Shows Like ‘War’ to Watch Next if You Want More High Stakes Legal Drama
The legal drama ‘War’ premieres on HBO on Thursday, October 1, and streams on HBO Max as well, and viewers looking for shows like ‘War’ have plenty of courtroom series to sample while new episodes roll out. The eight episode first season tracks a collision between two of London’s top law firms, Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne. At the center is the divorce of tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson, played by Dominic West, and film star Carla Duval, played by Sienna Miller.
TheWrap’s review notes that creator George Kay’s earlier shows leaned on action, while this one relies entirely on dramatic storytelling. Another critic described it as part law procedural and part scandal soap. The picks below share that appetite for rivalry, ambition and public scandal.
‘Anatomy of a Scandal’
Sienna Miller also stars in this one, which makes it the most direct companion to ‘War’. It follows a British Tory MP caught in an affair scandal while his wife, played by Miller, faces the truth and intense press scrutiny. The limited series works as both a psychological thriller and a courtroom drama set among the British elite. David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson created it for Netflix.
‘The Undoing’
HBO subscribers can stay close to home with this miniseries. It stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, was written by David E. Kelley, and premiered on HBO in 2020. Kidman plays a New York therapist whose outwardly perfect life, shared with an oncologist husband, begins to come apart. It was HBO’s most watched show that year.
‘Silk’
This BBC series offers a British view of legal rivalry. It follows barristers from a set of criminal law chambers in London and ran for three series. Maxine Peake plays a barrister competing for the rank of Queen’s Counsel against a rival colleague. Nina Sosanya is part of the cast, and she also plays Beatrice Ubosi in ‘War’.
‘Suits’
The New York answer to cutthroat firm politics is hard to skip. It centers on a prestigious law firm in New York City. The series ran for nine seasons and was followed by a spinoff called ‘Pearson’. One outlet has already described ‘War’ as a faster, more caffeinated version of ‘Suits’.
‘The Good Fight’
This series is built around reputation and recovery. Its central characters are working to recover from a very public scandal, and the show frames that as a story of empowerment. TVLine’s list argues it plays best as a legal and political drama judged on its own terms, apart from the show that came before it.
‘Damages’
Season long storytelling is the draw here. Rather than juggling weekly cases, it dives into a single conflict, using flashbacks to show what led up to it and what followed. Glenn Close and Rose Byrne headline the cast. It premiered on FX in 2007 and ran five seasons.
‘The Good Wife’
This CBS series sets a standard many newer legal shows are measured against. It is a legal and political drama that began airing in September 2009. One ranking still counts it among the most beloved legal dramas. A reviewer of ‘Silk’ even used it as the benchmark for how legal office politics should be handled.
‘Goliath’
Billy Bob Thornton leads this series. It is regularly named among the best lawyer shows around. Looper notes that the premise has McBride return to a career he abandoned for a sound moral reason, which gives it a different tone from its peers. It also improves with each season and counts among Thornton’s best television work.
‘Boston Legal’
A lighter touch defines this entry. It is a spinoff in which a lawyer named Shore joins the Boston firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt, which handles both criminal and civil cases. One list says it found a way to make legal stakes fun again without ignoring the consequences.
‘How to Get Away with Murder’
Youthful ambition links this series to ‘War’. It was created by Peter Nowalk and premiered on ABC in September 2014. Den of Geek suggests part of its appeal is that its lawyers are young and good looking. That recalls Johnny Warren, the ambitious young lawyer at the heart of ‘War’.
Each of these series offers a different angle on the same appeal, whether that is courtroom rivalry, public scandal or the ambition that drives a junior lawyer. Readers who have already watched the opening episode of ‘War’ might tell us in the comments which of these shows would make the most formidable opponent for Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne.
