Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Cou
Contents:
In each episode, a guest star would commit a rather clever murder, and the dishevelled Columbo would appear at the crime scene with his trademark trench coat, cigar, and clunky automobile. In direct contrast to the highly intelligent and distinguished murder suspect, Columbo gave the impression of being an incompetent, bumbling fool. In the end, Columbo would always discover the truth with his incredible attention to minute details of the evidence, much to the amazement of the arrogant and smug murderer Sabin et al.
Arthur Tragg in the early years , and perhaps Mason's legal nemesis, Los Angeles district attorney Hamilton Burger , until finally Mason's client is charged with murder based on the circumstantial evidence. Retrieved December 19, The public is apt to gain the impression that this is how actual judges conduct themselves. In most cases, they are first-run syndication programs. The Online Archive of California. In direct contrast to the highly intelligent and distinguished murder suspect, Columbo gave the impression of being an incompetent, bumbling fool. Arguably, his character is the most despicable anti-hero in television history, because as a police officer he represented authority and morality.
McCloud, as described earlier, was a cowboy cop, transplanted to New York City, while McMillan and Wife featured actor Rock Hudson as the suave San Francisco Police Commissioner whose homicide investigations were assisted by his beautiful and charming wife, played by Susan Saint James. Of course, these types of programs are not intended to be authentic and are created as mysteries, which provide the audiences with an escape from real world crime and social ills. In contrast, the s also featured police dramas that exposed the changing landscape of crime in America.
During the s, crime rates in large cities soared, which not only increased fear of crime, but also led some residents to flee the cities for the suburbs, leaving only the poorest behind.
The viewing audience was now exposed to violence that permeated the urban environment. In the past, the villains did not threaten the audience, as they often had clear motives for their criminal behavior. They were often violent madmen or urban delinquents with no stake in society. More nefariously, the justice system was portrayed as both ineffective and bureaucratic, with seemingly more rights afforded to criminals than law-abiding citizens.
As such, the crime fighter had to be tougher, more violent, more unyielding, and more obsessed with the capture of criminals, than his television precursor Stark, ; Surette, The success of Kojak led to a surge of police dramas with more dark and violent themes. Toma and Serpico were both based on real life cops and were portrayed as heroic loners who went undercover to fight organized crime and systemic corruption. Several shows in s featured innovative or unusual scenarios.
The majority of these shows were unsuccessful, as they attempted to secure audiences with a gimmick. For instance, some police dramas attempted to parlay the success of Hawaii Five-O , by featuring exotic or unusual locations such as the Caribbean Caribe: ABC, and Alaska Kodiak: Other shows featured lead characters who were atypical of the genre, including African American The Protectors: NBC, —; The Rookies: ABC, — and female characters Police Woman: NBC, —; Amy Prentiss: ABC, —; Dear Detective: As the result of federal legislation, greater numbers of women started entering the field of policing in s and s.
Unfortunately, many of these female officers were assigned specialized duties, such as clerical or vice squad, where they went undercover to pose as prostitutes. Early police programs reflect this reality, as there were very few female police officers on television. One exception was the syndicated television series, Decoy — , which starred Beverly Garland as Casey Jones, a female undercover officer who solved crime.
In the s, female officers became more routine on television shows, appearing in small roles or as extras in programs such as Adam Although, Police Woman was initially a ratings success, other police dramas that featured female leads did not fare as well in the s. A spin-off of Ironside , Amy Prentiss lasted only three episodes before being canceled. The show starred actress Jessica Walters, as a young investigator who became the first female Chief of Detectives for the San Francisco Police Department.
Get Christy Love lasted only one season, but was noteworthy, as it was the first show to feature an African-American female as the lead character. As opposed to unique gender or racial backgrounds of the lead character s , other police dramas focused on pioneering police strategies, such as elite units The Silent Force: ABC, —; Most Wanted: For example, Chase featured four cops who each had special skills, including a dog handler, helicopter pilot, hot-rod car driver, and an expert motorcycle rider.
