By Blake Ward
From morally-flexible barristers to overworked prosecutors, small suburban firms to high-profile murder trials, Australia has quietly built a television universe where the legal profession is just as dramatic, scandalous, and darkly funny as we secretly hoped.
This guide rounds up the best (and quirkiest) legal dramas, comedies and dramedies the country has to offer. Whether you’re here for the laughs, the law, or the lawyers who probably should’ve been disbarred three seasons ago, there should be something out there for you.
Rake (2010–2018)
He’s not just a criminal lawyer. He’s a criminal lawyer.
Description:
Cleaver Greene is a barrister by trade and a catastrophe by nature. With a gift for courtroom theatrics and a self-destructive streak a mile wide, Cleaver juggles defending Sydney’s most unsavoury criminals with alienating friends, dodging creditors, and engaging in wildly inappropriate relationships, including, memorably, one with the Premier of New South Wales (not Chris Minns, to be clear). If charisma were admissible in court, he’d be unstoppable.
Sidebar: I recently asked a NSW judge whether the NSW bar is really like it is in Rake. Let’s just say I got the impression there are a few Cleavers out there.
My review:
Rake is what happens when high-functioning dysfunction meets the NSW Bar (so the NSW bar, I suppose). Richard Roxburgh struts through each episode with a roguish charm that somehow makes you forgive the fact he is, objectively, a terrible human being. The later seasons do lean into the absurd (one plot involves cannibalism, another involves the victim’s membrum virile as they refer to it in the show), but that’s sort of the point. No matter the plot line, the show’s beating heart is always Cleaver, swaggering into court five minutes late and five wines (or lines) deep. Regrettably, the last season is not a legal comedy but a political one — still worth sticking around for, even if it doesn’t strictly meet the criteria of this guide.
Pros:
- Scathing wit
- Richard Roxburgh clearly having the time of his life
- A rogue’s gallery of scandalous cameos
Cons:
- Let’s just say it’s ethically fluid
- Strong language, stronger substance use
- Possibly not the best source of CPD points
Where to watch: Netflix, Stan, ABC iView
The Twelve (2022–)
12 jurors. 1200 poor life choices.
Description:
Every season, a new trial. Twelve fresh jurors. One murder. Sam Neill. And countless secrets. While the courtroom ticks along with forensic precision, the real drama bubbles beneath the surface of the jury box, where personal chaos tends to leak out mid-trial.
My review:
This isn’t your average courtroom drama. It’s more like a slow-boil psychological stew. You arrive for the whodunnit but end up staying for the jurors’ private disasters: affairs, family secrets, and just general messiness. Sam Neill lends gravitas with his usual steely flair, but it’s the ensemble of jury misfits that steal the show. A fascinating study of how real humans (wildly imperfect and emotionally confused) process crime, evidence and each other.
Pros:
- Refreshingly realistic legal procedure
- Sam Neill looking deeply disappointed in everyone
- A rare legal show where you care more about the bystanders than the barristers
- Next episode is released on Monday (I promise I don’t get paid for any Binge subscriptions that result but I wouldn’t object if any TV execs are reading this)
Cons:
- Graphic content
- Will make you side-eye every fellow juror should you ever be summoned
Where to watch: Binge
Crownies (2011)
Like The Office, but with more murder and case citations.
Description:
A backstage pass to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in NSW, where young lawyers (and a few not so young ones) juggle grim criminal cases, awkward workplace dynamics, and occasionally each other.
My review:
If Legally Blonde had a love child with Law & Order and then raised it in Sydney, you’d get something like Crownies. It’s a bit of everything: part soap, part courtroom drama, part HR disaster. One minute you’re laughing at office banter; the next, you’re knee-deep in a disturbing child abuse case. The tone sometimes jerks you around like a rollercoaster designed by lawyers on a deadline, but if you’ve worked in a law office, you’ll feel right at home.
Pros:
- Snappy dialogue
- Surprisingly accurate legal references (yes, they cite actual case law!)
- Excellent at capturing the incestuous vibe of small legal circles
Cons:
- Can’t decide if it wants to be a sitcom or a psychological thriller
- Occasional tonal whiplash
Where to watch: ABC iView
Janet King (2014–2017)
The courtroom gladiator we didn’t know we needed.
