The Defenders_
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series . It starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys who specialized in legally complex cases, with defendants such as neo-Nazis, conscientious objectors, civil rights demonstrators, a schoolteacher fired for being an atheist, an author accused of pornography, and a physician charged in a mercy killing.
Created By
Reginald Rose
Network
CBS
Episodes
132
Updated Feb 16, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
DROPTHE_ GOSSIP
Overview
The Defenders has 4 seasons with 132 episodes spanning 1961-1965.
E.G. Marshall →
Year context
The Defenders first aired 65 years ago in 1961.
SEASONS (4 seasons, 132 episodes)
SEASON 1
01
Quality of Mercy
Dr. Bill Conrad's patient, Leona Warner, delivers a baby with Down Syndrome.
02
Killer Instinct
When mild-mannered Jim McLeery kills an abusive stranger, it seems a clear-cut case of self-defense. But the prosecution reveals that, in his army days, McCleery…
03
Death Across the Counter
04
The Riot
05
The Young Lovers
06
The Boy Between
07
The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms
Frank Gorshin stars as an impressionist accused of murder who claims he's innocent because ""Jimmy Cagney did it""—and breaks into his multiple personality of Cagney…
08
The Accident
09
The Trial of Jenny Scott
10
The Man with the Concrete Thumb
11
The Treadmill
12
Perjury
13
The Attack
14
The Prowler
15
Gideon's Follies
16
The Best Defense
17
The Bedside Murder
18
The Search
19
Storm at Birch Glen
20
The Point Shaver
Stacy Phillips, star college basketball player, is accused of taking money from gambler Vince Fargo to fix a game. The Presons, alumni of the college,…
21
The Locked Room
22
The Empty Chute
23
The Crusader
24
The Hickory Indian
25
The Iron Man
26
The Tarnished Cross
27
The Last Six Months
Arthur Hill plays a man with six months to live--he kills his business partner in a fit of rage when the man refuses to help…
28
The Naked Heiress
29
Reunion with Death
30
The Benefactor
31
Along Came a Spider
32
The Broken Barrelhead
SEASON 2
01
The Voices of Death
Martha Harrow, a young wife and mother, is convicted of first-degree murder. The victim: her husband, an alcoholic and wife beater.
02
Blood Country
03
The Indelible Silence
04
The Seven Ghosts of Simon Gray
05
The Unwanted
06
Madman (1)
07
Madman (2)
08
The Bigamist
09
The Avenger
10
The Invisible Badge
11
The Hidden Jungle
12
The Savage Infant
13
The Apostle
14
Grandma TNT
15
Don't Take the Stand
16
Kill or Be Killed
17
Man Against Himself
18
The Poisoned Fruit Doctrine
19
Poltergeist
20
Ordeal
21
The Hour Before Doomsday
22
The Traitor
23
The Eye of Fear
24
Metamorphosis
25
The Last Illusion
Magician Monte Moran fails in his attempt to escape from a coffin-like box lowered into the river. When his body is finally retrieved, Moran's assistant…
26
The Heathen
27
A Book for Burning
28
A Taste of Vengeance
29
The Colossus
30
Judgment Eve
31
The Noose
32
Everybody Else is Dead
33
The Trial of Twenty-Two
34
The Brother Killers
SEASON 3
01
The Weeping Baboon
02
The Empty Heart
03
The Captive
04
The Bagman
05
Conspiracy of Silence
06
The Cruel Hook
07
Star-Spangled Ghetto
08
Loophole
09
The Seal of Confession
10
Climate of Evil
11
The Crowd Pleaser
12
Old Lady Ironsides
A high school senior is denied the chance to finish two more months of high school for a diploma, just because she has been found…
13
Fugue for Trumpet and Small Boy
14
Claire Cheval Died in Boston
15
The Last Day
16
Blacklist
Blacklist is an episode of TV program The Defenders.
17
Who'll Dig His Grave?
18
All the Silent Voices
Dr. Katherine Tasso opens a clinic and dispenses birth-control information—although she's aware that her actions violate state laws.
19
The Secret
20
The Pill Man
21
Drink Like a Lady
22
Survival
23
Moment of Truth
24
The Hidden Fury
25
Die Laughing
26
May Day! May Day!
27
The Thief
28
Yankee Go Home
29
The Man Who Saved His Country
30
Mind Over Murder
31
The Sixth Alarm
32
The Fine Line
33
The Non-Violent
34
Stowaway
35
Hollow Triumph
36
The Uncivil War
SEASON 4
01
The Seven Hundred-Year Old Gang (1)
02
The Seven Hundred-Year Old Gang (2)
03
Hero of the People
04
Go-Between
05
Conflict of Interests
06
The Man Who . . .
07
Turning Point
08
A Taste of Ashes
09
Comeback
10
The Siege
11
Whitewash
12
A Voice Loud and Clear
13
King of the Hill
14
Whipping Boy
15
Eyewitness
16
The Silent Killers
17
Death on Wheels
18
The Unwritten Law
19
The Objector
20
Fires of the Mind
After taking LSD, mentally disturbed Robert Kraft commits suicide while experiencing a hallucinatory reaction—and Dr. Byron Saul (Pleasence), who's been treating Kraft with the drug,…
21
No-Knock
22
The Merry-Go-Round Murder
23
Nobody Asks What Side You're On . . .
24
Impeachment
25
The Sworn Twelve
26
A Matter of Law and Disorder
27
Youths and Maidens on an Evening Walk
28
The Prosecutor
29
The Bum's Rush
30
Only a Child
SERIES INFO
4
Seasons
132
Episodes
60 min/ep
Per Episode
Ended
Status
CREW
Creator
Reginald Rose
NETWORKS (1)
CBS
DETAILS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is The Defenders about?
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series . It starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys who specialized in legally complex cases, with defendants such as neo-Nazis, conscientious objectors, civil rights demonstrators, a schoolteacher fired for being an atheist, an author accused of pornography, and a physician charged in a mercy killing.
Where can I watch The Defenders?
The Defenders is available on Tubi, Netflix, Prime Video. Availability varies by region.
How many seasons does The Defenders have?
The Defenders has 4 seasons with 132 episodes total.
Who created The Defenders?
The Defenders was created by Reginald Rose.
Who stars in The Defenders?
The cast of The Defenders includes E.G. Marshall, Robert Reed.
What is the rating of The Defenders?
The Defenders has a rating of 5.9 out of 10 based on 10 votes on TMDB.
Is The Defenders still running?
The Defenders has ended. The final episode aired on .
GENRES (1)
Drama