Similarly, other shows featured new technology, such as helicopters Chopper One: Finally, some shows were simply unusual. A former teen heartthrob was cast as an undercover police officer in David Cassidy: The formula for using unusual scenarios or gimmicks carried over to the s.
At the beginning of the — television season, it appeared that police drama had fizzled to an acrimonious end. Only two popular dramas from the s still appeared on the air, Quincy M. The title character, Quincy, was not even a police officer; actor Jack Klugman played a medical examiner who solved crimes. CHiPS , a very popular series, is better described as a melodrama, with a focus on light drama, corny comedy, and action.
Original TV court show genre (1948–95)
Many of the plots were tacky and often resulted in the lead characters, Ponch and Jon Baker, engaging in a police chase that invariably ended with a spectacular stunt vehicle crash. New series that premiered in left little optimism for an evolution of the genre. In this very short-lived series, Weaver played Detective Sergeant Daniel , a celebrity cop who doubled as a best-selling novelist. Freebie and the Bean CBS, — was the only new police drama to premiere in the fall of the strike impacted — season.
Yet, one police drama forever changed the genre, with an ensemble cast and recurrent storylines. The show debuted on January 15, , receiving rave reviews from critics, but did not immediately capture large audiences until it won a record number of Primetime Emmy awards later in the year. At the time, the show was ground breaking, as it featured an ensemble cast and serialized storylines. In the first season, the show included 13 actors in the main credits, of which 11 were police officers with different ranks.
Court show
In some episodes, there were up to five or six plotlines, interwoven throughout the episode. These plotlines were often serialized, with some appearing from week to week. Conversely, previous police dramas were primarily episodic, in that they presented a different plot with each episode Sabin et al. The show had a documentary feel, with seedy characters living in a poverty-stricken, unnamed, large metropolitan city. The characters were flawed and distinctly human, revealing both emotion and vulnerability. Some of the officers exhibited racist, sexist, and homophobic tendencies.
Some had interpersonal issues, such as alcohol and drug addiction, extramarital affairs, and financial problems. There was a clash between the officers over policing philosophies: Howard Hunter favored the more of a law and order approach, while Sgt. Henry Goldblume preferred social work and community outreach programs. Police morality was blurred in this show, as the viewer was exposed to corruption, brutality, and bureaucracy within the police force.
At the height of the conservative Reagan era, the show attempted to express an alternative liberal explanation of crime, that crime is a consequence of systemic inequality, racism, and poverty. Yet, to its credit, the show inspired a new generation of television dramas and transformed the representation of the television cop Gitlin, ; Lenz, ; Sabin et al. In addition to Hill Street Blues , a number of successful police dramas originated during the decade. Inspired by the feminist movement, the show had been proposed in , but had been turned down by all networks until a television movie appeared in In spite of the changes, the second season featuring Gless and Daly was a ratings disaster, and the series was cancelled.
Fans of the show started a letter writing campaign, and the show eventually returned as a mid-season replacement during the third season, in which it finally cracked the top 30 in the Nielsen ratings. The detectives not only solved crime, they dealt with male chauvinism and the difficulty of maintaining a work-life balance. Currently, female cops are plentiful on police dramas, in leading and supporting roles. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these dramas ignore the reality of sexism that is imbedded in the field of policing Rabe-Hemp, The character was clearly inspired by the popularity of the Dirty Harry franchise.
Miami Vice is, arguably, the television show that best reflected s. In a similar vein, 21 Jump Street was the first major hit for the newly minted Fox network and launched the career of Johnny Depp. The show featured young undercover cops who could pass as teenagers and infiltrate high schools. The s introduced at least 51 new police dramas but most achieved little success.
Related Video Shorts (0)
Chesbro played lead guitar in a rock band and went undercover to infiltrate a tough biker gang. ABC, —; Due South: CBS, —; Martial Law: CBS, — , sex Silk Stalkings: FOX, — , and even action that revolved around a bike patrol on a beach Pacific Blue: Without a doubt, any discussion of the police drama in s can only begin with an examination of Law and Order NBC, — , N. Blue ABC, — , and Homicide: Episodes follow a similar structure, the police investigate a crime, make an arrest, followed by a trial in which the prosecution attempts to secure a conviction.
