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The Best Episodes of The Defenders Season 1

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Every episode of The Defenders Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Defenders Season 1!

The Best Episodes of The Defenders Season 1

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...

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  1. Background image for Quality of Mercy
    7.9/10(43 votes)

    #1 - Quality of Mercy

    S1:E1

    Dr. Bill Conrad's patient, Leona Warner, delivers a baby with Down Syndrome.

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose
  2. Background image for Killer Instinct
    8.2/10(48 votes)

    #2 - Killer Instinct

    S1:E2

    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 was trained to kill.

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    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:John Vlahos
  3. Background image for Death Across the Counter
    8.4/10(35 votes)

    #3 - Death Across the Counter

    S1:E3

    No description available

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose
  4. Background image for The Riot
    7.8/10(29 votes)

    #4 - The Riot

    S1:E4

    No description available

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Max Ehrlich
  5. Background image for The Young Lovers
    7.3/10(27 votes)

    #5 - The Young Lovers

    S1:E5

    No description available

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:John Vlahos
  6. Background image for The Boy Between
    7.5/10(25 votes)

    #6 - The Boy Between

    S1:E6

    No description available

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    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:Robert Thom
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  7. Background image for The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms
    8.1/10(29 votes)

    #7 - The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms

    S1:E7

    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 on the witness stand as the Prestons are questioning him.

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    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Alvin Boretz
  8. Background image for The Accident
    7.3/10(22 votes)

    #8 - The Accident

    S1:E8

    No description available

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose
  9. Background image for The Trial of Jenny Scott
    8.0/10(25 votes)

    #9 - The Trial of Jenny Scott

    S1:E9

    No description available

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose
  10. Background image for The Man with the Concrete Thumb
    7.8/10(18 votes)

    #10 - The Man with the Concrete Thumb

    S1:E10

    No description available

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    Director:Ralph Nelson
    Writer:Ernest Kinoy
  11. Background image for The Treadmill
    7.5/10(20 votes)

    #11 - The Treadmill

    S1:E11

    No description available

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    Director:Don Richardson
    Writer:Peter Stone
  12. Background image for Perjury
    8.4/10(25 votes)

    #12 - Perjury

    S1:E12

    No description available

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    Director:Boris Sagal
    Writer:Adrian Spies
  13. Background image for The Attack
    8.3/10(31 votes)

    #13 - The Attack

    S1:E13

    No description available

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    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:John W. Bloch
  14. Background image for The Prowler
    7.7/10(24 votes)

    #14 - The Prowler

    S1:E14

    No description available

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    Director:Paul Bogart
    Writer:David Shaw
  15. Background image for Gideon's Follies
    6.5/10(26 votes)

    #15 - Gideon's Follies

    S1:E15

    No description available

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    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:Robert J. Crean
  16. Background image for The Best Defense
    7.9/10(21 votes)

    #16 - The Best Defense

    S1:E16

    No description available

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    Director:Paul Stanley
    Writer:Ernest Kinoy
  17. Background image for The Bedside Murder
    8.3/10(24 votes)

    #17 - The Bedside Murder

    S1:E17

    No description available

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    Director:Fielder Cook
    Writer:Max Ehrlich
  18. Background image for The Search
    8.2/10(24 votes)

    #18 - The Search

    S1:E18

    No description available

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    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Reginald Rose
  19. Background image for Storm at Birch Glen
    7.8/10(18 votes)

    #19 - Storm at Birch Glen

    S1:E19

    No description available

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    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Jerome Ross
  20. Background image for The Point Shaver
    7.9/10(15 votes)

    #20 - The Point Shaver

    S1:E20

    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, are hired to defend Phillips before the State's Senate Rackets Committee.

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Mann Rubin
  21. Background image for The Locked Room
    8.1/10(19 votes)

    #21 - The Locked Room

    S1:E21

    No description available

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    Director:David Greene
    Writer:Ernest Kinoy
  22. Background image for The Empty Chute
    7.7/10(17 votes)

    #22 - The Empty Chute

    S1:E22

    No description available

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    Director:Jack Smight
    Writer:Max Ehrlich
  23. Background image for The Crusader
    7.6/10(12 votes)

    #23 - The Crusader

    S1:E23

    No description available

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    Director:Daniel Petrie
    Writer:Jerome Ross
  24. Background image for The Hickory Indian
    7.5/10(16 votes)

    #24 - The Hickory Indian

    S1:E24

    No description available

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    Director:Stuart Rosenberg
    Writer:David Karp
  25. Background image for The Iron Man
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    #25 - The Iron Man

    S1:E25

    No description available

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    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:David Davidson

Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Quality of Mercy" is the best rated episode of "The Defenders" season 1. It scored 7.9/10 based on 43 votes. Directed by Buzz Kulik and written by Reginald Rose, it aired on 9/16/1961. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Killer Instinct".