The Defenders backdrop
Drama

The Best Episodes of The Defenders Season 1

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

Binge this in 1d 0h•Peaking at 8.6/10

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 complex cases, with defendants such as neo-Nazis, conscientious objectors, civil

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons4

All1234

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Defenders Season 1 Episode 1 - Quality of Mercy
    7.9/10(46 votes)

    #1 - Quality of Mercy

    S1:E1

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

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 2 - Killer Instinct
    8.2/10(50 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.

    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:John Vlahos

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 3 - Death Across the Counter
    8.5/10(36 votes)

    #3 - Death Across the Counter

    S1:E3

    No description available

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 4 - The Riot
    7.8/10(29 votes)

    #4 - The Riot

    S1:E4

    No description available

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Max Ehrlich

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 5 - The Young Lovers
    7.4/10(27 votes)

    #5 - The Young Lovers

    S1:E5

    No description available

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:John Vlahos

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 6 - The Boy Between
    7.5/10(25 votes)

    #6 - The Boy Between

    S1:E6

    No description available

    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:Robert Thom

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of The Defenders

    READ
  7. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 7 - 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.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Alvin Boretz

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 8 - The Accident
    7.6/10(23 votes)

    #8 - The Accident

    S1:E8

    No description available

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 9 - The Trial of Jenny Scott
    8.2/10(25 votes)

    #9 - The Trial of Jenny Scott

    S1:E9

    No description available

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Reginald Rose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 10 - The Man with the Concrete Thumb
    7.8/10(20 votes)

    #10 - The Man with the Concrete Thumb

    S1:E10

    No description available

    Director:Ralph Nelson
    Writer:Ernest Kinoy

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 11 - The Treadmill
    7.8/10(21 votes)

    #11 - The Treadmill

    S1:E11

    No description available

    Director:Don Richardson
    Writer:Peter Stone

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 12 - Perjury
    8.5/10(25 votes)

    #12 - Perjury

    S1:E12

    No description available

    Director:Boris Sagal
    Writer:Adrian Spies

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 13 - The Attack
    8.4/10(31 votes)

    #13 - The Attack

    S1:E13

    No description available

    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:John W. Bloch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 14 - The Prowler
    7.8/10(25 votes)

    #14 - The Prowler

    S1:E14

    No description available

    Director:Paul Bogart
    Writer:David Shaw

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 15 - Gideon's Follies
    6.2/10(28 votes)

    #15 - Gideon's Follies

    S1:E15

    No description available

    Director:Franklin J. Schaffner
    Writer:Robert J. Crean

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 16 - The Best Defense
    8.1/10(21 votes)

    #16 - The Best Defense

    S1:E16

    No description available

    Director:Paul Stanley
    Writer:Ernest Kinoy

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 17 - The Bedside Murder
    8.6/10(24 votes)

    #17 - The Bedside Murder

    S1:E17

    No description available

    Director:Fielder Cook
    Writer:Max Ehrlich

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 18 - The Search
    8.4/10(24 votes)

    #18 - The Search

    S1:E18

    No description available

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Reginald Rose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 19 - Storm at Birch Glen
    7.9/10(18 votes)

    #19 - Storm at Birch Glen

    S1:E19

    No description available

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Jerome Ross

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 20 - The Point Shaver
    8.2/10(16 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.

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Mann Rubin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 21 - The Locked Room
    8.3/10(19 votes)

    #21 - The Locked Room

    S1:E21

    No description available

    Director:David Greene
    Writer:Ernest Kinoy

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 22 - The Empty Chute
    8.0/10(17 votes)

    #22 - The Empty Chute

    S1:E22

    No description available

    Director:Jack Smight
    Writer:Max Ehrlich

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 23 - The Crusader
    8.3/10(13 votes)

    #23 - The Crusader

    S1:E23

    No description available

    Director:Daniel Petrie
    Writer:Jerome Ross

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 24 - The Hickory Indian
    7.8/10(16 votes)

    #24 - The Hickory Indian

    S1:E24

    No description available

    Director:Stuart Rosenberg
    Writer:David Karp

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. The Defenders Season 1 Episode 25 - The Iron Man
    8.1/10(14 votes)

    #25 - The Iron Man

    S1:E25

    No description available

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:David Davidson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Quality of Mercy" is the best rated episode of "The Defenders" season 1. It scored 7.9/10 based on 46 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".