The precursor to Law & Order, L.A. Law was the defining law drama of the 1980s, running from 1986 through 1994, featuring “ripped from the headlines” stories. Just as the more recent procedural has featured a litany of recognizable guest stars, so to did L.A. Law, including Vanna White, along with an amazing roster of future stars, including Lucy Liu, Jeffrey Tambor, and Don Cheadle, while the full list is far too long to list, it can be seen on IMDb.

Fans knew what to expect from each episode, with a light theme song for the more zany and humorous episodes and a bass-heavy synthesizer version for the serious episodes. The main cast featured Blair Underwood, Corbin Bernson, Harry Hamlin, Jimmy Smits, Jill Eikenberry, and in one of the later seasons, Debi Mazar. If not for the success of L.A. Law in redefining the lawyer procedural, countless shows over the last four decades would never have been greenlit.