Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008

When media coverage of courtroom trials came under intense fire in the aftermath of the infamous New Jersey v. Hauptmann lawsuit (a.k.a. The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case,) a new era of fictionalized courtroom programming was ushered in to satiate the public's appetite for legal drama. This book is an alphabetical listing of the nearly 200 'courtroom', 'lawyer' and 'judge' shows telecast in the U.S. from 1948 through 2008, complete with cast and production credits, airdates, detailed synopses and background information. Included are such familiar titles as ""Perry Mason"", ""Divorce Court"", ""Judge Judy"", ""LA Law"", and ""The Practice"", along with such obscure series as ""They Stand Accused"", ""The Verdict is Yours Sam Benedict"", ""Trials of O'Brien"", and ""The Law and Mr. Jones"". The book includes an introductory overview of 'law'-oriented radio and TV broadcasts from the 1920s to the present, including actual courtroom coverage (or lack of same during those years in which cameras and microphones were forbidden in the courtroom) and historical events within TV's factual and fictional treatment of the legal system. Also included in the introduction is an analysis of the rise and fall of cable's Court TV channel.