Matlock is an American mystery legal drama television series created by Dean Hargrove, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock. The show, produced by Intermedia Entertainment Company, The Fred Silverman Company, Dean Hargrove Productions and Viacom Productions, originally aired from March 3, 1986, to May 8, 1992, on NBC, and from November 5, 1992, to May 7, 1995, on ABC.
Andy Samuel Griffith was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, as well as his gruff but friendly voice, Griffith was a Tony Award nominee for two roles. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957) and No Time for Sergeants (1958) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995).
Mayberry is a fictional community that was the setting for two popular American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Mayberry R.F.D. (1968–1971); Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television film titled Return to Mayberry. Mayberry is said to be based on Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy is also known as Mayberry and called by both names by its residents.
Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr. was an American attorney best known for his leading role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. He often defended his client with rhymes such as "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit!" during the Simpson trial.
Innocence Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating individuals who have been wrongly convicted, through the use of DNA testing and working to reform the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. The group cites various studies estimating that in the United States between 1% and 10% of all prisoners are innocent. The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld who gained national attention in the mid-1990s as part of the "Dream Team" of lawyers who formed part of the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
Leslie Hope Abramson is an American criminal defense attorney best known for her role in the legal defense of Lyle and Erik Menéndez. She is also a published author.
The Darlings are a fictional family of musically inclined hillbillies in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
Justice is an American legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer that aired on Fox in the US and CTV in Canada. The series also aired on Warner Channel in Latin America, in Brazil also was aired on Rede Globo, Nine Network in Australia, and on TV2 in New Zealand.
Peter Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Chris Gascoyne from 2000 to 2023. The character of Peter was born on screen during an episode broadcast on 5 April 1965, he was born along with his twin sister Susan to parents Ken and Valerie Barlow. Gascoyne made his first appearance in the role during the 40th anniversary live episode airing on 8 December 2000. Gascoyne left the role in 2003 and returned in 2007 for a brief stint before returning full-time in 2008. In January 2014 it was confirmed that Gascoyne would be leaving once again. His final scenes aired on 14 November 2014. In April 2015, it was announced that Gascoyne would reprise the role for two episodes for the funeral of Deirdre Barlow and Peter returned on 15 July 2015 and left once again the following day. In July 2016, it was announced that Peter would be returning as a regular character, with his return airing on 17 October 2016. Peter departed the series again on 26 December 2023. Peter made a voice appearance on 24 January 2024. Peter's storylines have included a number of affairs, alcoholism and a custody battle involving his son Simon Barlow. Peter became involved in a bigamy storyline when he married Rovers barmaid Shelley Unwin and florist Lucy Richards. Having been discovered, Peter was left alone and fled Weatherfield. He returned briefly in 2007 when his adoptive sister Tracy Barlow was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Charlie Stubbs. He returned for good in 2008 with five-year-old Simon, whom he had by Lucy; who had since died from breast cancer. Peter began a relationship with Leanne Battersby and they married during the 50th anniversary episode; however, they divorced in 2012 after Peter's affair with Carla Connor was discovered. Peter later went on to marry Carla, and then had an affair with much younger Tina McIntyre. Peter was framed for Tina's murder by Rob Donovan and upon his release from prison, his marriage to Carla broke down and he left Weatherfield.
Liam Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008.
Paul Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sean Gallagher, the character arrives with the rest of his family as one of Michelle Connor's two brothers, first appearing during an episode that aired on 6 September 2006. He was later killed off on 6 June 2007, following the actor's decision to leave the cast after only nine months.
Danielle Rose Melnick is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order. She is portrayed by the actress Tovah Feldshuh. She made her first appearance on the show as Melnick in 1991, although Feldshuh had already in an earlier 1991 episode entitled "Aria", where she plays a character very similar to Melnick but is a probate lawyer, not a litigator, and is unnamed.
John White Webster was an American professor of chemistry and geology at Harvard Medical College. In 1850, he was convicted of murder in the Parkman–Webster murder case and hanged.
John Henry Browne is an American criminal defense attorney practicing in Seattle, Washington. Browne is known for his zeal in defending his clients, his flair for garnering media attention, and for being known as the “plead guilty to avoid the death penalty” lawyer. He has represented defendants in a number of high-profile cases, including serial killer Ted Bundy, Colton Harris-Moore, Benjamin Ng and Martin Pang. He has tried over 250 criminal cases to verdict. Browne and his actions have been the subject of some controversy, and he has sometimes been criticized for his peculiar and combative style both in and out of the courtroom. He is particularly known for obtaining sympathetic treatment for his clients by shifting the focus away from the serious crimes that were committed by arguing for consideration of the background of the defendant and the circumstances in which the events took place.
Killing Time is an Australian television drama series on TV1 subscription television channel which first screened in 2011. It is based on the true story of disgraced lawyer Andrew Fraser. In New Zealand it screens on Prime Television.
Bobby Lee Cook was an American defense attorney from Summerville, Georgia, in Chattooga County. He had practiced law since the late 1940s, and is known for combining a sharp legal mind with a folksy demeanor. He had represented a wide variety of clients, from rural Southerners to international businessmen and corporations. He was reputed to have been the inspiration for the television series Matlock main character Ben Matlock, which starred Andy Griffith as a Georgia attorney.
Philip Joseph Shiner is a British former human rights solicitor. He was struck off the roll of solicitors in England and Wales in 2017 over misconduct relating to false abuse claims against British troops. He was Head of Strategic Litigation at Public Interest Lawyers (International) from 2014 until the firm's closure on 31 August 2016. He had previously been Principal at Public Interest Lawyers Ltd from 1999 to 2014.
On January 10, 2018, 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania sophomore Blaze Bernstein was found dead in a park in Orange County, California, eight days after having been reported missing. He was visiting his family in Lake Forest, California, when he was killed. He had been stabbed nineteen times. Two days later, Samuel Woodward, one of Bernstein's former high school classmates and a member of neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, was arrested and charged with murdering Bernstein. As Bernstein was both openly gay and Jewish, authorities declared that Bernstein was a victim of a hate crime. Five deaths had links to the Atomwaffen Division over eight months from 2017 to early 2018.
A Time for Mercy, a legal thriller novel by American author John Grisham, is the sequel to A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row. The latest book features the return of the character Jake Brigance, a small-town Mississippi lawyer who takes on difficult cases. The novel was released on October 13, 2020.
