Hors D'oeuvres in the Court! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Good Wife

"The Good Wife" stars Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florek, the wife of a prominent politician in Chicago Illinois. When her husband's adultery with a call girl is revealed and he is accused of misconduct her life is thrown into turmoil. Alicia returns to work as an associate attorney working at the firm of her law school boyfriend played by Josh Charles. Matt Czerny plays Cary Agos another junior attorney who alternatively competes with and befriends Alicia. "The Good Wife" premiered in 2009 and has been a rebroadcast in over 30 countries across the world.

Courtroom action is a central feature of "The Good Wife" and the show follows lawyers who represent both civil and criminal clients. The show often presents a realistic view of the intricacies of actual trial practice. As with almost every show that follows a case from inception to trial, "The Good Wife" presents a distorted view of the time it takes to move from the filing of a lawsuit to trial and resolution. The show earns high marks for a willingness to portray that not all cases end positively for the lawyers or that justice always prevails.

Answer: Law & Order

"Law & Order" was a groundbreaking drama that followed a single event from the commission of a crime to a resolution in court. The first part of the show followed a police procedural format in the investigation of a crime. Over the 20 year run of the show, Chris Noth, Benjamin Bratt and Jerry Orbach amongst others tracked down the criminals. For 16 years, S. Epathka Merkerson co-starred as the indefatigable Lt. Anita Van Horn leading the police efforts.

In the second half of the show, the police turned over the case to the Manhattan District Attorney's office for prosecution. For more than 15 years, the heart and soul of the prosecution team was Jack McCoy played by Sam Waterston. Former US Senator and Republican Presidential candidate Fred Dalton Thompson appeared as the Manhattan District Attorney for five years from 2002-2007.

"Law & Order" broadcast 456 original episodes. The show spawned four spinoffs including the highly regarded "Law& Order: Criminal Intent" and "Law & Order: Sexual Victims Unit". "Law & Order: UK" followed the same format but moved the focus to London. "Law & Order" frequently delved into story lines that closely resembled real world events. While no study has been conducted, based on the number of countries that rebroadcast the show, it is highly possible that you can turn on a television anywhere in the world and be assured of seeing an episode of "Law & Order".

Answer: Old Bailey

"Rumpole of the Bailey" delighted British and international audiences in seven series of six shows airing between 1978-1990. Leo McKern played Rumpole, who enjoyed nothing more than a good fight in court to save an innocent person. Rumpole's formidable, but loving wife, was often referred to in the show as "she who must be obeyed." A rotating cast of associates and peers at the Bailey served both as Rumpole's comic foils and familiar partners for the Rumpole adventures. Abigail McKern, joined the cast for the last three series as an assistant to her real life father. Sadly, veteran actor McKern died in 2002.

In case you have never had the pleasure of an Angel on Horseback, the hors d'oeuvre is an English staple made by taking oysters and wrapping them with bacon

Answer: LA Law

"LA Law" was a sprawling night time soap opera that followed the lives of the attorneys (and occasionally the cases) who worked at a large, prosperous law firm in downtown Los Angeles. The show ran for eight seasons from 1986-1994 and underwent numerous cast changes. Corbin Bernsen played the lecherous Arnie Becker to riotously good effect. Such well known actors as Jimmy Smits, Harry Hamlin, Susan Day and Alan Rachins created memorable characters during their time on the show.

In many ways, "LA Law" was a fictionalized "cinéma vérité" into the workings of a 1980s law firm. The show depicted partner in-fighting and politics, as well as how work was actually divided in private practice. Real world concerns over salaries and the client's ability to pay shared duty with representations of true to headlines legal issues. As a young lawyer in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, I can vouch for meeting many attorneys that could have been the model for "LA Law" characters.

Answer: JAG

"JAG" centered around the cases of a team of US Navy lawyers led by Commander Harman "Harm" Rabb (David James Elliot), and Marine Lt. Colonel Sarah "Mac" McKenzie (Bell). JAG is the acronym for Judge Advocate General. The JAG Corp prosecutes and defends active duty soldiers in criminal actions. The lawyers in JAG were part trial attorneys and part active duty soldiers creating an exciting blend of crime drama and action adventure. "JAG" broadcast for one season on the NBC network, but was cancelled due to low ratings. In an unusual move, rival network CBS picked up the show where it became a solid ratings success and lasted for nine more years. "JAG" later spun off the hugely popular "NCIS" franchise.

