The Defenders 1961
What is The Defenders?
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama television series that aired on CBS from 1961 to 1965. Created by television writer Reginald Rose, the program focuses on the professional and personal partnership of a father-and-son legal team.
- Type
- TV series
- Year
- 1961
- Status
- Ended
- Episodes
- 132
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- First aired
- Sep 16, 1961
- Last aired
- May 13, 1965
- Original language
- EN
- Origin
- US
- Networks
- CBS
- Genres
- Drama
- Updated
How long to binge?
Estimate the schedule using 132 episodes and an average 60-minute runtime.
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Find the trailer on YouTube ↗Overview
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama television series that aired on CBS from 1961 to 1965. Created by television writer Reginald Rose, the program focuses on the professional and personal partnership of a father-and-son legal team. E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed star as the defense attorneys, with additional cast members including Polly Rowles and Ossie Davis. The series is noted for its focus on legally complex cases that address significant social and moral issues. Throughout its run, the attorneys represent a diverse range of clients, including civil rights demonstrators, conscientious objectors, and neo-Nazis. Other challenging cases featured in the series involve a schoolteacher dismissed for being an atheist, an author accused of publishing pornography, and a physician charged with performing a mercy killing. By exploring these difficult subjects, the show established itself as a drama centered on important legal and ethical dilemmas. The series concluded its broadcast run in 1965 after four years on the air.
Should you watch it?
“A father-and-son legal team defends clients in complex cases addressing significant social and moral issues.”
- tackles controversial social issues
- strong lead performances
- older production values
- heavy thematic content
Watch it if you enjoy classic courtroom dramas that explore the ethical dilemmas of the nineteen sixties.
The series explores mature social and legal themes that may be intense for some viewers.
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Episode guide
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Season 1 · 32 episodes
Open the complete Season 1 guide & lore primer →- E1 Quality of Mercy Mytharc Sep 16, 1961
- E2 Killer Instinct Mytharc Sep 23, 1961
- E3 Death Across the Counter Core Sep 30, 1961
- E4 The Riot Core Oct 7, 1961
- E5 The Young Lovers Core Oct 14, 1961
- E6 The Boy Between Core Oct 21, 1961
- E7 The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms Core Oct 28, 1961
- E8 The Accident Core Nov 4, 1961
- E9 The Trial of Jenny Scott Core Nov 11, 1961
- E10 The Man with the Concrete Thumb Core Nov 18, 1961
- E11 The Treadmill Core Nov 25, 1961
- E12 Perjury Core Dec 2, 1961
- E13 The Attack Core Dec 9, 1961
- E14 The Prowler Core Dec 16, 1961
- E15 Gideon's Follies Core Dec 23, 1961
- E16 The Best Defense Core Dec 30, 1961
- E17 The Bedside Murder Core Jan 6, 1962
- E18 The Search Core Jan 20, 1962
- E19 Storm at Birch Glen Core Jan 27, 1962
- E20 The Point Shaver Core Feb 3, 1962
- E21 The Locked Room Core Feb 10, 1962
- E22 The Empty Chute Core Feb 17, 1962
- E23 The Crusader Core Feb 24, 1962
- E24 The Hickory Indian Core Mar 3, 1962
- E25 The Iron Man Core Mar 10, 1962
- E26 The Tarnished Cross Core Mar 17, 1962
- E27 The Last Six Months Core Mar 31, 1962
- E28 The Naked Heiress Core Apr 7, 1962
- E29 Reunion with Death Core Apr 21, 1962
- E30 The Benefactor Core Apr 28, 1962
- E31 Along Came a Spider Mytharc May 5, 1962
- E32 The Broken Barrelhead Mytharc May 26, 1962
Season 2 · 34 episodes
- E1 The Voices of Death Mytharc Sep 15, 1962
- E2 Blood Country Core Sep 22, 1962
- E3 The Indelible Silence Core Sep 29, 1962
- E4 The Seven Ghosts of Simon Gray Core Oct 6, 1962
- E5 The Unwanted Core Oct 13, 1962
- E6 Madman (1) Core Oct 20, 1962
- E7 Madman (2) Core Oct 27, 1962
- E8 The Bigamist Core Nov 3, 1962
- E9 The Avenger Core Nov 17, 1962
- E10 The Invisible Badge Core Nov 24, 1962
- E11 The Hidden Jungle Core Dec 1, 1962
- E12 The Savage Infant Core Dec 8, 1962
- E13 The Apostle Core Dec 15, 1962
