The Defenders
Genre
Created by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producers
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 22, 2010 (2010-09-22) –
March 11, 2011 (2011-03-11)

The Defenders is an American legal comedy-drama television series that was ordered to series by CBS for the 2010–11 television season.[1][2] The series originally ran from September 22, 2010, to March 11, 2011. Set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the show involves a pair of defense attorneys who go all out to help their clients while keeping their personal lives in order. The show is loosely based on real-life Vegas lawyers Michael Cristalli and Marc Saggese.[3][4] This series is not related to the 1960s CBS series of the same name.

In October 2010, CBS announced that the show had been picked up for a 18-episode season with the option to produce a full 22-episode season.[5] In January 2011, CBS announced that The Defenders was moving from its Wednesday timeslot to the Friday timeslot vacated by Medium which aired on NBC and then CBS for seven seasons, with Blue Bloods temporarily moving to the timeslot The Defenders vacated. Blue Bloods returned to its Friday timeslot in February 2011 owing to the series premiere of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. The Defenders aired the last six episodes of its season on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern/7:00 p.m. Central.[6] Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell star as the defense attorneys of the show's title.

On May 15, 2011, CBS canceled the series after one season.[7]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Davis GuggenheimKevin Kennedy & Niels MuellerSeptember 22, 2010 (2010-09-22)12.09[9]
Las Vegas attorneys Nick Morelli and Pete Kaczmarek defend a murder client.
2"Las Vegas v. Reid"Jeff MelmanPeter NoahSeptember 29, 2010 (2010-09-29)10.41[10]
Nick defends a mother who killed a jogger while driving.
3"Nevada v. Carter"Jeff MelmanPeter NoahOctober 6, 2010 (2010-10-06)9.28[11]
Nick defends a dancer at a strip club.
4"Nevada v. Cerrato"Charlie HaidBrett ConradOctober 13, 2010 (2010-10-13)9.90[12]
Nick takes on an arson case. Pete defends a drunk gambler who lost millions.
5"Nevada v. Senator Harper"Jeff ThomasJacqueline Hoyt & Bruce RasmussenOctober 20, 2010 (2010-10-20)10.03[13]
Pete and Nick defend a state senator who is accused of murdering his mistress.
6"Nevada v. Rodgers"Jamie BabbitKevin Kennedy & Niels MuellerOctober 27, 2010 (2010-10-27)9.80[14]
Nick defends a getaway driver's charge of attempted murder. Pete pleas for a man who stole Elvis collectables.
7"Las Vegas v. Johnson"Tim BusfieldCarolina PaizNovember 3, 2010 (2010-11-03)9.94[15]
Pete and Nick defend a celebrity murder case.
8"Nevada v. Killa Diz"Rod HolcombBrett ConradNovember 10, 2010 (2010-11-10)8.40[16]
Nick defends a rapper. Pete bargains with the FBI for an internet hacker.
9"Whitten v. Fenlee"Christine MoorePeter Noah & Bruce RasmussenNovember 17, 2010 (2010-11-17)9.43[17]
A man dies on a construction site and his wife sues the company with Nick as her lawyer. Another man, represented by Pete, tries to get himself out of trouble after exposing a magician's secret.
10"Nevada v. Dennis"Matt Earl BeesleyJacqueline HoytDecember 8, 2010 (2010-12-08)10.54[18]
A man gets in trouble for dealing with guns with filed-off serial numbers. Nick tries to stop a bear from being put to sleep.
11"Nevada v. Reily"Richard J. LewisKevin KennedyDecember 15, 2010 (2010-12-15)10.29[19]
A man who used to play football gets in trouble for assault. Meanwhile, Pete is not happy that his father decides to come visit.
12"Nevada v. Wayne"Greg BeemanBruce RasmussenJanuary 12, 2011 (2011-01-12)6.81[20]
Nick defends a young man he knows who is accused of sexual assault, while Pete gets jury duty.
13"Nevada v. Donnie The Numbers Guy"John ShowalterBrett ConradFebruary 4, 2011 (2011-02-04)8.71[21]
A man returns to prove he is innocent of murdering his wife seventeen years after he skipped his trial.
14"Nevada v. Doug the Mule"Charlie HaidCarolina PaizFebruary 11, 2011 (2011-02-11)7.91[22]
Nick and Pete defend a young man who has been duped by a woman to smuggle a car full of cocaine across the Mexican border.
15"Nevada v. Hunter"Brad SilberlingNiels MuellerFebruary 18, 2011 (2011-02-18)8.47[23]
Facing 30 counts of possession of a controlled substance, an overconfident judge turns to Nick, who has no choice but to try to get him acquitted of the charges.
16"Noland v. Galloway Pharmaceuticals"Christine MooreMatt PayneFebruary 25, 2011 (2011-02-25)8.68[24]
The firm represents a teenager who took the wrong dosage of a medication.
17"Nevada v. Greene"Charlie HaidKevin KennedyMarch 4, 2011 (2011-03-04)8.59[25]
The firm represents a partier who is accused of murdering a woman while under the influence of alcohol.
18"Morelli v. Kaczmarek"Paul McCraneNiels MuellerMarch 11, 2011 (2011-03-11)8.38[26]
The firm temporarily dissolves its partnership when they have to defend a husband and wife accused of murder.

