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TV series

Public Defender

Latest episode

S2 E43 · Failure

About Public Defender

Public Defender is a drama TV series that premiered on CBS on March 11, 1954. It has 2 seasons and 69 episodes so far and has ended. The latest episode, Season 2 Episode 43 "Failure", aired on June 23, 1955.

The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.

  • Drama

Last updated

Episodes

69 episodes · 2 seasons

Season 1

1954 · 26 episodes · Last episode: 72 years ago

Public Defender Season 1 release dates →
  1. E26

    26. The Last Appeal

    Finale
  2. E25

    25. Little Egypt

  3. E24

    24. Think No Evil

    A young man is arrested for robbery but claims he's innocent. The public defender's office goes to Las Vegas, where the man claims he was, to check up on his story. They find some disturbing news.

  4. E23

    23. Baby for Sale

  5. E22

    22. Lisa

  6. E21

    21. High Stakes

  7. E20

    20. The Escape

  8. E19

    19. Call in the Night

  9. E18

    18. Out of the Past (aka Fifteen-Year Secret)

  10. E17

    17. Third Floor Rear

  11. E16

    16. Youth Crime Ring

  12. E15

    15. The Hobo Story

  13. E14

    14. Confession of Guilt

    A woman confesses to shooting her ex-husband and is to stand trial for murder. Her boyfriend tells the public defender what really happened.

  14. E13

    13. The Auto Accident

  15. E12

    12. The Stepchild

  16. E11

    11. Pauper's Gold

  17. E10

    10. Let Justice Be Done

  18. E9

    9. Badge of Honor

  19. E8

    8. Two Brothers

  20. E7

    7. Behind Bars

  21. E6

    6. The Clown

  22. E5

    5. The Prize Fighter Story

  23. E4

    4. The Forger

  24. E3

    3. Lost Cause

  25. E2

    2. The Unfit Mother

  26. E1

    1. The Case of the Parolee

Season 2

1954 · 43 episodes · Last episode: 71 years ago

Public Defender Season 2 release dates →
  1. E43

    43. Failure

    Finale
  2. E42

    42. The Jockey and the Nun

    Joey leaves his orphanage to be a jockey when an encounter with hotel owner Mr. Barry gets him returned. But after the hotel is burned Joey is arrested. Only Sister Anthony continues to believe him during the trial.

  3. E41

    41. The Bad Ones

    A 'Good Kid' gets caught up with the wrong crowd and his parents seem unable to do anything About it.

  4. E40

    40. Story of Nora Fulton

    Matthews defends an ex-policeman's daughter when she is accused of murdering her boyfriend.

  5. E39

    39. Operation: CLEAT

    Law enforcement agencies from the U.S. and Mexico join forces after the public defenders' office uncovers a car theft ring that is connected to drug trafficking.

  6. E38

    38. Condemned

    An alcoholic vagrant is charged with the murder of a police officer.

  7. E37

    37. Eight Out of a Hundred

  8. E36

    36. Clifford Pike

    A man admits to murdering his aunt and grandmother, claiming insanity. But the case goes through all twists and turns before the amazing truth is revealed.

  9. E35

    35. End of the Line

    An elderly Public Defender determines to keep busy during the weeks until his retirement comes through. He puts himself at great odds to keep a man from being sent to prison. Bart Matthews comes to his aid.

  10. E34

    34. A Pair of Gloves

    Flippant small time hood and three time loser Allie Kilgore claims he bought out of town a pair of gloves that are the like the pair he is accused of taking in a home burglary.

  11. E33

    33. The Stepfather

    A teenage boy, stepson of the Police Chief, is arrested for breaking into a gas station. The Chief is convinced he can help him. Bart steps in to help and all is resolved in the end when the Chief faces the boy down.

  12. E32

    32. The Sapphire Mink

    A young modal is arrested for stealing a mink, but she says she had permission to wear it.

  13. E31

    31. Time to Kill

    When Peter Stone hears that a murder suspect fits his description, his extreme paranoia leads him to take actions that make him appear guilty. He is eventually convicted of a murder he had nothing to do with. Matthews appeals his case.

  14. E30

    30. Cornered

    An upcoming prizefighter wants to turn himself into Matthews for parole violation but the threats of small time hoodlums and the actions of a clueless police officer cause things to go wrong.

  15. E29

    29. Brutality

    A man arrested for robbery swears he's innocent and only signed the confession because the arresting officer beat him up.

  16. E28

    28. The Hitchhiker

    A soldier about to ship out of the country is on his way home to his pregnant wife. He gets a ride with a woman who takes him as far as the car rental place. Later that night, the man and his wife are arrested for stealing the car and hitting an old, blind woman. The Public Defender searches for the young woman who gave him a ride, but she seems to not exist.

  17. E27

    27. A Knowledge of Astronomy

    An error in reading the stars provides the key clue in unraveling crimes committed at an oil drilling site.

  18. E26

    26. Jackpot

    A kid is arrested for gang activity after mugging a cop, but the gang is being organized by some influential people, so the other gang members threaten to kill the kid if he talks. The Public defender must get to the bottom of things before someone else is hurt!

  19. E25

    25. The Big Steel

    A man is accused of purposely running a co-worker down and is arrested for attempted murder. But the Public Defender is able to get him off after talking to his other co-workers. Oh, but wait, that's only half the story.

  20. E24

    24. Mama's Boy

    After a boy is discovered dead in the hallway at school, one of his classmates is arrested since he was caught fighting with him at the time of his death. The Public Defender sets out to find out if the boy's being a "Mama's Boy" may have been the cause for what the classmates claim was an accident.