Description:
A spinoff from Crownies, this series follows senior prosecutor Janet King as she tackles corruption, terrorism, and institutional rot, all while maintaining the world’s most intimidating gaze.
My review:
Janet King doesn’t enter a room; she commandeers it. Marta Dusseldorp plays the role with such commanding poise you’ll find yourself standing to attention from your couch. While the plots often veer into the dramatically implausible (terror cells and corporate corruption and sex scandals), the show remains gripping. Think The West Wing meets NCIS, but with more robes and jabots.
Pros:
- Marta Dusseldorp is a one-woman powerhouse
- Intensely dramatic and unapologetically bold
- Plenty of plot for your procedural-loving brain to chew on
Cons:
- Often takes itself very seriously
- Occasionally crosses into melodrama territory
Where to watch: Netflix, ABC iView
Fisk (2021–)
Death, wills, and very awkward small talk.
Description:
Disgraced corporate lawyer and daughter of a renowned Supreme Court Judge Helen Tudor-Fisk finds herself working in a poky suburban firm that specialises in wills and estates. There are no murder trials here. It’s just paperwork, passive-aggressive clients, and the occasional urn of possum ashes.
My review:
Fisk is like a lemon tart: sharp, dry, and surprisingly comforting. Kitty Flanagan brings a delightfully deadpan sensibility to Helen, who is navigating a world of petty complaints, strange office rituals, and legally binding dysfunction. It’s less about legal thrills and more about the tragicomic mundanity of real legal practice (with the occasional joke at the expense of the tote-carrying residents of Melbourne’s inner city). If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes arguing over a misplaced comma in a contract, this one’s for you.
Pros:
- Wry, understated humour
- Kitty Flanagan is perfection
- Extremely relatable to anyone who’s ever worked in a small firm
Cons:
- Focused on probate law (yes, it’s as dry as it sounds, intentionally)
- Not for those craving drama or danger
Where to watch: ABC iview, Netflix (but maybe support Aunty instead!)
Safe Home (2023)
Not a legal comedy. Not even close.
Description:
If most of the shows on this list are legal dramas with a touch of absurdity, Safe Home is a sobering reminder of the real-world stakes behind legal systems, particularly for those affected by family violence. The story follows Phoebe Rook, a young media advisor who leaves her role at a prestigious commercial firm to take a job at a community legal centre, only to discover that raising awareness comes with confronting some brutal truths. The series doesn’t stop with her: it also gives space to the experiences of the many faces of family violence, including the elderly, migrants, and everyone else navigating violence from within systems meant to protect them. There’s a brief detour into the dark side of corporate law, but the focus here is firmly on survival, justice, and the gaps in between.
My review:
You won’t laugh. You probably won’t even look at your phone. Safe Home is intense, intelligent, and deeply affecting. It’s also one of the few Australian legal dramas that gets community legal work right, not a footnote to “real” lawyering, but as a lifeline. It pulls no punches, but it also avoids sensationalism, grounding every case in the emotional and legal complexity that comes with it. You might come away feeling slightly worse about the world but you’ll be glad you watched it.
Pros:
- Vital storytelling about family violence
- Realistic portrayal of community legal work
- Nuanced, compassionate characters
Cons:
- Heavy subject matter — not one to binge over lunch
Where to watch: SBS On Demand
Final Verdict
If you’re after gritty realism, try The Twelve. If you prefer your justice system with a side of irreverence, Rake or Fisk will hit the sweet spot. If you’re just here for Marta Dusseldorp’s icy stare, Janet King and Crownies deliver. And if you want something grounded, gut-wrenching, and unflinchingly real, Safe Home is the one to watch.
Whether you’re studying law, working in it, or just enjoy watching fictional people make terrible legal decisions, the Australian legal drama has a little something for everyone. Or at least enough Latin phrases and bad decisions to keep you entertained until the next royal commission (hopefully with Justice Hayne dusting off his robes for one last rodeo, if only for the awkward photo op with the Treasurer).
Purely Dicta 