A landmark 1980s legal drama that helped define the modern ensemble, issue-driven network series. It blends case-of-the-week storytelling with workplace politics, sharp character friction, and a surprisingly nimble mix of seriousness and soapier humor.
L.A. Law
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TV Show · Drama · War & Politics
Mon
Created by: Steven Bochco, Terry Louise Fisher
Starring: Corbin Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry, Alan Rachins
Overview
L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many of Bochco's trademark features including a large number of parallel storylines, social drama and off-the-wall humor. It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights, homophobia, sexual harassment, AIDS, and domestic violence. The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff.
The show was popular with audiences and critics, and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.
Created by
Steven Bochco, Terry Louise Fisher
Cast
Corbin Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry, Alan Rachins, Michael Tucker, Blair Underwood, Larry Drake, John Spencer, A Martinez
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark 1980s legal drama that helped define the modern ensemble, issue-driven network series. It blends case-of-the-week storytelling with workplace politics, sharp character friction, and a surprisingly nimble mix of seriousness and soapier humor.
Best for
Fans of classic prestige network dramas
Viewers who like ensemble workplace shows with rotating storylines
People interested in socially conscious legal cases from the 1980s and early 1990s
Anyone curious about the evolution of TV drama before the cable era
Skip if
You want a fast, modern serialized pace
You dislike episodic legal cases and procedural structure
You prefer understated realism over heightened network-drama energy
You are looking for a show that stays consistently focused on one central plot
Overview
L.A. Law is one of the key bridge shows between old-school network television and the prestige ensemble dramas that followed. It has the glossy Los Angeles setting, overlapping office politics, and topical casework that made Steven Bochco’s style so influential, while also mixing in enough wit and melodrama to keep it lively. The result is a show that feels very of its era, but still recognizably modern in how it balances character and issue-driven storytelling.
Worth noting
Its strongest appeal is the ensemble. The firm’s senior partners, ambitious associates, and recurring clients create a steady stream of conflicts that are as much about power, class, and identity as they are about the law. The series is especially notable for how directly it engages with abortion, AIDS, racism, homophobia, sexual harassment, and domestic violence, often in a way that was unusually frank for broadcast TV at the time.
Bottom line
Quality is generally strong across the run, though like many long-running network dramas it becomes more variable as it goes on. The early-to-mid seasons are the essential stretch, when the show’s tone, cast chemistry, and topical ambition are at their sharpest. Even when it leans into soapier twists, it remains an important and entertaining artifact of TV history with real staying power.