All Rise (TV series)

All Rise is an American legal drama television series created by Greg Spottiswood for CBS and later the Oprah Winfrey Network. It aired from September 23, 2019 to November 18, 2023.

In May 2021, the series was canceled by CBS after two seasons before being picked up for a third season by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) that September. The third season premiered on June 7, 2022. In August 2023, it was announced that the third season will be its final season. The series finale aired on November 18, 2023.

Premise
All Rise revolves around the personal lives of judges, prosecutors, and public defenders in a Los Angeles courthouse.

The plot follows newly appointed Judge Lola Carmichael, a highly regarded and impressive former deputy district attorney who does not intend to sit back on the bench in her new role but instead leans in, immediately pushing the boundaries and challenging the expectations of what a judge can be.

Main

 * Simone Missick as Lola Carmichael, an idealistic former prosecutor and newly appointed judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Lola is married to Robin Taylor, an FBI agent, and gives birth to their first baby in season 2. She was arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest for defending a girl who was being threatened and was about to be arrested without reason.
 * Wilson Bethel as Mark Callan, a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and Lola's best friend. Mark is in a relationship with Amy Quinn. He came under scrutiny in season 2 for going after the LA Sheriff's office for a wrongful shooting. He is promoted to chief deputy district attorney in season 3.
 * Jessica Camacho as Emily Lopez (formerly Emily Lopez-Batista), an attorney with the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office who is in a relationship with Luke Watkins.
 * J. Alex Brinson as Luke Watkins, a four-year deputy sheriff working as a court bailiff to Judge Charmichael while attending law school. He joins the district attorneys office after passing the bar in season 2 and later joins the public defenders office in season 3. He is in a relationship with Emily Lopez.
 * Lindsay Mendez as Sara Castillo, a court reporter and friend of Emily Lopez. She moves to the DA office as a victim's advocate in season 3.
 * Ruthie Ann Miles as Sherri Kansky, an experienced judge's assistant assigned to new Judge Lola Carmichael despite their difficult relationship.
 * Marg Helgenberger as Lisa Benner (seasons 1–2; special guest season 3), a veteran supervisory judge in the HOJ who is a mentor to Lola. She is later confirmed as a Justice to the California Court of Appeal which she transfers to in season 3.
 * Lindsey Gort as Amy Quinn (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1), a high-powered criminal defense attorney who shares a complicated history with Mark and who also later becomes Mark's girlfriend. Amy leaves her law firm to join Rachel's law firm. She and Mark get engaged at the end of season 2 and married in the Series Finale.
 * Audrey Corsa as Samantha Powell (season 2; recurring season 1), a clerk for the LA County DA's office who works with Mark and Luke
 * Reggie Lee as Thomas Choi (season 2; recurring season 1; guest season 3), the chief deputy district attorney and Mark's supervisor. He is promoted and transferred to Pomona in between seasons 2 and 3.

Recurring

 * Mitch Silpa as Clayton Berger (season 1; guest season 2), a hard-charging deputy district attorney who clashes with Lola
 * Tony Denison as Vic Callan (season 1; guest season 2), Mark's father and a small-time bookie who gives Mark a hard time
 * Paul McCrane as Jonas Laski (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), a conservative judge known as the "Punisher". He dislikes Mark for apparently injuring him during a game of hockey, and has since always given Mark a difficult time prosecuting in his courtroom.
 * Suzanne Cryer as Maggie Palmer (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), an old colleague of Lola's and current deputy district attorney who accuses her of bias towards defendants.
 * Todd Williams (season 1–2) and Christian Keyes (guest season 3) as Robin Taylor, Lola's husband who works for the FBI.
 * Joe Williamson as Kevin Harris (season 1; guest season 2), a LAPD detective and romantic interest for Sherri
 * Peter MacNicol as Albert Campbell (seasons 1–2), a judge who is one of Lola's colleagues
 * Ryan Michelle Bathe as Rachel Audubon (seasons 1–2; special guest season 3), a rare powerhouse attorney who can handle both civil litigation and criminal law and who has known Lola since they were in Howard University together and has been best friends with Mark since they were in law school together. She goes to Los Angeles to start her own law firm known as Audubon and Associates, later renamed Audubon, Quinn, and Associates in season 3, after she makes Amy Quinn a partner.
 * Patricia Rae as Abigail Delgado (seasons 1–2), a judge who is one of Lola's colleagues
 * L. Scott Caldwell as Roxy Robinson (seasons 1–2), Lola's mother.
 * Brent Jennings as Charles Carmichael (seasons 1, 3), Lola's father
 * Bret Harrison as Ben Benner (season 1), Judge Benner's son and Sara's boyfriend
 * Rebecca Field as Carol Coleman (season 2; guest seasons 1, 3)
 * Samantha Marie Ware as Ness Johnson (season 2; guest season 3), Lola's new law clerk. She later joins Audubon, Quinn, and Associates in season 3.
 * Shalim Ortiz as Joaquin Luna (season 2)
 * Ian Anthony Dale as Louis Bravo (season 2; guest season 3), the Los Angeles County District Attorney
 * Steven Williams as Tony Carver (season 2)
 * Louis Herthum as Wayne McCarthy (season 2), a corrupt sheriff responsible for encouraging and covering up police misconduct among his deputies. He believes that it is ok for police to bend or break the law for their benefit because of their badge and self sacrifices for the job.
 * Anne Heche as Corrine Cuthbert (season 2; guest season 3) A police union representative and a defense attorney who represented Deputy Rashel and Sheriff Wayne McCarthy. She adamantly believes that McCarthy was not guilty of any of his crimes, and she repeatedly denies whenever policemen are accused/guilty of misconduct or illegal acts. She and McCarthy seemingly both believe that it is ok for police to bend or break the law for their benefit because of their badge and self sacrifices for the job.
 * Ashley Jones as Whitney Gessner (season 2)
 * Nev Scharrel as Nikki Gessner (season 2)
 * Rick Fox as August Fox (season 2)
 * Roger Guenveur Smith as Marshall Thomas (season 3), a judge
 * Ronak Gandhi as Teddy Biswas (season 3)