The police who investigate crime and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders. Like Hill Street Blues , the show features an ensemble cast, but unlike Hill Street Blues , the show rarely delves into the private lives of the characters nor does it explore the broad social conditions that contribute to criminal behavior. In fact, many of the plots are borrowed from notorious real life cases and, true to actual cases, sometimes the defense wins, as either the cops do not have enough evidence to warrant a conviction or the wrong suspect is arrested.
As such, this makes for interesting television, as the viewing audience cannot predict the outcome of the cases. The show does not break new ground, as it was based on a concept first developed in the s series Arrest and Trial. However, the popularity of the show has been unmatched, at it spawned several spin-offs, which included: It featured characters who were deeply flawed and isolated from mainstream society. The police officers on the show had tortured private lives, plagued with such difficulties as alcoholism, strained inter-personal relationships, single-parenthood, suicide, and health-related issues.
Their professional lives were also scrutinized, as they investigated a variety of criminals and crimes, which sometimes led to a blurring of the lines between right and wrong. Initially, the show was heavily criticized for its use of mild profanity and nudity, which at that time was unseen on network television Lenz, ; Sabin et al.
A Year on the Killing Streets Boston: Houghton Mifflin , which was published in The intent of the show was to furnish a blunt and uncompromising view of inner-city detectives in Baltimore. Unlike the glitzy and flashy detectives who permeated television and glorified homicide investigations, this show offered a depressing, yet authentic view of police work. The show intertwined several homicides into single episodes, which portrayed murder investigations as rather routine, tedious, and monotonous. Cynicism abounding, it appeared that clearance rates were more important than achieving actual justice Sabin et al.
In some episodes, the mystery was not solved, and justice was never achieved. Despite an intense interrogation of an elderly suspect, the case remained an open investigation never to be solved. The show earned the respect of critics, who enjoyed the gritty realism and serialized plot lines. However, the ratings were low, and for the most part, viewers avoided the show. At the start of the millennium, the police drama had been firmly entrenched in the television landscape.
Since the year , there have been over police dramas produced, with several achieving both ratings success and longevity. Some of the more popular dramas featured lead characters who consult the police to solve crimes, such as a former-psychic The Mentalist: CBS, — and a best-selling mystery novelist Castl e: Others involved specialized units that search for missing persons Without a Trace: CBS, — , solve unsolved older cases Cold Case: CBS, — , and focus on an interrogation expert The Closer: The show has resulted into two spin-offs, NCIS: Reagan has three children who work within the system, his two sons work in the police department as a detective and a patrol officer, while his daughter is an assistant district attorney.
The signature of the series is the Sunday dinner scene, in which the family will discuss difficult issues around morality, policing, and life. Unquestionably, the biggest development within the genre was the emergence of CSI, which premiered on October 6, Crime Scene Investigation CBS, — started a wave of shows that focused on crime science and technology. Employing advanced scientific techniques to analyze crime scenes, his team of experts used physical evidence to solve violent murders. The show was heavily criticized by parent groups because of its depiction of graphic violence, images, and sexual content Sabin et al.
The show has also been criticized for its lack of realism in the depiction of police procedure. The characters process crime scenes, interrogate suspects, interview witnesses, conduct raids, participate in suspect pursuits and arrests, and eventually solve the crime. Of course, real life forensic technicians do not conduct investigations, as it would be too time-consuming and more importantly, it would be unethical to engage in the investigation, especially the testing of evidence, as it would jeopardize the impartiality and neutrality of the case.
Also, some critics allege a so-called CSI effect, in which people have misguided beliefs and expectations about forensic science. For example, some investigators lament that victims and their families expect instantaneous DNA analysis and forensic analysis, which is not possible. Similarly, some prosecutors complain that jurors demand more forensic evidence, which inhibits their ability to successfully win convictions.
Despite the criticisms of the show, it was an instant success amongst audiences, ranking in the top ten of the Nielsen ratings in its first 11 seasons. The success of the show led to three spin-offs, comic books, video games, novels, and even a travelling museum called CSI: The spin-offs included the equally violent and stylish CSI: More importantly, the show spawned a new genre of police drama, involving crimes solved with scientific methods.
