Television Attorneys
The courtroom is very frequently depicted during television shows, as well as the attorneys that make their living upholding the laws of the United States. There is a certain element of drama that comes along with the courtroom that just seems to make great television. It is almost as though you are watching a sporting event. You begin rooting for your favorite attorneys and developing a personal connection with them. Throughout the past few years, there have been many television attorneys that have made their way into popular culture, and we still remember them with fond memories of them and their sometimes wacky antics. Here are a few of the most popular attorneys from television past.
1. Ally McBeal – There is a good chance that you caught this single female lawyer on the tube during the shows stint from 1997-2002. The title character was portrayed by Calista Flockhart. The show was a huge hit when it was on, and even popularized that three dimensional dancing baby that was all the rage in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. Her and her fellow attorneys got into several strange and hilarious situations, and the character is still remembered by many.
2. Barry Zuckerkorn – Not exactly as popular as some of the other attorneys, but those that saw him remember him. Barry Zuckerkorn was an incompetent lawyer portrayed by Henry Winkler on the television program Arrested Development. The show was canceled after only three seasons even though it had received stellar reviews and six Emmy awards. It was a tragedy that the life of this show was taken away prematurely. Barry Zuckerkorn was Henry Winkler’s finest work since Happy Days.
3. Claire Huxtable – Phylicia Rashad played one of the most strong and competent attorneys in any sitcom. On The Cosby Show, Claire was a mother of five, a full time lawyer, and she had to deal with Bill Cosby’s character on a daily basis. If that does not take strength, I don’t know what does. Phylicia Rashad won two Emmy awards for her role as Claire Huxtable during The Cosby Show’s run from 1984-1992.
4. Ari Gold – All the other attorneys on this list are resting in television heaven right now, but Ari Gold (played by Jeremy Piven) is still alive and kicking. He can be seen on the HBO program Entourage where he plays the aggressive lawyer for the show’s main character, who happens to be a movie star. The show debuted in 2004, rocketing the already famous Jeremy Piven even higher in the Hollywood world for his portrayal of the always interesting Ari Gold.
There are enough television attorneys from the past and present to fill an entire stadium. These are some of the more famous and interesting ones that people are sure to remember. Hopefully the television writers out there will keep the quirky and funny lawyers coming because there’s nothing more fun to watch than somebody bumbling around while portraying one of the most important professions in existence.