L.A. Law The go-go 80s came to the Los Angeles law office of McKenzie Brackman where the professional and personal lives of the attorneys, secretaries and paraprofessionals were examined every Thursday night resulting in water cooler conversations on Fridays across the country. Each episode wove several on-going plot lines together and featured, among others, Michael Kuzak, his love interest and eventual partner Grace Van Owen, divorce attorney Arnold Becker, managing partner Douglas Brackman, idealistic associate Victor Sifuentes and married partners Ann Kelsey and Stuart Markowitz.

Matlock The former sheriff of Mayberry, Andy Griffith, played the part of Ben Matlock in this series about a high priced attorney who solves cases with a group of able-bodied associates.

Night Court Comedian Harry Anderson lead the cast of this situation comedy as Judge Harry T. Stone. The Mel Torme obsessed Judge presided over a group of colorful characters in a New York City night court. Supporting actor John Laroquette won four Emmys for his portrayal of smarmy attorney Dan Fielding.

The People's Court In this updated version of Divorce Court, Judge Joseph Wapner, a 20 year veteran of the Los Angeles County courts, and narrator Doug Llewellyn provided a venue for hearing small-claims cases in front of a television audience.

Other legal shows from this period include:

• Guilty or Innocent (1984) [IMDb]
• The Paper Chase (1983-1986) [IMDb]
• Rafferty's Rules (1987) [IMDb] Australian.
• Trial by Jury (1987) [IMDb]