In a premise similar to Quincy M. Although, Cavanaugh was not a police officer, she worked closely with detectives in solving crimes. Likewise, Bones — partners a forensic anthropologist, Dr. The series featured a team of experts who use criminal profiling to capture a myriad of killers, mostly serial. Criminal profiling is pseudo-science with little empirical validity. In fact, most forensic psychologists would argue that profiling is more theoretical than scientific.
Criminal Minds has also been criticized for its graphic portrayal of gore and violence. Crime programs such as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad , and Dexter , featured on premium cable networks, set a new standard, which traditional television network programs have had a difficult time meeting. These programs feature exceptional writing, fascinating characters, and high production values. Depictions of violence are more explicit and the dialogue more authentic. There are no commercial breaks to interrupt the story, and characters are even allowed to swear. Subscription-based cable networks altered the television experience of viewers and ushered in a new age of television.
A number of exceptional police dramas have appeared on subscription-cable television networks, such as Justified FX Network, — , Fargo FX Network, — , and True Detective —. However, in terms of socio-cultural influence and importance, The Shield and The Wire might very well be the most groundbreaking police dramas in television history. Chiklis was a curious choice for the role, as he was best known for playing the lovable police commissioner, Tony Scali, in the light-hearted police drama, The Commish ABC, — Yet Chiklis brought the Mackey character to life with vivid brutality, charisma, narcissism, and selfishness.
The show was the first police drama to feature a lead crime fighter as a villain. Although he was more than just a villain; his character was more complex and multi-faceted than a typical television villain. Mackey, of The Shield , truly believed that his immoral actions were a means to an end. He routinely beat suspects, stole from drug dealers, engaged in blackmail, and even killed. In a classic scene, during an interrogation, he beat and tortured a suspected pedophile with phone book to gain a confession, which ended up saving a young girls life.
Arguably, his character is the most despicable anti-hero in television history, because as a police officer he represented authority and morality. The show featured an ensemble cast and a serialized format, in which various social problems and institutions were examined. The show was applauded for its authentic portrayal of urban life and the inner workings of police bureaucracy. The police struggled to make cases, as they had difficulty navigating police bureaucracy, politics, and egos.
The criminal justice system was presented as a complex, yet imperfect system, with clear linkages to social institutions and individuals. The Wire is arguably the most critically acclaimed show in television history and has been favorably compared to great literature such as the works of Dickens and Dostoevsky. Yet the show received dismal ratings, achieving only four million viewers per episode. Fortunately, the show was produced by HBO, which is not beholden to advertisers or preoccupied with huge prime-time ratings.
Nevertheless, prior to the fourth season, the show narrowly escaped cancellation after Simon pitched the upcoming storylines to an HBO executive. This was most fortunate, as The Wire was a pioneering program unlike any program ever produced for the small screen. Its central character was not a police officer, lawyer, or criminal, but a city portrayed through the stories and experiences of dozens of complex characters.
Each season intertwined a police investigation, involving high-tech surveillance and wires, with the focus on a different facet of the city, including the drug-addled housing projects, disintegrating port system, decaying public schools, corrupt political administration, and the declining newspaper industry. One of the strengths of the show was its authenticity, as some of the plots were loosely based on real stories and events. The creators of the show had life experience within the city.
David Simon had worked as a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun , while Ed Burns, a former cop, had worked in the Baltimore homicide division. The show was intentionally dark, complex, and hard to watch. Like a good novel, the plots were purposefully slow moving, but viewers who stuck with the show were rewarded with pure brilliance Sabin et al.
This article has attempted to provide a historical overview of the police drama as produced on television in the United States. It is clear that the genre has changed immeasurably over the last 70 years. The characters have become more complex and diverse, the violence more explicit and grisly, the special effects more realistic and visually stunning, and the cinematography and sound effects more spectacular. Yet, despite all the changes, some elements of the police drama have remained the same. Viewers still enjoy mysteries, action, and bravery. They feel sympathy for victims, crave justice, root for heroes, and despise villains.
