ambmar This socially relevant TV series was and still is excellent! Recently, DVDs of the first season of 32 episodes have been released and I purchased a copy. I'll comment on two of them.The episode, "The Attack," examined the case of a police officer who killed a teenage boy he thought had molested his five-year old daughter. During his trial for murder, he learns that a different boy had just confessed to the crime against his daughter. It is a hard-hitting episode. Martin Sheen was in the cast. I read in an article that Sheen gave this episode credit for getting his Screen Actors Guild membership card in order to act in it, which began his career.Another episode, "The Last Six Months," has the most devastatingly effective teaser opening that I have seen. A man named Fred Braden is told by his doctor that he only has a few months to live. In the six-minute opening, the viewer sees his plight from the viewpoint of the stricken man himself at the time he becomes enraged and strangles his business partner. It is a powerful and heartbreaking episode. Braden was a conscientious objector who had served in the medical core instead during the Second World War due to his abhorrence to killing.I hope the release of the first season delights other fans of The Defenders and possibly new fans as well, because the acting and scripts are timeless! Perhaps it may serve as a harbinger toward release of the other three seasons.

LRachiele1 There are heavy residuals on this great show, which I sure would like see again. Currently I have 32 stories, 29 of which are very good. If anyone has any episodes, please let met know. The ones I have are 30 listed "caseyguy", the Locked Room, and The Nonviolent. Of the remaining 100, I would like all but the the 2 part episode The 600 Year Old Gangm and Poltergest. Both of these were bad. Almost all of the old shows on video stores or cable were not worth watching even once. Somebody out there has the brainpower and pull to make them available to those willing to pay the price. This show caused you to think about conditions in your country. E.G. Marshall as excellent as were the frequent guest stars such as Frank Overton, Viveca Lindfors, Judson Laire, Jack Klugman, Harold Stone, Richard Kiley, Gene Hackmen, Edward Binns, Sylvia Sidney, Robert Webber, Malcom Atterberry, and others. This was the most socially conscious show ever.

c382000 I have not seen an episode since the mid-60s (YIKES, how long is that?), but I remember many of them. In one, these father/son are assigned the defense of a young Nazi. The man was defacing a synagogue when he was interrupted by the rabbi, who accidentally fell and hit his head and died. The man was caught and charged with murder, since it was assumed that he had killed the rabbi. There turned out to be a witness who could clear the man. When the Defenders finally tracked him down, he told them the most horrific story of his arrest and transfer to a concentration camp - and for that reason he would not testify for "one of THEM." Their response was, "Do you want us to be like them, ignoring the truth?" And that was how the episode ended - would the witness testify or not? How childish modern TV "drama" seems in comparison...

Tom-207 "The Defenders" realistically portrayed issues of the day, often in a court room setting. They produced the show in New York City with, if memory serves, location exteriors. The court room scenes were well written and directed, usually the high point of each program. At its best, the acting could be very good indeed. E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed worked well together as father and son attorneys. Their roles in this series provided them with career high points. The guest stars added further strength to the show.As a teenager then, I thought it was a cutting edge show. It would probably be dated if viewed today, since it was filmed mostly in black and white (though the last season might have been color), and production values were different then. One of the best shows of its era, it should be released on DVD, but probably won't be because of onerous residuals obligations.