"JAG" premiered at a time when the US Navy was dealing media scrutiny for alleged sexual abuse and discrimination. As such, the Navy did not initially provide technical support for "JAG" fearing more negative publicity. Ultimately the show's overall positive portrayal of the US Navy and the work of the JAG Corp earned the Navy's cooperation and technical assistance.

Answer: Boston Legal

"Boston Legal" was a highly innovative spin-off of the long running court room drama "The Practice" and starred James Spader as Alan Shore. Shore was a wisecracking irreverent lawyer working at the Boston law firm of Crane, Poole and Schmidt. Star Trek legend William Shatner chewed scenery and stole scenes as the slightly "mad" Denny Crane. "Boston Legal" mixed soap opera storylines with social commentary and frequently broke the so-called "fourth wall" by having characters talk to the audience directly. "Boston Legal" ran for five seasons from 2004-2009. During the shows run Spader twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Shatner won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series.

Answer: Night Court

"Night Court" was a US sitcom about the real to life happenings in a night division of New York City's arraignment court. Arraignment is the process by which the accused is brought to make a plea (guilty or innocent) and is either bound for trial or released (bail or own recognizance). Cases arraigned during the night court are, for the most part, the misdemeanors or lesser cases. Consequently, the lawyers and judges assigned to night arraignment court tend to be either at the beginning or end of their careers.

"Night Court" starred comedian and magician Harry Anderson as a young judge assisted by his bailiff Bull Shannon (Richard Moll) and clerk Macintosh "Mac Robinson (Charles Robinson. John Larroquette earned four Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor as "Dan" Fielding, a lecherous and cynical prosecutor. "Night Court" ran for nine seasons on US television and can still be found in syndication in many countries.

Answer: Ally McBeal

"Ally McBeal" starred Calista Flockhart as a reluctant, but brilliant lawyer who was more concerned about finding true love than her career in the law. Peter MacNicol played her senior partner John Cage. The show often displayed "parallelism', where events happening to clients would mirror those of the many interconnected relationships of the characters. The show was a comedy, but also a social barometer of topical legal issues. Many of the episodes sent the characters to a local bar where they can hear their favorite singer, Vonda Shepherd, perform. Ms. Shepherd's song "Searchin' My Soul" served as the series' theme song. "Ally McBeal" was produced by David E Kelley. Kelley also developed the court room drama "The Practice". Despite being on different networks the two shows used cross-over episodes on several occasions.

"Ally McBeal" ran from1997-2002 over five seasons and was one of the most successful Fox Network programs of the time. "Ally McBeal" also sparked criticism from many feminists, who saw the hyper-sexualized dress and attitude of the title character as a hindrance to female executives and professionals.

Answer: The Defenders

"The Defenders" was unique for the early 1960s. The show was less a "who done it" crime procedural than a mini debate on the ethics and legalities of real social problems facing the fictitious clients. The Preston's, played by E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed (later Mike Brady from the Brady Bunch), were the model of the crusading defense attorney representing draft dodgers, challenging the use of religion in public schools and defending doctors who conducted abortions. "The Defenders" earned high marks for legal authenticity. E.G. Marshall won two Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy's and the show won three Outstanding Show Emmy's as well.

Answer: Perry Mason

Author Erle Stanley Gardner created the character of the Los Angeles California defense attorney Perry Mason and wrote more than eighty novels and short stories featuring the character. The stories were immensely popular and were brought to US television in 1957 with Canadian actor Raymond Burr as Perry Mason. "The Perry Mason Show" was one of the most widely distributed US programs during its original broadcast run from 1957-1966. A "Perry Mason Show" episode generally featured Mason defending a person wrongfully accused of a crime. Mason, his assistant Della Street (Barbara Hale) and an investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper) would discover the real criminal. In court, Mason would square off against prosecutor, Hamilton Burger (William Talman). In most cases, Mason would use cross-examination techniques to trap the guilty party and prove to the jury his client's innocence.

Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale reprised their roles as Perry Mason and Della Street in a series of highly successful television movies that aired between 1985 and 1993. As William Hopper had died in 1970, the investigator character was recast as Paul Drake Jr. In six of these movies the part was played by William Katt, Barbara Hale's real-life son.