References

  1. ^ The Futon Critic Staff (May 17, 2010). "CBS Welcomes Four to Freshman Class". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  2. ^ CBS (May 19, 2010). "CBS Announces 2010–2011 Primetime Schedule" (Press release). The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  3. ^ Starr, Michael (June 26, 2010). "Vegas attorneys inspire 'The Defenders' on CBS". New York Post. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  4. ^ Katsilometes, John (October 2, 2010). "'The Defenders' calls on Cristalli & Saggese to make Vegas its home court". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 21, 2010). "CBS Gives Full-Season Orders To All 5 Freshman Series: 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Blue Bloods', 'Defenders', 'Mike & Molly' & '$#*!'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  6. ^ CBS (July 22, 2010). "CBS Announces 2010–2011 Premiere Dates" (Press release). The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  7. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 15, 2011). "'The Defenders,' 'S#*! My Dad Says,' and 'Mad Love' Canceled By CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  8. ^ "Dan Aykroyd to Reunite with Jim Belushi on The Defenders". TVGuide.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  9. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 23, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: 'The Middle,' 'Modern Family,' 'Cougar Town,' 'Undercovers' All See Small Gains". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 17, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  10. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 30, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: Better With You, The Middle, Modern Family, Survivor, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: LA Adjusted Up; Cougar Town, Whole Truth Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  11. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 7, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: 'Survivor,' 'The Middle,' 'Modern Family,' 'SVU,' 'The Defenders' Up; 'Cougar Town,' 'The Whole Truth' Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  12. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 14, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: Survivor, Middle, Modern Family, L&O:SVU, Top Model Adjusted Up; 20/20, Undercovers Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 17, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  13. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 21, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: Survivor, Buster Posey (NLCS), Criminal Minds The Defenders, Law & Order: SVU Adjusted Up; The Whole Truth Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 17, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  14. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 28, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: Survivor: Nicaragua, The Middle Adjusted Up; The Whole Truth Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 4, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  16. ^ Gorman, Bill (November 11, 2010). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Criminal Minds, America's Next Top Model Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  17. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 18, 2010). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Modern Family', 'Criminal Minds' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  18. ^ Gorman, Bill (December 9, 2010). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Modern Family,' 'The Sing Off' Adjusted Up; 'The Middle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 17, 2010). "Updated Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Criminal Minds,' 'Human Target' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  20. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 13, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle' Adjusted Down; 'Off The Map' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  21. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 7, 2011). "Friday Finals: No Adjustments for 'Fringe,' 'Supernatural,' 'Smallville' or Any Other Show's 18-49 Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  22. ^ Gorman, Bill (February 14, 2011). "Friday Finals: 'CSI:NY' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment For 'Fringe,' 'Smallville,' 'Supernatural'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  23. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2011). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Blue Bloods' Falls; No Adjustments for 'Fringe,' 'Smallville' and 'Supernatural". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  24. ^ Gorman, Bill (February 28, 2011). "Friday Final Ratings: 'CSI:NY' Adjusted Up; No Adjustments For 'Fringe,' 'Supernatural,' 'Smallville'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  25. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 7, 2011). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Smallville' Adjusted Down, 20/20 Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  26. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 14, 2011). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Defenders,' 'CSI:NY,' 'Blue Bloods,' 'Supernanny' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment For 'Fringe'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.

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