12 Best Legal Dramas To Watch If You Like Suits

One of the most popular legal dramas of recent years is "Suits," which chronicles the exploits of a prestigious law firm in New York City. Premiering in 2011 on the USA Network, the series ran for more than 130 episodes across nine seasons. After becoming available on streaming platforms, particularly Netflix, "Suits" broke all-time streaming records as a testament to its appeal and staying power. And though the show's spin-off, "Suits LA," may have only lasted a single season, there are plenty of other legal dramas around to keep fans entertained.

Below, we've listed 12 of the best shows in the legal drama genre to watch if you like "Suits" and want to keep the courtroom stakes going. From shows told through the perspectives of the attorneys, to series that involve the judges presiding over different cases, there's just something about well-read professionals ready to strut their stuff in a courtroom setting that thrills us. Read on for our picks, then drop yours in the comments!

One of the shows that gave legal dramas a modern resurgence in America outside of a strictly criminal justice premise is "The Practice." Premiering in 1997, the ABC show focuses on Boston-based law firm Robert Donnell and Associates, run by Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott). Though Donnell and his team are very good at what they do in the courtroom, Donnell is haunted by the moral implications of his work. The firm's exploits are juxtaposed with their messy personal lives as the lines between work and life outside of it blur steadily.

"The Practice" brings the moral complexity and nuance back to the genre in ways that "L.A. Law" and "Ally McBeal" downplayed. Though Donnell is an exceptional lawyer, his personal life is in shambles in the earlier seasons of the show. The template for "Suits" can be found here, with all the legal workplace rivalries and interpersonal drama to be had. "The Practice" also went on to cross over with other shows of its era, including "Ally McBeal," before launching a spin-off of its own, "Boston Legal." Speaking of which...

The final season of "The Practice" introduced attorney Alan Shore (James Spader), an amoral counterpoint to the series' original protagonist Bobby Donnell. On the subsequent spin-off series, "Boston Legal," Shore joins the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, another Boston law practice that handles both criminal and civil cases. Shore continues employing questionable tactics to win his cases while the firm's co-founder and senior partner, Denny Crane (William Shatner), is concerned about his legacy. Despite their obvious differences in outlook, Shore and Crane form a close friendship across the show's five-season run.

If "The Practice" reinforced the emotional stakes in legal dramas, "Boston Legal" found a way to make them fun again without eschewing the consequences. Spader completely reinvigorated his career on television through playing Alan Shore, years before he starred on "The Blacklist." But the real revelation here is Shatner in his best role outside of "Star Trek" as the unhinged Denny Crane. Spader and Shatner's rapport formed the backbone of "Boston Legal," driving the show's critical acclaim and screwball humor.

After her breakout role on the medical drama "ER," actor Julianna Margulies returned to television to star in the 2009 CBS series "The Good Wife." Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, whose husband, Peter (Chris Noth), is a major Chicago attorney convicted after being exposed for corruption and a sex scandal. Alicia decides to resume her own career as a lawyer after a lengthy period as a stay-at-home mother, despite being linked to the controversy in the public eye. Alicia rebuilds her life and career out of her husband's shadow, joining a local law firm in Chicago while still addressing her complicated lingering love for Peter.

Running for seven seasons, "The Good Wife" really is a showcase for Margulies and the supporting ensemble. Even in its later seasons, the show remains a superior drama series, leaning into the moral complexities and complicated personal lives of its characters. Grounding it all is Margulies' commanding performance as Alicia, playing her most thoroughly nuanced role to date.

Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar form an unconventional courtroom duo in the TNT series "Franklin & Bash." The show's titular characters, Jared Franklin (Meyer) and Peter Bash (Gosselaar), are notorious partiers while maintaining their legal careers. This fun-loving partnership is noticed by Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell), who hires them to work for his law firm. As the pair's legal career progresses, they begin to mature marginally, while their uncouth legal strategies pay off.

"Franklin & Bash" gives Gosselaar his most significant television role since he starred on "Saved by the Bell" decades prior. Paired with Meyer, he makes the most of this, in an unabashedly fun twist on legal procedurals. The show also gives Kumail Nanjiani an early supporting comedic role before he left the series to star in HBO's "Silicon Valley." "Franklin & Bash" ran on TNT for four seasons, offering lightweight entertainment that effectively leans into its lead actors' easygoing chemistry.

Billy Bob Thornton is one of the most underrated actors of his generation, whose career has really gotten its second wind on television. Leading this professional rebirth is the 2016 Prime Video series "Goliath," starring Thornton as troubled Los Angeles lawyer Billy McBride. After successfully getting a murder suspect acquitted on a technicality, McBride descends into alcoholism and quits his firm after this client later kills an entire family. McBride reluctantly resumes his legal career, often taking on rich and powerful opponents who avoid consequences by being represented by McBride's old firm.

"Goliath" offers Thornton a starring role that's right in his creative wheelhouse, playing a hard-luck figure out for redemption. Thornton's McBride is ever the underdog, but never one to put too much stake into the odds of coming out victorious. There are also clear parallels to contemporary America, culminating in McBride taking on the opioid industry in the show's final season. A moody human drama that blends legal proceedings with complex atonement, "Goliath" provides Thornton with a fantastic showcase.

The success of "The Good Wife" led to the commission of its Paramount+ spinoff, "The Good Fight," following the previous show's supporting character Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski). After losing her life savings to a financial scam, Diane starts working at a Chicago law firm for a chance at a fresh start. She's joined by her goddaughter and rookie lawyer Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie), whose life was similarly ruined by the scam that affected Diane. Both women are determined to rebuild their lives and professional reputations as they face the intricacies of an increasingly corrupt and hostile world.

