Previewing Criminal Defense

Most lawyer shows like to rip plots “from the headlines” but Criminal Defense does not need to do that because those charged on their show are the headlines. The show follows five actual public defenders (better known as the “If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you” attorney) who work in Brooklyn, which sees 80,000 arrests a year. Criminal Defense premieres tonight with back to back episodes at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel.

Unlike the scripted version where the legal lingo can get confusing, Criminal Defense will often explain Pop-Up Video all the legal term that the layman may not understand. You also learn some interesting facts about the legal system like on average it take 415 days from arrest to a verdict is reached (so much for right to a speedy trial which almost always gets waived).

For tonight’s premiere, one of the public defenders is tasked with defending a mother who is accused of stabbing a cab driver while another is accused with beating a neighbor. In the other episode, a simple case becomes more complicated when an outstanding warrant is found while another case involves a murder where the video that was supposed to help, may actually make things worse. These are just a few cases these public defenders are working on in front of the camera of the 80-120 cases they are working on at one time.

Criminal Defense airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel.