Trial & Error

A bright-eyed New York lawyer takes his first big case defending an eccentric poetry professor accused of murdering his wife.

Trial & Error (2017-2018) is a American network mockumentary sitcom created by Matthew Miller and Jeff Astrof for NBC. Bright-eyed New York lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D'Agosto) takes his first big case defending an eccentric poetry professor, Larry Henderson (John Lithgow), who is accused of murdering his wife. Josh is a rookie who wants to prove himself, and the obstacles pile up quickly: a case full of oddball witnesses, a flamboyant rival attorney, and a legal team that barely knows what it is doing. Kristin Chenoweth plays Lavinia Peck-Foster, Krysta Rodriguez plays Summer Henderson, and Sherri Shepherd and Jayma Mays round out the principal cast. Each episode is a short, brisk outing built from awkward interviews and courtroom detours, and the show runs across two seasons and twenty-three episodes before its cancellation. Its tone is earnest, breezy and absurd, a spoof of courtroom drama that plays its murder trial for farce. Fans of The Office and Arrested Development will find kinship in its deadpan confessionals and its affectionate mockery of legal convention.

Audiences found this mockumentary-style comedy about a first-year lawyer's murder case a bright, quirky spoof with a likable cast, though it never reached a wide audience.

• The Office (US)mockumentary legal comedy, deadpan workplace absurdity
• Better Off Tedlighthearted legal setting with absurd courtroom comedy
• Arrested Developmentquirky courtroom comedy with eccentric defendants and mockumentary-style framing

Created by

Matthew Miller, Jeff Astrof

Release Date

2017-03-14

Episode runtime

22 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (60)

What is Trial & Error about?

A green New York lawyer defends an eccentric poetry professor accused of murdering his wife in this mockumentary spoof of courtroom drama.

What is Trial & Error like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Trial & Error as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Trial & Error violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Trial & Error.

What did critics think of Trial & Error?

Audiences found this mockumentary-style comedy about a first-year lawyer's murder case a bright, quirky spoof with a likable cast, though it never reached a wide audience.

Which shows are like Trial & Error?

Shows with a similar feel include The Office (US), Better Off Ted, and Arrested Development.

How long is Trial & Error?

Trial & Error: 2 seasons, 23 episodes.

Is Trial & Error still running?

No, Trial & Error was canceled.

Where can I watch Trial & Error?

In United States, Trial & Error is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home.