The Defenders (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = The Defenders


caption =
format = Legal drama
runtime = 60 min.
creator = Reginald Rose
starring = E.G. Marshall
Robert Reed
Joan Hackett
Polly Rowles
country = United States
executive_producer = Herbert Brodkin
network = CBS
opentheme =
camera =
first_aired = September 16, 1961
last_aired = May 13, 1965
num_episodes = 132
num_seasons = 4
tv_com_id = 225
imdb_id = 0054531
website =

"The Defenders" is an American courtroom drama series which ran on CBS from 1961–1965. It starred E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed as a father-and-son legal team who specialized in defending hopeless cases. It was created by television writer Reginald Rose. It was a slight reworking of his 1957 two-part drama, "The Defender", from the anthology series "Studio One". In the original program, Ralph Bellamy played the father and William Shatner played his son. [imdb title|0394920] Shatner guest-starred as a prosecutor in the later series, and the original drama later was incorporated into an episode of his series, "Boston Legal". Original music for the series was scored by Frank Lewin and Leonard Rosenman.

A re-envisioned version of the series (which many called a sequel) debuted on the Showtime (which is now owned by CBS) network in 1997. Still called The Defenders, it focused on Beau Bridges and Martha Plimpton as the grandchildren of E.G. Marshall's character. They worked as lawyers and carried on the family legacy. However, Marshall died after completion of the Second episode ("Choice Of Evils"). Production was halted and the remaining canned episode, "Taking the First", aired as a movie special in 1998.

References

External links

*imdb title|0054531
*imdb title|0129866|The Defenders: Payback
*imdb title|0120650|The Defenders: Choice of Evils
*imdb title|0164530|The Defenders: Taking the First