The Defenders (1961 TV series)
| The Defenders | |
|---|---|
Title card
|
|
| Created by | Reginald Rose |
| Starring |
E. G. Marshall Robert Reed Joan Hackett Polly Rowles |
| Theme music composer | Leonard Rosenman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 132 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Herbert Brodkin |
| Producer(s) | Bob Markell George Justin |
| Location(s) | Filmways Studios, New York City |
| Editor(s) | Lyman Hallowell |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Plautus Productions Defender Productions CBS Television Network |
| Distributor |
Viacom Paramount Television CBS Paramount Television CBS Television Distribution (current since 2007) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 16, 1961 – May 13, 1965 |
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series that ran on CBS from 1961 to 1965. It starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys who specialized in legally complex cases, with defendants such as neo-Nazis, conscientious objectors, civil rights demonstrators, a schoolteacher fired for being an atheist, an author accused of pornography, and a physician charged in a mercy killing. It was created by television writer Reginald Rose.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications called it "perhaps the most socially conscious series the medium has ever seen", a show "singularly resonant with New Frontier liberalism".
In 2002, The Defenders was ranked #31 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. and in 2013 TV Guide ranked it #8 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time.
According to creator Reginald Rose, "the law is the subject of our programs: not crime, not mystery, not the courtroom for its own sake. We were never interested in producing a 'who-done-it' which simply happened to be resolved each week in a flashy courtroom battle of wits." And unlike Perry Mason, which also ran on CBS, victory was "far from certain on The Defenders—as were morality and justice."
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