- E14 Grandma TNT Core Dec 22, 1962
- E15 Don't Take the Stand Core Dec 29, 1962
- E16 Kill or Be Killed Core Jan 5, 1963
- E17 Man Against Himself Core Jan 12, 1963
- E18 The Poisoned Fruit Doctrine Core Jan 19, 1963
- E19 Poltergeist Core Jan 26, 1963
- E20 Ordeal Core Feb 2, 1963
- E21 The Hour Before Doomsday Core Feb 9, 1963
- E22 The Traitor Core Feb 16, 1963
- E23 The Eye of Fear Core Feb 23, 1963
- E24 Metamorphosis Core Mar 2, 1963
- E25 The Last Illusion Core Mar 9, 1963
- E26 The Heathen Core Mar 23, 1963
- E27 A Book for Burning Core Mar 30, 1963
- E28 A Taste of Vengeance Core Apr 6, 1963
- E29 The Colossus Core Apr 13, 1963
- E30 Judgment Eve Mytharc Apr 20, 1963
- E31 The Noose Core Apr 27, 1963
- E32 Everybody Else is Dead Core May 11, 1963
- E33 The Trial of Twenty-Two Mytharc May 18, 1963
- E34 The Brother Killers Mytharc May 25, 1963
Season 3 · 36 episodes
- E1 The Weeping Baboon Mytharc Sep 28, 1963
- E2 The Empty Heart Core Oct 5, 1963
- E3 The Captive Core Oct 12, 1963
- E4 The Bagman Core Oct 19, 1963
- E5 Conspiracy of Silence Core Oct 26, 1963
- E6 The Cruel Hook Core Nov 2, 1963
- E7 Star-Spangled Ghetto Core Nov 9, 1963
- E8 Loophole Core Nov 16, 1963
- E9 The Seal of Confession Core Nov 30, 1963
- E10 Climate of Evil Core Dec 7, 1963
- E11 The Crowd Pleaser Core Dec 14, 1963
- E12 Old Lady Ironsides Core Dec 21, 1963
- E13 Fugue for Trumpet and Small Boy Core Dec 28, 1963
- E14 Claire Cheval Died in Boston Core Nov 23, 1963
- E15 The Last Day Core Jan 11, 1964
- E16 Blacklist Core Jan 18, 1964
- E17 Who'll Dig His Grave? Core Jan 25, 1964
- E18 All the Silent Voices Core Feb 1, 1964
- E19 The Secret Core Feb 8, 1964
- E20 The Pill Man Core Feb 22, 1964
- E21 Drink Like a Lady Core Feb 29, 1964
- E22 Survival Core Mar 14, 1964
- E23 Moment of Truth Core Mar 21, 1964
- E24 The Hidden Fury Core Mar 28, 1964
- E25 Die Laughing Core Apr 11, 1964
- E26 May Day! May Day! Core Apr 18, 1964
- E27 The Thief Core Apr 25, 1964
- E28 Yankee Go Home Core May 2, 1964
- E29 The Man Who Saved His Country Core May 9, 1964
- E30 Mind Over Murder Core May 16, 1964
- E31 The Sixth Alarm Core May 23, 1964
- E32 The Fine Line Core May 30, 1964
- E33 The Non-Violent Core Jun 6, 1964
- E34 Stowaway Core Jun 13, 1964
- E35 Hollow Triumph Mytharc Jun 20, 1964
- E36 The Uncivil War Mytharc Jun 27, 1964
Season 4 · 30 episodes
- E1 The Seven Hundred-Year Old Gang (1) Mytharc Sep 24, 1964
- E2 The Seven Hundred-Year Old Gang (2) Core Oct 1, 1964
- E3 Hero of the People Core Oct 8, 1964
- E4 Go-Between Core Oct 15, 1964
- E5 Conflict of Interests Core Oct 22, 1964
- E6 The Man Who . . . Core Oct 29, 1964
- E7 Turning Point Core Nov 5, 1964
- E8 A Taste of Ashes Core Nov 12, 1964
- E9 Comeback Core Nov 26, 1964
- E10 The Siege Core Dec 3, 1964
- E11 Whitewash Core Dec 10, 1964
- E12 A Voice Loud and Clear Core Dec 17, 1964
- E13 King of the Hill Core Dec 31, 1964
- E14 Whipping Boy Core Jan 7, 1965
- E15 Eyewitness Core Jan 14, 1965
- E16 The Silent Killers Core Jan 21, 1965
- E17 Death on Wheels Core Jan 28, 1965
- E18 The Unwritten Law Core Feb 4, 1965
- E19 The Objector Core Feb 11, 1965
- E20 Fires of the Mind Core Feb 18, 1965
- E21 No-Knock Core Feb 25, 1965
- E22 The Merry-Go-Round Murder Core Mar 4, 1965
- E23 Nobody Asks What Side You're On . . . Core Mar 11, 1965
- E24 Impeachment Core Mar 18, 1965
- E25 The Sworn Twelve Core Mar 25, 1965
- E26 A Matter of Law and Disorder Core Apr 8, 1965
- E27 Youths and Maidens on an Evening Walk Core Apr 15, 1965
- E28 The Prosecutor Core Apr 29, 1965
- E29 The Bum's Rush Mytharc May 6, 1965
- E30 Only a Child Mytharc May 13, 1965
Frequently asked questions
Who are the lead actors?
The series stars E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son attorneys Lawrence and Kenneth Preston.
When did the series air?
The Defenders aired on CBS from 1961 to 1965.
Who created the show?
The series was created by television writer Reginald Rose.
What kind of cases do they handle?
The attorneys specialize in legally complex cases involving diverse defendants like conscientious objectors and civil rights demonstrators.
Is it a legal drama?
Yes, it is an American courtroom drama television series focused on the work of defense attorneys.
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