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The Defenders

1961 – 1965Show4 seasons132 episodes

Drama
71
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.9
71
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.9

Summary

The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series . 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.

Good for

  • Family movie night
  • Friends night
  • Teens

Where to watch

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Not streaming in any country yet.

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Not for laughs, scares or adrenaline.

Shows with

The Defenders episodes

4 seasons · 132 episodes

  1. S1 E1 The Quality of Mercy, 7.8
  2. S1 E2 Killer Instinct, 8.4
  3. S1 E3 Death Across the Counter, 8.5
  4. S1 E4 The Riot, 7.7
  5. S1 E5 The Young Lovers, 7.6
  6. S1 E6 The Boy Between, 7.4
  7. S1 E7 The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms, 8.2
  8. S1 E8 The Accident, 7.6
  9. S1 E9 The Trial of Jenny Scott, 8.1
  10. S1 E10 The Man with the Concrete Thumb, 7.8
  11. S1 E11 The Treadmill, 7.8
  12. S1 E12 Perjury, 8.5
  13. S1 E13 The Attack, 8.4
  14. S1 E14 The Prowler, 7.8
  15. S1 E15 Gideon's Follies, 6.2
  16. S1 E16 The Best Defense, 7.8
  17. S1 E17 The Bedside Murder, 8.5
  18. S1 E18 The Search, 8.4
  19. S1 E19 Storm at Birch Glen, 7.6
  20. S1 E20 The Point Shaver, 8.2
  21. S1 E21 The Locked Room, 8.2
  22. S1 E22 The Empty Chute, 8.0
  23. S1 E23 The Crusader, 8.4
  24. S1 E24 The Hickory Indian, 7.7
  25. S1 E25 The Iron Man, 8.1
  26. S1 E26 The Tarnished Cross, 8.2
  27. S1 E27 The Last Six Months, 8.2
  28. S1 E28 The Naked Heiress, 7.6
  29. S1 E29 Reunion with Death, 8.6
  30. S1 E30 The Benefactor, 8.2
  31. S1 E31 Along Came a Spider, 8.7
  32. S1 E32 The Broken Barrelhead, 8.6
  1. S2 E6 Madman: Part 1, 8.5
  2. S2 E7 Madman: Part 2, 8.9
  3. S2 E10 The Invisible Badge, 8.1
  4. S2 E14 Grandma TNT, 9.3
  5. S2 E20 Ordeal, 7.6
  6. S2 E22 The Traitor, 8.5
  7. S2 E24 Metamorphosis, 8.0
  8. S2 E30 Judgment Eve, 8.2
  1. S3 E5 Conspiracy of Silence, 9.0
  2. S3 E12 Old Lady Ironsides, 8.6
  3. S3 E16 Blacklist, 8.6
  4. S3 E23 Moment of Truth, 8.3
  5. S3 E25 Die Laughing, 8.2
  6. S3 E29 The Man Who Saved His Country, 8.7
  7. S3 E33 The Non-Violent, 8.7
  1. S4 E14 Whipping Boy, 8.1
  2. S4 E25 The Sworn Twelve, 7.6
  3. S4 E28 The Prosecutor, 8.7

Cast

24 of 243 · most episodes first

Crew

Directors
Paul Bogart, Stuart Rosenberg, David Greene
Written by
Robert Thom, Reginald Rose, David Karp
Produced by
Herbert Brodkin, Bob Markell

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

September 16, 1961 · May 13, 1965 · Ended

First aired
September 16, 1961
Last aired
May 13, 1965
Status
Ended
Length
4 seasons · 132 episodes
Content
Strong Language
Genres
Drama
Original language
English

Tropes

Tagline, Ambiguous Innocence, One-Word Title +2

Q&A

5 questions, like "Is The Defenders worth watching?"

Questions about The Defenders

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Is The Defenders worth watching?

71
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 71 (IMDb 7.9).

Does The Defenders get better after season 1?

Yes: season 1 has an IMDb average of 8.0, and season 3 peaks at 8.6. The highest-rated episode is Grandma TNT (season 2, episode 14) at 9.3, and the lowest is Gideon's Follies (season 1, episode 15) at 6.2.

Is The Defenders okay for kids?

Strong language

Yes: its content advisories are strong language, and the viewing guide lists it for family nights.

How long does it take to watch The Defenders?

132 h

About 132 hours: 132 episodes in 4 seasons of about 60 minutes each, aired from 1961 to 1965.

Is The Defenders plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on dialogue centrality (10 of 10) and character depth (8 of 10) more than on its plot.