Like the show that preceded it, "The Good Fight" is an empowerment story rooted in its main characters' recovery from a very public scandal. But the 2017 offshoot provides more cogent social commentary than "The Good Wife" ever did, particularly in response to American politics at the time. An intended guest appearance from Alicia Florrick was nixed because of differing financial expectations between Julianna Margulies and CBS, but this omission was for the best. Frankly, "The Good Fight" works best outside of its predecessor's shadow as a well-crafted legal and political drama.

South Korean television shows, or K-dramas, have become increasingly popular and acclaimed worldwide, including in the United States. That said, American pop culture remains a big draw in Korea, as well, with a growing number of American movies and shows receiving K-drama remakes. This includes "Suits," which received a Korean remake in 2018 under the same title and retaining the same core premise. The show has veteran lawyer Choi Kang-seok (Jang Dong-gun) take rookie Go Yeon-woo (Park Hyung-sik) as his protégé, despite Yeon-woo lacking a law degree.

More than just retelling the tale from a South Korean perspective, the series streamlines the overarching narrative from the American show's first five seasons into 16 episodes. Even in retaining the case-of-the-week format, that means the larger story is concisely told. Broadly familiar yet providing its own unique stamp on the setup, the "Suits" K-drama is definitely worth checking out.

In so many legal dramas, judges are presented as an obstacle for the main attorney characters to persuade or overcome. The 2019 series "All Rise" takes on the judge's perspective with protagonist Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick), a recently appointed judge in Los Angeles County. In her new role, Carmichael is determined to be as socially active as she was as a deputy district attorney, with her activism and public stance sometimes coming under intense scrutiny. This changes our perception of what a judge could and should be, particularly when faced with institutional issues pervasive throughout the contemporary justice system.

"All Rise" takes on a largely overlooked perspective in the legal dramas, turning a passive role into an active one. A lot of the show's appeal comes from Missick, who delivers a consistently captivating performance as Judge Carmichael. Initially broadcast on CBS, the show moved to the Oprah Winfrey Network for its third and final season. A fantastic showcase for Missick with a solid, socially conscious message, "All Rise" is network legal drama comfort viewing.

Michael Connelly's recurring literary character Mickey Haller was brought to life on the big screen by Matthew McConaughey in 2011's "The Lincoln Lawyer" before being adapted for television. Retaining the same title, the Netflix original series goes deeper with Haller's character, with the role taken on by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Each season adapts a different Connelly novel as Haller takes on criminal defense cases around Los Angeles from his Lincoln Navigator. While Haller defends clients around the City of Angels, his professional and personal lives repeatedly converge in dangerous and messy ways.

With the added runtime afforded by a full season of television compared to a movie, "The Lincoln Lawyer" goes deeper with its story and characters than the 2011 film does. Garcia-Rulfo makes the literary character very much his own instead of trying to echo what McConaughey did with the fan-favorite role. Every season builds a strong ensemble around Haller, expanding his complicated world and giving each story a real sense of stakes. A worthy adaptation of Connelly's work, "The Lincoln Lawyer" is one of the best original legal dramas on Netflix.

The legal drama genre is just as popular in South Korea as it is in North America, as exemplified by the fan-favorite K-drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." The 2022 series stars Park Eun-bin as Woo Young-woo, a lawyer on the autism spectrum who recently graduated from law school. Woo retains both an incredibly extensive knowledge of the law and a prodigious photographic memory that makes her a wonder in the courtroom. As Woo's career takes off, she earns both admirers and rivals while finding love along the way.

Like its protagonist, there is an earnest innocence to "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" that gives it an all-age appeal while not compromising its stakes. There is a constant sense of humor to the show, but like many successful K-dramas, the emotionally raw moments are just as prominent, giving the story a narrative weight. All this is anchored by Park Eun-bin, in a star-making performance that captures the subtle tonal complexities of the series. Delightfully delivered, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" is a courtroom K-drama that should be on everyone's Netflix watchlist.

The best legal dramas juxtapose their main characters' personal struggles with tightly crafted courtroom sequences, and "Reasonable Doubt" is a fine example of this. The show follows Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), a Los Angeles defense attorney who has recently separated from her husband Lewis (McKinley Freeman). As Jax continues her career while sorting out the drastic change to her domestic life, she contends with a familiar face from her past. Premiering on Hulu in 2022, each season escalates the tumultuous stakes for Jax as she rebuilds her personal life.

"Reasonable Doubt" feels more like a legal melodrama, and it's unapologetic in that distinction. Corinealdi visibly has a lot of fun playing Jax, getting to run the gamut of emotional extremes through her character. She is matched by a rotating set of co-stars each season, adding fresh and entertaining wrinkles to Jax's complicated life. Thoroughly salacious and stylish, "Reasonable Doubt" is a big-budget soap opera that fully understands the assignment offered by its premise.

Beloved television actor Andy Griffith bookended his career starring in two very different hit series, the latter of which was 1986's "Matlock." The legal drama inspired CBS' loose 2024 remake of the same name, starring Kathy Bates as lawyer Madeline Kingston, who emerges from retirement after her daughter's death. Suspecting a law firm of concealing evidence that could've saved her daughter from the opioid epidemic, Kingston uses the alias Madeline "Matty" Matlock to join the firm and learn more. This involves Matty earning the firm's trust through her prodigious skill in the courtroom as she grows closer to its senior partners.

The 2024 "Matlock" offers a fresh reinvention of a television classic, taking place in a world like ours where the 1986 show existed as a popular work of fiction; Matty uses the preexisting show as the inspiration for her assumed persona, disguising her infiltration. The show is also a revelation for Bates, who broke a record with her Emmy nomination for her starring role. A modern reinvigoration of a venerated television property, the 2024 version of "Matlock" breathes new life into one of the defining shows of the genre.