The police drama still relies on music to provide ambiance, and catch phrases continue to help define the characters. Most importantly, the police drama continues to captivate audiences and as such, remains a staple of television programming. Jane Tennison and policing in Prime Suspect. University of Illinois Press Find this resource: As seen through The Wire.
Changing images of law in film and television crime stories. The contemporary American television police drama. The politics of police 4th ed. A critical history of police dramas on television. Perry Mason meets Sonny Crockett: The history of lawyers and the police as television heroes. University of Miami Law Review , 42 , — Find this resource: Police power and cultural narrative in twentieth-century America.
University of Chicago Press. Time Magazine , 47— All hits are flukes: Institutionalized decision making and the rhetoric of network prime-time program development. American Journal of Sociology , 99 , — Using The Wire to contemplate urban crime and criminal justice. The complete directory to prime time network and cable TV shows: New Review of Film and Television Studies , 11 , — CSI and moral authority: The police and science. Crime, Media, Culture , 3 1 , 67— In the mids, the Hauptmann trial sparked an upsurge of fascination with dramatized court shows wherein trials and hearings were acted out.
As radio fans were denied the vicarious thrill of eavesdropping on the actual courtroom trials, many turned to this venue of entertainment. In these programs, testimonies were limited to the most captivating, explosive portions of the original case. Though there was risk of libel and slander suits in producing court case recreations, this threat was commonly sidestepped by taking from trials of the distant past, with the original participants dead.
As television began to transcend radio, the previous era of radio broadcast court programming had waned. By , court programming had begun to relocate and appear on television for the first time, and thus, the television court show genre was born.
- Ken Dowler.
- The Other Garden and Collected Stories.
- The Infinite River?
- Product details.
- Turk Boru Siber Tim.
In its early stages, television court shows largely followed the same "dramatized" format as radio court shows, though with the new element of physical- and visual-based entertainment. The vast majority of these court shows were depicted in black-and-white. In the same way as some films are based on true stories , featured cases on courtroom dramas are based on real-life cases.
On the other hand, some are altogether made up, though often drawing on details from actual cases. To recreate cases and make them up, staff members working for the court shows would research the country's court cases. From the cases they felt would make for captivating television, they derived ideas or simply cases to recreate. Typically, the role of judge on these programs was played by a law school professor, an actor, or a retired judge.
The roles of litigants, bailiffs, court reporters, and announcers were always performed by actors and actresses. While some of these court shows were scripted and required precise memorization, others were outlined and merely required ad-libbing. In outlined cases, actor-litigants and -witnesses were instructed to never get too far off the angle of the case.
While the introduction of this technique dates back to the late s, the departure of its popular use occurred in the early s. The technique scarcely existed for a great deal of time, that is, up until Entertainment Studios recently reintroduced the methodology, airing three staged court shows as of the —13 television season: Each of these series uses a filming style and format more closely resembling arbitration-based court shows than the filmed dramas seen in early television.
A standard disclaimer in tiny print is shown at the end of each of these programs. Entertainment Studios has been criticized for use of the technique. The following court shows all follow a basic setup that represents the most widely used technique from the original era of judicial programming. This setup is that of a mock trial which saw dramatized court case proceedings being heard and eventually ruled upon by an actor-judge or actors-jury.
Roles were made up of plaintiffs, defendants, and judges; and frequently lawyers, juries, and witnesses. Unlike the present-day where the norm is the handling civil trials, most of the court shows in this era were criminal trials. The main setting was the courtroom; however, performance and drama had been known to leave the courtroom sporadically for short periods so as to add a story-like quality and fill out the plotline.
Some of the shows had thematic cases, such as traffic-themed Traffic Court , divorce-themed Divorce Court , etc. Far more realistic than their dramatized predecessors , arbitration-based reality versions do not use actors, scripts, or recreations. Rather, they feature litigants who have legitimately been served and filed lawsuits , presenting their cases to an adjudicator.
