Prime Video's Best 'Lincoln Lawyer' Alternative: The Practice

Once you’ve finished The Lincoln Lawyer, Prime Video offers a clear follow-up: The Practice, David E. Kelley’s eight-season legal drama that ran from 1997 to 2004. Created for ABC, the series helped define modern courtroom storytelling and won back-to-back Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series in 1998 and 1999.

The show centers on a small Boston defense firm led by Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) and a team of lawyers who routinely take on clients others refuse to defend. Rather than glossy theatrics, episodes focus on the moral weight of defending people who may be guilty, and on the financial strain and personal sacrifice that ground the firm’s work.

Standout performances drove much of the show’s acclaim: Camryn Manheim and Michael Badalucco earned Emmys, and the series set a record for Guest Actor and Guest Actress wins, collecting nine guest acting Emmys and seven additional nominations. James Spader’s later arrival reinvigorated the cast, winning an Emmy and leading to the Boston Legal spin-off.

the practice, lincoln lawyer, prime video, david kelley, legal drama, emmys, bobby donnell, dylan mcdermott, james spader, boston legal