Notable guest stars

 * Colin Ford as Billy Webb ("Fool for Liv")
 * Jere Burns as Adam Pryce, an over-theatrical attorney to several Hollywood stars. ("Fool for Liv", "Bette Davis Eyes")
 * Ever Carradine as Felice Bell, Lola's old nemesis from her days as a district attorney. ("How to Succeed in Law Without Really Re-trying")
 * Alicia Coppola as Wanda Taylor ("What the Constitution Greens to Me")
 * Brenda Strong as Jean Rubenstein-Frost, Judge Benner's lawyer ex-girlfriend. ("My Fair Lockdown")
 * Dorian Missick as Tailwind Turner ("Dancing at Los Angeles"), a DJ
 * Tyler Barnhardt as Jesse Frost ("A Changes Is Gonna Come" and "Keep Ya Head Up")
 * Robyn Lively as Nancy Frost ("A Changes Is Gonna Come" and "Keep Ya Head Up")
 * Joel Gretsch as Frank Frost ("A Changes Is Gonna Come" and "Keep Ya Head Up")
 * Lesley Ann Warren as Samara Strong, an actress whom Mark idolized whom he prosecutes for the murder of her husband ("Bette Davis Eyes")
 * Amy Acker as Georgia Knight ("Georgia" and "Leap of Faith")
 * Ray Wise as Richard Walker ("Georgia")
 * Sarah Levy as Debbie Daines ("Georgia")
 * Charlayne Woodard as Prudence Jenkins ("Caught Up in Circles"), a judge

Development
On January 31, 2019, it was announced that CBS had given the production, then titled Courthouse, a pilot order. The pilot was written by Greg Spottiswood, who also served as an executive producer. Production companies involved with the pilot included Warner Bros. Television.

On May 9, 2019, it was announced that CBS had given the production, now titled All Rise, a series order. A day later, it was announced that the series would premiere during the 2019 U.S. fall TV season and air on Mondays at 9:00 p.m. A trailer for the series was released on May 15, 2019. The series debuted on September 23, 2019.

On October 22, 2019, the series received a full season order. On December 5, Dee Harris-Lawrence was announced to be replacing Sunil Nayar as a co-showrunner; she would be working alongside series developer Greg Spottiswood.

On April 6, 2020, it was announced that, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an all-virtual episode would be produced about how the characters on the show handle a case while social distancing. The episode was filmed at the actors' respective homes using FaceTime, WebEx, and Zoom, and visual effects were used to replace the insides of their homes with that of their characters' homes.

On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 16, 2020. On May 15, 2021, CBS canceled the series after two seasons. On August 20, 2021, it was reported that OWN was negotiating with Warner Bros. Television for a potential third season. On September 29, 2021, OWN officially picked up the series for a third season, consisting of 20 episodes, which premiered on June 7, 2022. On August 22, 2023, it was announced that the third season would be its last. The series finale aired on November 18, 2023.

Controversy
On August 20, 2020, it was reported that five writers left the series after clashing with the series's showrunner, Greg Spottiswood, over how race – specifically people of color – and gender were depicted. After complaints from staff members about Spottiswood's leadership, the human resources department of Warner Bros. Television Studios reviewed the series's workplace and "decided to keep him as the showrunner" but hired an African American female corporate coach to guide him. On March 24, 2021, Warner Bros. Television fired Spottiswood from the series due to the misconduct allegations.

Casting
In February 2019, it was announced that Simone Missick had been cast in the pilot's lead role. The next month, it was reported that J. Alex Brinson, Lindsay Mendez, Marg Helgenberger, Ruthie Ann Miles, Jessica Camacho and Wilson Bethel had joined the cast. On August 20, 2019, Reggie Lee and Nadia Gray were cast in recurring roles. On September 10, 2019, it was reported that Mitch Silpa had been cast in a recurring capacity. On August 4, 2020, Lindsey Gort was promoted to a series regular for the second season. On September 29, 2020, Audrey Corsa was promoted to a series regular for the second season. On October 21, 2020, Reggie Lee was promoted to a series regular for the second season. On November 30, 2020, Anne Heche was cast in a recurring role for the second season. On February 9, 2022, Roger Guenveur Smith and Christian Keyes were cast in recurring roles for the third season; Keyes' role was originally played by Todd Williams.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval rating with an average rating of 5.98/10, based on 16 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "While All Rise can't quite rise above the shows it aspires to be, it shows potential for future growth while providing a decent showcase for Simone Missick." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Season 1
Throughout its first eight episodes, All Rise was the highest-rated freshman program of the 2019–20 television season. The series averaged 7million viewers a week, in Nielsen's Live-plus-three day viewership.