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  • ABC
  • Sep 19, 1995
  • ABC
  • Sep 19, 1995
Murder One

Summary One of several crime and law dramas created by Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law), Murder One boasted a then-unique concept: it would tell a single story -- that of a major murder trial -- over the course of an entire season. In the first season, Daniel Benzali portrayed the lead defense attorney, Patricia Clarkson pl...

Created By: Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee, Channing Gibson

  • ABC
  • Sep 19, 1995
  • ABC
  • Sep 19, 1995
Murder One
Season 1
Season Premiere: Sep 19, 1995
Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 25 Critic Reviews
must-watch
99
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 36 User Ratings
4.7
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary One of several crime and law dramas created by Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law), Murder One boasted a then-unique concept: it would tell a single story -- that of a major murder trial -- over the course of an entire season. In the first season, Daniel Benzali portrayed the lead defense attorney, Patricia Clarkson pl...

Created By: Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee, Channing Gibson

Where to Watch

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Sep 19, 1995 • 44 m
Chapter One
Hoffman & Associates takes on hot new case.
Episode 2 • Sep 26, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Two
Hoffman defends second man for Jessica's murder.
Episode 3 • Oct 3, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Three
Jessica's diary is turned over to Hoffman.
Episode 4 • Oct 12, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Four
Neil Avedon takes a polygraph test.
Episode 5 • Oct 19, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Five
Julie's life may be in danger.
Episode 6 • Nov 2, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Six
Julie overdoses on drugs prescribed by Dr. Lester.
Episode 7 • Nov 9, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Seven
Hoffman questions a nurse about call from Neil Avedon.
Episode 8 • Nov 16, 1995 • 45 m
Chapter Eight
Julie meets another of Dr. Lester's female patients.
Episode 9 • Dec 31, 1995 • 44 m
Chapter Nine
Teddy is convinced the trial is being manipulated.
Episode 10 • Jan 8, 1996 • 47 m
Chapter Ten
Hoffman faces a dangerous fan of Avedon.
Episode 11 • Jan 15, 1996 • 45 m
Chapter Eleven
Hoffman becomes more suspicious of Cross
Episode 12 • Jan 22, 1996 • 45 m
Chapter Twelve
A member of Hoffman's family is abducted.
Episode 13 • Feb 5, 1996 • 45 m
Chapter Thirteen
Elizabeth identifies her abductor.
Episode 14 • Feb 12, 1996 • 45 m
Chapter Fourteen
Evidence comes to light proving Richard Cross lied.
Episode 15 • Feb 19, 1996 • 44 m
Chapter Fifteen
The murder trial is halted.
Episode 16 • Mar 4, 1996 • 44 m
Chapter Sixteen
Hoffman is stunned when Julie takes the stand.
Episode 17 • Mar 11, 1996 • 46 m
Chapter Seventeen
A connection is uncovered between Cross and Dr. Lester's nurse.
Episode 18 • Mar 18, 1996 • 46 m
Chapter Eighteen
Hoffman learns of Justine's involvement with Cross.
Episode 19 • Apr 1, 1996 • 46 m
Chapter Nineteen
Cross acts strangely on the witness stand.
Episode 20 • Apr 8, 1996 • 46 m
Chapter Twenty
Justine discovers the cause of Cross' erratic behavior.
Episode 21 • Apr 22, 1996 • 45 m
Chapter Twenty-One
Even as the jury reaches a verdict, Hoffman breaks into Jessica's apartment, convinced a hidden camera is located there and that a tape of the murder most likely exists.
Episode 22 • Apr 22, 1996 • 44 m
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hoffman races to track down Richard Cross and find the missing video tape even as a terrified Neil Avedon is attacked by a fellow inmate in prison.
Episode 23 • Apr 23, 1996 • 44 m
Chapter Twenty-Three
The missing tape is discovered.

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 25 Critic Reviews
99
100% Positive
25 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 25 Critic Reviews
99
100% Positive
25 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Jan 29, 2014
Let's get this out of the way. Last fall's best new drama and this fall's best new drama have one thing in common: a 15-year-old girl. [18 Sept 1995, p.43]
By Ellen Gray FULL REVIEW
100
Jan 29, 2014
In theory and practice, Murder One is everything that's best about TV. [19 Sept 1995, p.1D]
By Matt Roush FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 36 User Ratings
4.7
47% Positive
17 Ratings
3% Mixed
1 Rating
50% Negative
18 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 36 User Ratings
4.7
47% Positive
17 Ratings
3% Mixed
1 Rating
50% Negative
18 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
Lotusdancer
Apr 22, 2021
Season one was riveting! The cast was perfect and the writing and directing some of the best on television!
Report
SEASON 1
10
MACSTAR123
Mar 30, 2015
AMAZING!!!!! Watched this series when it first came out on TV. Ordered it as box set discs to watch again, just concluded yesterday Sunday March 29th. Beautifully filmed, I agree with Daniel Belzani - what a hunk! The dark and the light shots, make it mesmeric. Keeps you gripped from first scene - the twists and the turns - the court time - the time in the practice. You are enveloped from the word go - is it him, is it her. We did not guess right. We did not want it to end. Wish it was still going. It is far superior to nearly everything in the crime/law genre. What do we do now - nothing like it?
Report
SEASON 1
100
Jan 29, 2014
Murder One is shrewdly constructed, quickly absorbing and absolutely first-rate - the best new show of fall...Terrifically scripted and perfectly cast, the show gets its biggest lift from the shaven-headed Benzali, whose brilliant performance as the principled, supremely confident Hoffman could be the best advertisement for defense attorneys since Clarence Darrow. [19 Sept 1995, p.9E]
By Tom Feran FULL REVIEW
100
Jan 29, 2014
Murder One is by far the best new drama of the season, a sensational and intelligent combination of grit, mystery and conflict. [19 Sept 1995, p.E1]
By Barry Garron FULL REVIEW
100
Jan 29, 2014
None of the fall's 41 other rookies looks capable of playing in the same league...The premiere episode is a knockout. [19 Sept 1995, p.1C]
By Ed Bark FULL REVIEW
100
Jul 12, 2013
The first case in this innovative series is terrific. [18 Sep 1995]
By Marvin Kitman FULL REVIEW
80
Jan 29, 2014
It's by no means assured that American viewers will commit themselves to what is, in effect, a very long mini-series with no tidy wrap-ups each week. But Murder One sets the stage skillfully for what promises to be the television equivalent of an absorbing excursion into a good Mary Higgins Clark mystery. I wouldn't dream of missing, at the very least, the next few episodes.
By John J. O'Connor FULL REVIEW
See All 25 Critic Reviews
10
LamontRaymond
Jan 29, 2014
One of my all-time favorite TV seasons. This is the kind of thing that would be on HBO, FX, or AMC if it were released these days. Benzali is a bad-ass, and the writing is rock solid.
Report
SEASON 1
9
benchwarmer
Mar 21, 2019
This is absolutely one of the finest seasons of television the 90’s ever produced.
Report
SEASON 1
6
MrLikeable
Jun 16, 2016
It has its moments, but TV has come a long way since the mid 90s. While the character of Richard Cross is engaging, much of the plot is not much more than soap opera. Definitely watchable, but there are much better options.
Report
SEASON 1
See All 5 User Reviews

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