From the popular Indian show ‘Maamla Legal Hai’ to the American web series ‘Suits’, here are a few mind-blowing shows that keep you engaged while unfolding the complexity of law.
1. Maamla Legal Hai
An eight-part series that released in 2024, ‘Maamla Legal Hai’ stars the Bhojpuri star and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan as V D Tyagi. The president of the Patparganj Bar Association, Tyagi, sets his sights on winning the Delhi Bar Association election.
The show picks up everyday, almost absurd disputes and turns them into sharp, funny episodes about law and society. It balances humour with real legal angles and just enough poignancy to remind you that these are human lives, not just files.
The eight-part series, ‘Maamla Legal Hai’, released in 2024. (AI-enhanced image)
The series starts with an episode where a man seeks a divorce because his wife was not coy on their wedding night.
The other episodes include even more unique cases involving a parrot abusing a woman, a female prisoner desiring not only to tie the knot but also to consummate her marriage, and a groom’s father, adamant on getting his son’s marriage annulled.
The show also shows the complexity of the legal profession, with lawyers coming up with different ways to make or break their cases, position and reputation before their clients.
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Beyond the focus on legal matters, the show presents a world of individuals with their desires, dreams, and struggles.
‘Maamla Legal Hai’ is set to return with its second edition on April 3 this year.
2. Trial by Fire (Uphaar Cinema Tragedy)
Based on the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire, which claimed 59 lives, the 2023 series ‘Trial by Fire’ stars Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol, who play Neelam and Shekhar, a couple who lost their two children to the tragedy and fought a long legal battle for justice.
Through Neelam’s perspective, the seven-part web series reflects both personal grief and the legal struggle for justice. The first few episodes portray the family’s life and dreams, followed by the devastating shock of loss.
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The fateful evening of June 13, 1997, resulted in the death of 59 people and saw over 100 others suffer injuries as a fire engulfed Uphaar Cinema in South Delhi. The families of the victims meet annually to remember their loved ones.
The matter was in the news again last year when a Delhi court directed the framing of charges against the cinema hall owner for procuring a passport on “false information.”
Inspired by the best-selling book Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the web series takes one through grief, blending bitterness and moments of hope with the nuances of the legal system.
3. Criminal Justice
This gripping courtroom drama has received widespread appreciation from audiences, with four of its seasons already out for binge-watching. Released initially in 2019, ‘Criminal Justice’ is a remake of the BBC series of the same name and was also made into The Night Of, a miniseries for HBO.
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The show has eight episodes in every season, where you mostly see the famous character of Madhav Mishra, played by Pankaj Tripathi. The character has a refreshing sense of relatability that can also become repetitive at times.
The Criminal Justice show has eight episodes in every season. (AI-generated image)
Its writing blends with the cast’s spot-on performances, offering insights into crime, trial, and justice. Every season highlights the common man’s journey through various steps of police procedure, remand, judicial custody, and hearings, presented with detailed realism and emotional depth.
Since the show’s fourth season wrapped up in 2025, audiences have been eagerly waiting for the fifth season to drop.
4. Guilty Minds
Starring Shriya Pilgaonkar and Karishma Tanna, ‘Guilty Minds‘, the 10-episode legal drama from 2022, is an entertaining and thought-provoking series that portrays critical aspects of legal trials, like the cross-examination of witnesses, while reflecting the attitude of a woman towards criminals and perpetrators.
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We see cases involving a coal company accused of triggering drought in a Maharashtrian village, copyright fights, #MeToo‑like allegations, and questions about consent and technology. The show’s courtroom scenes take cross‑examination seriously, and the makers are comfortable letting legal arguments and evidence carry the story forward rather than just melodrama.
With dialogues like “Pehle sawaal poochhne par humein vidrohi kehte the, ab deshdrohi (Earlier, when we asked questions, we were called rebels. Now we are called traitors),” the show captures not only the mood of the times but also the anxiety many lawyers feel when they take up unpopular causes.
5. Suits
No list of legal shows is complete without ‘Suits’. One of the most popular series revolving around legal firms and nuances, the show featuring Gabriel Macht as the charismatic attorney Harvey Specter and Patrick J Adams as his protégé Mike Ross, had an ardent fan following throughout its nine seasons, and became a worldwide phenomenon with its debut on Netflix in 2023.
The American show “Suits” became a worldwide phenomenon with its debut on Netflix in 2023. (AI-enhanced image)
Manhattan corporate lawyer Specter hires Mike Ross, a brilliant college dropout with a photographic memory, as his associate. The catch? Mike has no law degree. What follows are high-stakes legal cases, even as they desperately attempt to conceal Mike’s secret, combining legal drama with office politics. The show’s viewership also spiked when Meghan Markle, who plays a key role, married British royal Prince Harry.
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Legal shows unfolding human story
All these legal dramas are not just about arguments and dramatic gavel‑bangs. They also mirror the struggle, frustration and courage of those who fight legal battles, and the everyday humour that helps the legal fraternity survive yet another “tarikh”.
They take you deep into the emotional worlds of litigants, lawyers and judges as they navigate each case with their own personal challenges and emotional upheavals.
Whether the story is set in Manhattan or Patparganj, each of these shows are reminder that every case file is not just law, crime, and legal proceeding, it is the human story unfolding with their passion, grief and challenges.
The eight-part series, ‘Maamla Legal Hai’, released in 2024. (AI-enhanced image)
The Trial by Fire show is based on the book written by Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who lost her two children in the Uphaar Cinema fire. (File Photo)
The Criminal Justice show has eight episodes in every season. (AI-generated image)
Guilty mind is an entertaining and thought-provoking series. (Ai-enhanced image)
The American show “Suits” became a worldwide phenomenon with its debut on Netflix in 2023. (AI-enhanced image)