The cast included Ralph Bellamy and William Shatner as a father-son defense team, Steve McQueen as the defendant, and Martin Balsam as the prosecutor.

Rose later spun off the concept into a full series entitled The Defenders, starring E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed in Bellamy and Shatner's roles.

Walter Preston and his son Kenneth, the latter fresh out of law school, defend Joseph Gordon, who is charged with felony murder.

[1] The program aired as a live television play on CBS on successive Monday nights, February 25 and March 4, 1957.

[3][4] One critic objected to the decision, noting that splitting of dramas into multiple parts has the effect of "leaving audiences dangling on the cliff".

[5] Writer Reginald Rose opted for a two-parter because he felt the telling of the story required nearly two hours of air time.

[7] Showtime producer Stan Rogow hearkened back to the original program, noting that Studio One in 1957 "had a stature and tone to it, and nothing like that is done anymore".

Marshall reprised his role as Lawrence Preston for the first two films; it marked his final acting performance prior to his death.

Clips of the play were incorporated into a 2007 episode of the television series Boston Legal, which also starred William Shatner.

He praised the "superb" camera direction and Rose's "compelling" story, and compared the courtroom drama to Twelve Angry Men and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.