5 Best William Shatner TV Shows That Aren't Star Trek, Ranked

William Shatner got his start as an actor in the early 1950s, but it was his role as Captain James T. Kirk on the classic 1960s series "Star Trek" that turned him into a household name. After playing the character in an additional seven theatrical films, it's hardly surprising that Kirk continues to define him in the public eye. That said, "Star Trek" wasn't Shatner's first time taking the lead in a prime-time series, and it certainly wasn't his last.

Over the course of his career, Shatner may not have always found the same level of success outside the sci-fi realm, but he's certainly never been afraid to try new things. He's dabbled in legal dramas, cop shows, sitcoms, westerns, and even a Sherlock Holmes adaptation.

When all's said and done, Shatner will likely be remembered first and foremost for "Star Trek," but it shouldn't be forgotten that he's starred in a few shows that actually lasted longer than the starship Enterprise's original prime-time run, plus a few that are still worth remembering, even if they didn't stick around for the long haul. Here are five of his best, ranked.

In 1989, William Shatner expanded his career onto the printed page, teaming with ghostwriter Ron Goulart to release the sci-fi novel "TekWar." The book grew into a nine-novel franchise that spawned a TV series, a comic book, and a video game. Set in the future, on the cusp of the 2050s, the "TekWar" saga revolves around Jake Cardigan, a cop framed for dealing an illegal digital narcotic called "Tek" and murdering fellow officers. After serving a little over four years of a 15-year cryo-detainment sentence, Jake is released by Walter Bascom, owner of the private investigation firm Cosmos, who has discovered his innocence and wants to recruit him.

"TekWar" made the jump to the small screen in January 1994 with the first of four TV movies, before being expanded into a regular series. Greg Evigan played Jake Cardigan, while Shatner took on Walter Bascom. Although Shatner isn't the main attraction, he exudes main-character energy whenever Bascom appears, making his scenes a treat no matter how briefly he shows up.

In 2021, Shatner teamed with Pure Imagination Studios to develop an adult animated revival of "TekWar." As of this writing, however, the new incarnation has yet to debut.

William Shatner's first opportunity to headline a series came in January 1965, when he starred in the CBS legal drama "For the People" as assistant district attorney David Koster. He made the most of it, delivering a passionate performance as Koster. Set and filmed in New York City, the series teamed Shatner with veteran actor Howard Da Silva as D.A. Anthony Celese, Koster's boss, while future "Arrested Development" star Jessica Walter played Koster's wife in her first role as a series regular. 

Unfortunately, "For the People" had one major problem: it was scheduled against "Bonanza," the No. 1 show on television at the time. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the competition starred someone Shatner had previously worked with: Lorne Greene. "I know Lorne very well," Shatner noted in a 1965 CBC Radio interview. "We acted at Stratford together, in 'Julius Caesar.' He played Brutus, and I played his manservant ... Since then, things have changed, and times have gone on, and I may very well be his valet once more!"

Although Shatner didn't end up in Greene's employ, his instincts about his job security with "For the People" were spot-on: the series ran for 13 episodes before getting the axe from CBS. Shatner then moved back to Los Angeles and, as history reveals, was free to audition to replace Jeffrey Hunter in a new sci-fi series for NBC.

After the cancellation of "Star Trek" in 1969, William Shatner spent several years sticking to TV movies and guest roles on hour-long dramas rather than committing to another weekly series. That changed in 1975, when he co-starred with Doug McClure in ABC's "Barbary Coast."

Unabashedly reminiscent of "The Wild Wild West," "Barbary Coast" was set in San Francisco in the 1870s and featured Shatner as Jeff Cable, a government agent who regularly utilized his skills as a master of disguise. McClure, meanwhile, played Cash Conover, a conman and gambler who assisted Cable with his cases. With Shatner actively chewing the scenery under his various disguises and seemingly loving every minute of it, the show was fun to watch, but grueling to produce.

"On paper, it looked really good — all those disguises, and different characters. And indeed it was — for a while," Shatner told TV Insider in 2021. "We had Tom Burman, a terrific makeup man. The wardrobe lady would look at the makeup, rush off and come back with something. I'd put it on, jump into character, and they'd have been holding up shooting until I arrived. I'd shoot that scene, then run back to the makeup room. And I did that three times a day, every day, every week, to the point of everyone's exhaustion." In the end, "Barbary Coast" lasted just 13 episodes before ABC pulled the plug, prompting what Shatner described as "a collective sigh of relief." 

1982 was arguably the best year of William Shatner's career up to that point. Not only did he find success at the box office with "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," but a few months prior to the film's release, he'd starred as the titular character in "T.J. Hooker," an ABC cop show that was promptly renewed after a five-episode first season. The series would go on to become Shatner's most successful since "Star Trek."

Created by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, "T.J. Hooker" started out with Hooker training a group of police academy recruits, including Officer Vince Romano (Adrian Zmed), but it quickly evolved into a more traditional police drama. By the second season, Hooker and Romano had been joined on the streets of Los Angeles by Officers Stacy Sheridan (Heather Locklear) and Jim Corrigan (James Darren), with the trio answering to Captain Dennis Sheridan (Richard Herd). As Hooker, Shatner shined as a mentor to the younger officers, but his scenes with Herd often gave him the opportunity to buck the system a bit, à la a certain starship captain.

"T.J. Hooker" ultimately ran for four seasons on ABC before concluding with a final season on CBS as part of the network's block of late-night programming. "I loved 'T.J. Hooker,'" Shatner recalled to The Aquarian in 2016. "I loved the cast and I loved doing what I did. It was great fun."

"T.J. Hooker" is currently streaming on The Roku Channel and Tubi.

Almost a decade after wrapping up his run as James T. Kirk, William Shatner unexpectedly found himself enjoying a career renaissance thanks to writer-producer David E. Kelley. Shatner first played Denny Crane on ABC's "The Practice," then carried the character into its spin-off, "Boston Legal."

"[Shatner] was the first person who came to mind for the role [of Denny Crane], but never having met him, we met at a breakfast," Kelley said during a "Boston Legal" panel at the Paley Center. "Some icons, let's face it, have very little sense of humor about themselves. So we talked about the role, and I explained that this is a character who not only will we be inviting the audience to laugh with, but many times at ... Bill just immediately embraced it."

Shatner did tremendous work as Denny Crane, earning an Emmy Award for his performance on "The Practice" in 2004 and another for "Boston Legal" in 2005, along with four additional nominations. His performance wasn't just dramatic; it was often comedic and occasionally tragic. During the five-season run of "Boston Legal," Crane's increasing eccentricity became intertwined with his Alzheimer's disease, although his legal acumen remained strong through the series' conclusion.

"We laughed our way through five years of great joy," Shatner told CNN in 2008. "And the beauty of it all was that when we came in this [final] season, we knew we were going to do 13 shows and be out. So the writing reflected the fact that we knew we were ending, and it wrapped the whole show up."

"Boston Legal" is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.