Anatomy of the Law Show

After spending the weekend pretending to be a fake lawyer and mocking the legal system, it reminded me of the fake world of television lawyers. There have been everything from pretty legitimate law shows such as Law and Order (and its many children). There have been comic law shows, such as Night Court. Then there have been funny, dramatic, but still actually accurate law shows like Boston Legal (wait, I think Boston Legal is the only one that can fit in that category).


When analyzing a good law/ quasi legal show, one must first identify the accuracy of the stories being presented. Law and Order in its early days had shows of typical homicide type stories. It reminded you of what life is like as a lawyer trying these particular cases. Now, they have outrageous stories that are so unfamiliar to the real world, that you feel like you are viewing into the world of super-law, as opposed to what one would do if they actually veered into that profession. Yes, Law and Order makes shows based on actual legal trials and important headlining stories from around the nation, but it veils the Manhattan District Attorney's office as the most glamorous legal job anyone could have (ummm...).


Most shows are not as "formal" as Law and Order, in that they are not just lawyers sitting around arguing cases. Many create this sexually tense, angered, obviously not real office settings. There is Boston Legal where everyone is having sex with each other, LA Law where everyone is having sex with each other, The Practice where everyone is having sex with each other, oh and Night Court where everyone just hates the fact that they are working at a night court, oh and everyone is having sex with each other. Remember people, sex sells, and when you can't get hot lawyers wearing skimpy clothing, actual sex sells.


Even with new shows such as Raising the Bar, the prosecutors and the public defenders have immense sexual tension between one another. My friend who worked at public defenders office all of this past summer, can account that a public defender would not sleep with a prosecutor, unless very drunk or said prosecutor wore a very short skirt (said friend is not a feminist). Practice settings are essential to create a law melodrama. People don't like constantly watching trials, well the majority of people don't like constantly watching trials (unfortunately I interact with people who do). Television viewers need sex, hate, love, and crazy alcoholics (that is you Denny Crane). Practice settings aren't real or accurate, but they keep me interested in a mundane themed show.


Finally when assessing a good legal show, one must look at the accuracy of the show to real life, regardless of the content, or the interactions amongst, but focus on what the show tells us about law. Law and Order reminds us that good will always come through in the end, meaning that "good" is the prosecution and "bad" is the defense. It makes me think that NBC is trying to brainwash us with "good versus evil" mentalities when it comes to law. This I define as not being accurate. Night Court makes us think that everything that happens in a law is funny, that most cases are stupid, but that life as a lawyer could be fun, not well paid, and something that could fill a 30-minute time spot.


There have been many law shows on television, but really none capture the actual legal reality that Boston Legal does. Yes, most of the time it is over the top, and many times the lawyers act ways in the courtroom that would most likely get them in contempt of court or even disbarred, but the cases presented and the arguments made on the show are as close to accurate that one is going to get in a legal based show. Balancing entertainment with a profession that really isn't entertaining to most of the public is hard. Boston Legal is one of the only shows that can do that while still presenting great legal story lines.