed mostly in black and white (though the last season might have been color), and production values were different then. One of the best shows of its era, it should be released on DVD, but probably won't be because of onerous residuals obligations.