  21. E23

    23. The Director

    A once famous film director is now working as night-watchman at the film studio. One night he knocks down another film director, who once was his assistant director but now is the famous one, and takes 300 dollars from him. The public defender cannot understand why somebody would destroy all of his former reputation for such a small crime.

  22. E22

    22. Your Witness

    Bart Matthews defends Karl Novak, who faces a second-degree murder charge following the grisly slaying of a storekeeper.

  23. E21

    21. Gunpoint

    An ex-con is forced to rob his employer's safe by two other ex-cons who knew him from the joint.

  24. E20

    20. Deep Ditch

    Matthews must defend a ditch-digger accused of attacking his boss. Further investigation reveals more complexity to the story.

  25. E19

    19. Another World

    The Bachman siblings are European refugees who've worked hard in America. But Hans begins to romance Wanda and convinces her to get him valuable plans. Erich ends the spy ring by shooting Hans but was it justified in Reed's definition of justice.

  26. E18

    18. The Man Who Couldn't Remember

    A man is arrested for a robbery he didn't commit, but he can't remember what he did at the time of the robbery. His wife believes in his innocence. His only hope may be a mental hospital where they can help him remember.

  27. E17

    17. Moonshine

    During a raid on the Carter family still, a warden is shot and killed. Jesse Carter, fresh home from the service, is arrested for the killing.

  28. E16

    16. Socrates

    Guy from the hood gets framed for murder. Matthews enlists the help of Socrates, who runs the hood's homeless shelter, to obtain proof of his client's innocence.

  29. E15

    15. Open Season

    It is the opening of deer season and the long-running feud between two old codgers has heated up again. When one is found shot in the woods, the other is of course the prime suspect.

  30. E14

    14. The Murder Photo

    The answer to a murder case may just lay in the hands of a teenage boy using trick photography.

  31. E13

    13. Circumstanial Evidence

    A story of blind justice, as Matthews defends a man whom was caught by police with the gun that killed the man's wife.

  32. E12

    12. The Hijacked Truck

    A man in love is accused of hijacking. The public defender hears a story about his courtship and the reason behind his arrest.

  33. E11

    11. Until Proven Guilty

    A man becomes desperate for money when he's told his son must have an operation immediately. After getting the money, his brother-in-law arrests him, telling him he got the money illegally. Now the Public Defender must find a way to get him out of jail and reunited with his family.

  34. E10

    10. Hot Rod

    The Public Defender defends a young man involved in an accident that killed a young girl. He investigates to see if he was accused because he was in a hot rod.

  35. E9

    9. Destiny

    The Public Defender's deputy almost wrecks his marriage when he insists on defending a 15-year old boy accused of assault and murder.

  36. E8

    8. Crash Out

    An prison inmate just 3 weeks from parole participates in a prison break. His wife cannot understand why he would do such a thing and goes to Bart Matthews for help,

  37. E7

    7. When Credit Is Due

    When a father of 2 is temporarily disabled in an auto accident, his wife gets a job to make ends meet. However, unscrupulous debtors begin to garnish her wages and then her boss fires her. Matthews comes to the rescue.

  38. E6

    6. The Do-Gooder

    A man is in hospital after wrecking a car with an escaped fugitive, killing the fugitive. The man is in trouble for harboring the fugitive but he refuses to speak to Matthews, his Public Defender. Matthews quickly deduces that the man doesn't want to be linked to his father who is a prominent judge.

  39. E5

    5. Loyalty

    Matthews takes the case of a cop killer who is depending on his little brother's false testimony to get him off. When the killer thinks Matthews is getting to friendly with his little brother, he fires Matthews.

  40. E4

    4. The Arsonist

    A disturbed teen-aged boy begins setting fires in the neighborhood following an altercation with his father.

  41. E3

    3. The Big Race

  42. E2

    2. Road to Nowhere

  43. E1

    1. Return of the Dead

Cast & crew

Created by Mort R. Lewis and Sam Shayon

  • Frankie Darro

    Frankie Darro

  • Emile Meyer

    Emile Meyer

  • Hugh Beaumont

    Hugh Beaumont

  • Catherine McLeod

    Catherine McLeod

  • Don Beddoe

    Don Beddoe

  • Stanley Clements

    Stanley Clements

  • Gene Reynolds

    Gene Reynolds

  • Ann Doran

    Ann Doran

  • Noel Neill

    Noel Neill

    Betty

  • Ross Elliott

    Ross Elliott

  • Chris Drake

    Chris Drake

  • Barbara Whiting

    Barbara Whiting

  • Herbert Heyes

    Herbert Heyes

  • George Lloyd

    George Lloyd

  • Jesslyn Fax

    Jesslyn Fax

  • Peter Hansen

    Peter Hansen

Public Defender FAQ

Will there be new episodes of Public Defender?

Public Defender has ended, so no new episodes are scheduled. The final episode aired on June 23, 1955.

When did the latest episode of Public Defender come out?

The most recent episode of Public Defender, Season 2 Episode 43 "Failure", aired on June 23, 1955.

How many seasons of Public Defender are there?

Public Defender has 2 seasons with 69 episodes in total.

When did Public Defender first air?

Public Defender first aired on CBS on March 11, 1954.

How do I get notified when new episodes of Public Defender are released?

Download the Streambay app, follow Public Defender, and you'll get a push notification the moment each new episode is released.

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