Petrocelli

Most of his cases involve murder, and he defends his clients mightily. Serving as his able investigator is Pete Ritter, an ex-cop cowboy. Lt. John Ponce is the local law enforcer.

What makes this show unique was that we see the crime from the different witnesses' perspectives. Five people see it five different ways. Which ones are telling it accurately, and which ones aren't? If it's the real killer (who most likely isn't the one charged) talking, his version is likely to be a boldfaced lie. But which one is that?

Petrocelli is unique in another way, as well. It was first a 1970 movie, entitled "The Lawyer". In this film, Barry Newman played an attorney who was defending a doctor accused of murdering his wife, a case loosely based on the Sam Sheppard trial. In 1974, Newman was called back to do a similar made-for-TV movie called "Night Games". Albert Salmi was now playing his investigator. This TV movie became the successful pilot for the Petrocelli series, which enabled Newman and Salmi to work together for two more years, bringing us a new intriguing case to solve every week.moreless