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Emayatzy Corinealdi (Middle of Nowhere, The Invitation) is guilty of givign a great performance in the legal drama Reasonable Doubt, now back for its fourth season on Hulu. She plays Jax Stewart, a former public defender now working at a high-powered LA firm, s a self-righteous do-gooder and deeply messy by turns. Jax is not always the most likable character, and she often feels more strongly about her cases than about her actual clients.
For all the show’s soapy charms (it comes from Scandal writer Raamla Mohamed), that occasional indifference feels real, as does her complicated personal life. If you’re seeking other shows that balance compelling cases with the lawyers’ messy lives out of the courtroom, here are 10 shows to stream next.
Presumed Innocent (2024 – )
This David E. Kelley legal thriller (from the Scott Turow bestseller, previously adapted into a movie with Harrison Ford) spends more time in the courtroom than many of these other dramas, which gives it a distinct flavor. Jake Gyllenhaal is Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor charged with investigating the murder of his colleague. His attempts to steer the inquiry land him in hot water when it’s discovered that he’d been having an affair with the dead woman—and she was pregnant when she was killed. Rusty quickly becomes the prime suspect, his case not at all helped by his previous shady behavior. The show will be returning for a second season with new lead in Rachel Brosnahan and a new story drawn from the novel Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray. Stream Presumed Innocent on Apple TV.
Matlock (2024 – )
A straight reboot of Matlock could’ve been an easy hit for CBS, but the show pulls a fast one right from the jump: the classic series is just a TV show in the world of Kathy Bates’ Maddy Matlock, who just happens to share a name and demeanor with the folksy original—or so we’re made to believe, until a bigger plan and longer game are revealed, and we discover that her cute old lady act is just that. She signs on with driven junior partner Olympia Lawrence (Skye P. Marshall), the two alternating between friend and enemy with some all-time great TV chemistry. Stream Matlock on Paramount+.
All’s Fair (2025 – )
The legal drama is a durable invention in part because it’s so versatile: It can be classy and trashy in equal measure. This one’s from Ryan Murphy, which ought to give you some idea of where it falls on that spectrum. The savagely reviewed divorce-centric legal drama was called the worst show of the year—but some of that feels like an anti-All’s Fair arms race developed among critics to see who could go the hardest: The Telegraph‘s Ed Power said it’s “a crime against television,” The Guardian‘s Lucy Mangan said of it: “I did not know it was still possible to make television this bad.” And yet! Its debut was Hulu’s biggest in three years, and viewers kept streaming it, for camp value or otherwise. Good, bad, or gloriously bad, it became one of the year’s most talked-about shows, with an A-list cast including Niecy Nash-Betts, Brooke Shields, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson, Judith Light, and Glenn Close. Stream All’s Fair on Hulu.
How to Get Away with Murder (2014 – 2020)
Still one of the juiciest of Shonda Rhimes’ unfailingly juicy shows, How to Get Away With Murder won a number of awards during its run, and is as smart as it is sexy. As the title suggests, it deals more exclusively in murder and conspiracy than Reasonable Doubt, but both shows are anchored by talented, driven lead characters with messy personal lives, constantly navigating the compromises and complexities of the legal system. Here, it’s Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, a law professor who, at the show’s outset, inadvertently gets five of her most talented students entangled in a murder plot—and things only get more complicated from there. Stream How to Get Away with Murder on Hulu.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022 – )
A clever and justifiably acclaimed drama, Woo stars Park Eun-bin as an attorney newly hired by a major Seoul law firm. Despite having graduated at the top of her law school class, prejudice made finding work a struggle for the autistic Woo, and much of that follows her into her new workplace. Still, her coworkers (mostly) gradually adapt to her sensory triggers and communication style, made easier by her obvious skill when she’s allowed to be herself. With some throughlines that include an office romance, each episode of the show finds Young-woo assigned to a complex case with ties to broader social issues (spousal abuse, governmental corruption, ableism, etc.). A second season is in production. Stream Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix.
The Good Fight (2017 – 2022)
This spin-off/sequel to The Good Wife puts the spotlight on Christine Baranski (always a smart move) in her role as Diane Lockhart, on the rocks after a financial scandal involving her goddaughter Maia (Rose Leslie) wipes out her savings and gets her fired. In the aftermath, Diane joins her friend Lucca (Cush Jumbo) at a prestigious Black-owned firm specializing in police brutality cases. The liberal firebrand finds herself at sea not only in her career but in Trump-era America, and the show doesn’t shy away from real-life legal and social issues while retaining The Good Wife‘s tasteful bits of soapy drama. Baranski is joined by the likes of Erica Tazel, Mandy Patinkin, John Larroquette, Audra McDonald, Delroy Lindo, and Alan Cumming, and the show ends on a highly satisfying conclusion to Baranski’s 13 years playing Diane. Stream The Good Fight on Paramount+.
Scandal (2012 – 2018)
Shonda Rhimes was already a powerhouse producer and screenwriter with several successful seasons of Grey’s Anatomy under her belt when Scandal debuted, but its blend of political thrills and sexy, soapy drama is what solidified her brand—and her spot atop of the modern TV landscape. Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope, head of the D.C.-based crisis management firm Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA), who is the person to call when you’ve got a PR disaster to fix. If you want to get a sense of the stakes involved, consider that Tony Goldwyn costars as Fitzgerald Grant III, who is both the president of the United States and also Olivia’s lover. This is where Raamla Mohamed, Reasonable Doubt showrunner, cut her teeth as a writer and producer. Stream Scandal on Hulu and Netflix.
Boston Legal (2004 – 2008)
Technically a spin-off of The Practice, this occasionally surreal legal drama from David E. Kelley took on ripped-from-the-headlines type legal cases via the legal minds at the high-end (fictional) law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. James Spader is Alan Shore, a lawyer with good intentions but highly questionable methods, who is allied with eccentric and self-obsessed firm partner Denny Crane (William Shatner), in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease yet determined to maintain a virile image. The friendship between the two, despite their wildly opposing perspectives, buoys the legal drama, as does the presence of co-leads Candice Bergen, René Auberjonois, John Larroquette, and Taraji P. Henson. Stream Boston Legal on Hulu.
The Law According to Lidia Poët (2023 – 2026)
I always like to sneak in a bit of counter-programming, so here’s a legal drama focused on one of the first women lawyers in modern history. A fun and fast-moving crime drama, the show (heavily) dramatizes the live of the real-life Poët, Italy’s first female lawyer—disbarred as the series opens in 1883, because LADY LAWYER?! WHAT? While she fights the ruling, she takes a job at her brother’s law firm where, of course, she’s the real brains of the operation, solving big cases in grand period style (and with a fair bit of sex, as well). Stream The Law According to Lidia Poët on Netflix.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022 – )
What if a lawyer…but out of the back of a car? Have we done that one yet? Gimmick aside, this is a solid legal drama from genre master David E. Kelley, based on a series of novels from the similarly reliable Michael Connelly. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars as Mickey Haller, a recovering addict who inherits the caseload of a murdered colleague. He teams up with Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole) another recovering addict and former client, to help with cases and to enocourage his sobriety. Meanwhile, he’s trying to get joint custody of his daughter with his first ex-wife (Neve Campbell), now a prosecutor, and winds up hiring his second ex-wife (Becki Newton) as a legal aide. You want high-stakes legal drama and messy personal drama? Look no further. Stream The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix.