Behavior and commentary from all participants involved is self-directed as opposed to script-directed. As such, these types of court shows fall into a subcategory of reality television. It is for these reasons that many of these particular programs make clear claims to authenticity, as text and voiceovers remind viewers that the cases, litigants, and outcomes are "real. Despite possessing certain real-life elements, however, arbitration-based reality court shows are less credible than "unaffected" reality court programs, which draw on footage from actual courtrooms holding legal proceedings to capture the legal system as naturally as possible e.
The "judges" in arbitration-based court programs are not actual judges, but rather arbitrators or adjudicators. The setting in these types of court shows is not a legitimate court of law, but rather a studio set designed to look like a courtroom. Moreover, they have the power to act by their own standards and enforce their own rules and regulations. This power is reinforced through agreements signed by the parties prior to the case proceedings.
Once waivers have been signed, arbitrators gain jurisdiction over the litigants, and thus these litigants are bound by the rules and regulations set by the arbitrator. One study noted, "In exchange for streamlining the process and likely sacrificing some legal rights , litigants surrender their fates to the media apparatus and experience a justice system ruled by the conventions of television drama and personality of the presiding television judge.
Arbitration-based reality shows guarantee monetary relief if the judgement is won. The show pays the judgment from a fund reserved for each case, paid for by the show's advertising and syndication revenue; the defendant is also compensated a lesser amount for the appearance. Getting the defendant to pay his or her judgment can be taxing and courts typically do not get involved, which means it is left up to the victors to collect.
During its first —93 life, The People's Court with Joseph Wapner existed as a nontraditional court show, featuring real-life arbitrations in an era of dramatized court programming. It is the first "arbitration-based reality" court show to air, beginning in In addition, it is the first popular, long-running "reality" court show. Prior to the arrival of The People's Court , real life elements were next to nonexistent on court shows, with the exception of a few short-lived nontraditional court shows ; these precedent reality court shows, however, were only loosely related to judicial proceedings, except for one: Parole , which took footage from real-life courtrooms holding legal proceedings.
Since the advent of arbitration-based reality court shows by The People's Court , numerous other duplicate courtroom programs have been produced. Its revolutionizing impact, however, was not immediate. This was the only arbitration-based reality court show airing during this time and short-lived in its existence. The two other court shows in production during this time were nontraditional programs Kids' Court —94 and Judge for Yourself — In , a 3rd arbitration-based reality court show emerged, Judge Judy. In fact, due to the popularity of Sheindlin's court show, dramatized court shows became next to nonexistent.
Among the influx of other reality court shows included the resurrections of the previously cancelled and defunct People's Court and Divorce Court adopting the arbitration-based reality format of its counterparts. Following after Judge Judy , most court shows began using personal show titles consisting of the judge's name, and the popularity of impersonal titles dwindled considerably. Judge Judy has remained the highest rated court show since its debut.
It has been the highest rated show in all of daytime television programming since —10 television season. Justice David Sills noted in one opinion that "daytime television in the early 21st century has been full of 'judge shows,' where ordinary people bring a dispute for decision before a celebrity jurist. Divorce Court is the only show in the genre to have utilized both popular formats "dramatized" and "arbitration reality" during their heyday. Moreover, of all the shows in the modern judicial genre, Divorce Court is the oldest. It has also had the most seasons in the entire genre.
The series has had three lives in syndication, from to dramatized ; from to dramatized ; and currently since arbitration-based reality. Altogether, as of the —14 season, the court show has had a grand total of 34 seasons. In second place is The People's Court with 29 seasons and two lives as of the —14 season. With no suspensions in its production history, Judge Judy has had the longest lasting individual life of any reality court show. The program entered its 18th season on September 9, The following court shows all follow a basic setup that represents the most widely used approach in the present-day judicial genre.
Beyond the use of arbitration, other key elements include a simulated courtroom as the main setting in these programs in some of these court shows, an area just outside the courtroom is regularly used to tape litigant feedback after their case , and one to four hearings typically take up the entirety of the program. The court cases that are captured all operate in the form of small claims court. For example, only small-scale civil matters are heard and ruled on, such as back rent, unpaid personal loans or wages, minor property damage, minor consumer complaints, etc.
As another example of the small claims format, relief that is sought is money or recovery of personal property.