A Recap of the Best Television Lawyers to Grace the Small Screen, 1999 - 2009

Perry Mason, the iconic defense attorney, was one of the earliest television lawyers and probably one of the most successful, but he was not nearly as developed a character as today's small screen legal eagles.

Contemporary television lawyers are surely as sharp-witted in the courtroom as the Erle Stanley Gardner character, but we are privy to much more of their personal lives than we were ever allowed to see in Raymond Burr's portrayal.

This new breed of men and women, who somehow got through law school and passed the bar despite neurotic, quirky, cynical, emotionally damaged, or even immoral or unethical personality traits, may not be perfect role models, but they have the legal prowess we would surely look for in an attorney should we find ourselves in a serious legal predicament.

Here is my list of the Top Ten Television Lawyers from the past decade. Some are prosecutors, some are defense counsel, a few have done both. They include my personal favorites from cable and network shows that have aired in the United States at some point during the period of 1999 - 2009.

#10 Denny Crane
William Shatner
Boston Legal
2004 - 2008
CBS

I know Crane's 6,043 to 0 courtroom record should put him higher on this list than #10, I've just never warmed up to the character as much as I would like to - perhaps due to his exasperating bouts of senility and his egotistical assignments of blame. A man who admitted to euthanizing his demented father, I wonder if he would advocate the same treatment for himself should he slip further. Still, many of his friends and colleagues are immensely loyal and protective of the eccentric barrister, and, despite years in the judicial system, Crane is still a staunch patriot. Two desirable traits for any character.

#9 Sebastian Stark
James Woods
Shark
2006 - 2008
CBS

An affluent lawyer in a big city law firm, Stark gives it all up to work for the district attorney's office after he successfully defends a client against assault charges and the client then kills his wife. The case may have struck a moral chord, but don't think this legal shark has changed all his ways. Now, he often finds himself prosecuting the famed and privileged that he used to defend, using many of the same cutthroat tactics he once used on their behalf. As head of the Los Angeles D.A.'s High Profile Crime Unit, Stark assembles his own team of young, and inexperienced, lawyers, who quickly pick up his aggressive style.

#8 Kevin Hill
Taye Diggs
Kevin Hill
2004 - 2005
UPN

This modern-day bachelor father gave us hope that there are still "good guys" out there. When successful attorney (and equally successful man about town) Hill finds himself unexpectedly raising his cousin's 10-month old daughter, he revamps his entire lifestyle to make the situation work. With a no-nonsense gay nanny and a new position at a woman-run boutique law firm (that allows him a much more flexible work schedule than his previous employer), Hill keeps his defensive skills sharp while picking up some domestic skills as well. Kevin Hill, and his viewers, deserved a longer run.

#7 Nick George
Peter Krause
Dirty, Sexy, Money
2007 - 2009
ABC

A mildly successful lawyer and devoted family man, George suddenly finds himself in the middle of the money and mayhem that embodies the Darling family. George's father was the Darling family's personal attorney, who, we soon learn, may have been a bit too personal with some of the clan. When the elder George mysteriously dies in a plane crash, Nick reluctantly accepts the Darling's invitation to fill Dutch George's shoes in the hope that he will be able to discover what really happened to his father. In the beginning I loved Nick as he spurned the advances of former flame Karen Darling and avoided most of the pitfalls that naturally occur when this much money is involved. In the final episodes, George loses his family and becomes too entwined personally with the Darlings for my taste.

#6 Nicholas Fallin
Simon Baker
The Guardian
2001 -2004
CBS

Fallin, a cocky attorney practicing at his father's high-profile law firm, suddenly lands on the other side of the law as the result of a drug addiction. Following a conviction for illegal drug possession, Nick finds himself sentenced to 1500 hours of community service, time he serves at The Legal Services of Pittsburgh. Nick's life is a series of contrasts as he keeps his day job at his father's firm while paying off his debt to society as a champion for the downtrodden. We feel for Fallin as he struggles to forge some sort of decent relationship with his father, we hurt for him as drugs continue to torment him, and we cheer for him as he wins the cases that really matter.

I've either recently become a die-hard Simon Baker fan or he is just adept at picking great parts - perhaps a little of both. Another of Baker's characters, Patrick Jane, made my list of the Top Ten Television Detectives of the Decade.

#5 Alicia Florrick
Julianna Margulies
The Good Wife
2009 - Present
ABC

While I disagree with the show's title, I believe Alicia Florrick is more the Good Lawyer than the Good Wife, I love the show and this character. Alicia, while dealing with a very public humiliation, re-enters the work force like she'd never left. Nabbing an entry-level position at a Chicago law firm, she quickly proves herself up to the challenge of keeping her own life, and that of her children, on track. While her legal skills are still sharp, I'm not equally as fond of her treatment of her mother-in-law. Alicia takes a great deal of advantage of Jackie Florrick, and then makes no bones about her dissatisfaction with some of her behaviors. At times, I feel Alicia is taking things out on Jackie because she's not quite up to being as equally harsh with her husband. Still, even this flaw makes me appreciate her as a "real" character with whom I can relate.

#4 Patty Hewes
Glenn Close
Damages
2007 - Present
FX

Hewes is a woman at the other end of the professional employment spectrum from Florrick, running her own law firm and calling all the shots. Rather than neatly wrapping up a single case in each episode, Hewes deals with a season-long story line that allows for plot, as well as character, development. Hewes is certainly a character. Morality and legality are rarely in her response equation. This ruthless woman has now made it to the top of the food chain, and she is determined to remain there at any cost.

Close won Emmys in 2008 and 2009, and a Golden Globe in 2008 for her portrayal of this highly successful, highly unethical litigator.

#3 Eli Stone
Jonny Lee Miller
Eli Stone
2008 - 2009
ABC

This quirky dramedy about a San Francisco lawyer who sees visions - often associated with George Michael or his music - was one of my absolute favorites of the past few seasons. The visions, ostensibly caused by an inoperable brain aneurysm, direct Stone along paths, and to people, where he might not otherwise have trod. In doing so, he comes closer to finding true meaning in his life and cherishing relationships in new-found ways.

#2 Jack McCoy
Sam Waterston
Law & Order
1994 - Present
NBC

It's hard to imagine any order in Law & Order without Jack McCoy, but there was. He did not join the New York district attorney's office until 1994 (the fifth season of the still-running show). McCoy, the son of an abusive, racist cop, is a brilliant litigator. Still, he has his own brushes with professional misconduct charges and often walks a thin ethical line with his workplace romantic relationships. In recent years, McCoy has become the District Attorney. While he has certainly earned his right to the post, I much prefer him in the courtroom than in the office or on the campaign route.

#1 Cmdr. Harmon Rabb, Jr.
David James Elliott
JAG
1995 - 2005
NBC/CBS

Harmon "Harm" Rabb, a former fighter pilot grounded due to a diagnosis of night blindness, reluctantly traded in his wings for the courtroom. As a member of the Judge Advocate General's Office, Harm could find himself defending or prosecuting Naval and Marine personnel charged with crimes in various locations. From military installations to submarines and aircraft carriers, Rabb, usually with a female partner in tow, set out on a number of adventures that would be unfamiliar territory for most law firm litigators. Harm, however, was right in his element.

In 2000, David James Elliott won the TV Guide Award for Favorite Actor in a Drama.

Background information from:

www.imdb.com
www.wikipedia.org