Carson's Law is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network between 1982-1984. The series was a period piece set in the 1920s and starred Lorraine Bayly as progressive solicitor Jennifer Carson. The episodes revolved around the cases taken on by Jennifer, and the various personal intrigues of her family.

Brief Synopsis

The series' premiere was billed as a 90-minute "movie-length" episode on 24 January 1983, with another two-hour episode in the same timeslot the following night, before settling into its twice-weekly 60-minute format the following week. Carson's Law was noted for its quality scripts and period production values. Despite being popular in Melbourne, where the series was based and filmed, it did not succeed in Sydney. Attempts to revamp the series to make it appeal more to Sydney audiences eventually alienated the programme's core audience, and it was cancelled in 1984 after 184 episodes. The final episode aired on ATV-10 on 1 December 1984 ; after being shuffled around the TEN-10 schedule, then reduced to one episode per week, then pushed back from 8:30pm to 9:30pm and, finally, to the even later 10:40pm slot, the final episode eventually aired in Sydney on 18 April 1985.

International Broadcasts

Carson's Law was bought by several members of the UK ITV network. TVS aired edited half-hour episodes on Thursdays and Fridays at 3.30pm in 1987 and 1988. At the same time, Yorkshire Television showed a considerable number of episodes on Thursdays at 1.30pm between October 1984 and March 1988. Television South West screened a slightly lower number in their 6.35pm slot on Tuesdays during 1984. Ulster Television aired episodes on Monday nights at 11.10pm up until at least October 1992. Carson's Law was also shown in Portuguese television, and is being currently re-played at RTP memoria (trans. "RTP Memory"). Carson's Law was shown in Catalan television (TV3) as well. The Catalan name for the series is Carson i Carson advocats. Carson's Law was also shown in the Netherlands for its entirety by the NCRV broadcasting company. The company adapted the title to simply 'The Carsons'. It ran in the afternoon, and was quite popular. Carson's Law was also shown in Israeli television (Channel 2, experimental broadcasting). It was called The race to the top of Jennifer Carson ("Ha-Merotz La-Tzameret Shel Jennifer Carson"). It ran on a weekly basis for about two years. Carson's Law was also shown in Germany in the early 90s. It ran daily in the afternoon and was called "Carson & Carson".

DVD Releases

The first 13 episodes of the series was released onto Region 2 DVD in the Netherlands in September 2009. The disc set has removable Dutch subtitles with all audio in English. In Australia seven volumes covering the entire series of 184 episodes are available to purchase from the Crawford Australia website (Region 4). From November 2015 all seven volumes can be purchased in the rest of the world through Crawford's UK distributor, Eaton Films Ltd.

Filming

The series was filmed at the Global Television Studios in Nunawading, Melbourne in the set next to where Prisoner was filmed with only a partition separating the two programmes.

Cast

Main

Guests / recurring

Episode list

Note: the first episode "The Clan" has been designated as episodes 1&2, as per the numbering on the Crawford Productions DVD release.

1. The Clan, Part 1
2. The Clan, Part 2
3. The Witness
4. Requiem
5. Case Deferred
6. The Royston Trial
7. An English Gentleman
8. Foxtrot
9. The Medicine Man
10. Which Doctor
11. Swan Song, Part 1
12. Swan Song, Part 2
13. Happy Families
14. To The Future
15. Lost Soul
16. Pre-Selection
17. On The Fence
18. A Family Concern
19. Mistress
20. Reputations
21. Cause
22. Trial And Error
23. Dead Men's Tales
24. Dead End
25. Candidate
26. Strange Bedfellows
27. Donnegan's Wake
28. Confession
29. Aftermath
30. Waywards From The Bush
31. All God's Children
32. Blessed Are They
33. A Useful Life
34. Greater Good
35. Chopsticks
36. In A Market Garden
37. The Prodigal
38. Razorman
39. Christmas Cheer
40. Wedding
41. Honeymoon
42. Private Life
43. Birthright
44. Heritage
45. Policeman's Lot
46. True Colours
47. Pound Of Flesh
48. In Service
49. Soiree
50. Best Laid Plans
51. The Sins Of The Sons
52. The Perfect Gentleman
53. Future Horizons
54. Happy Events
55. Scent Of Battle
56. The Fortune Teller
57. Fortune's Child
58. Fire And Misfire
59. St. Patrick's Day
60. The Masquerade
61. All That Glitters
62. Laugh, Clown, Laugh
63. Guardian Angels
64. Lost Opportunities
65. A Country Dance
66. Faith, Hope And Fencing Wire
67. A Matter Of Confidence
68. The Tender Trap
69. A Case For Compassion
70. From Small Acorns
71. Street Games, Night Moves
72. Deceptions
73. Orphans Of The Storm
74. Falling Star
75. Means To An End
76. Teapots And Tears
77. Seeing Stars
78. Mirrors And Dreams
79. The Americans Are Coming
80. Picking Up The Pieces
81. The Bolshevik
82. The Comeback
83. A Scent Of Lavender
84. Changes
85. Preferential Treatment
86. Growing Pains
87. A Weak Resolve
88. The Catch
89. Butcher's Picnic
90. Child Of The Storm
91. A Cat Among The Carsons
92. A Change Of Heart
93. Lunatic
94. The Sisters
95. A Chinese Puzzle
96. Humanitarian Grounds
97. A Case To Answer
98. Scarlet Fever
99. The Duel
100. Vale
101. Prelude
102. Power Games
103. Verdict: Not Innocent
104. The Portrait
105. A Small Misunderstanding
106. The Outsider
107. Lady Luck
108. Win Some, Lose Some
109. The Innocent
110. A Crime Of Passion
111. Virtue Undefiled
112. The Lost Weekend
113. The Tender Past
114. A Question Of Circumstance
115. White Knights
116. New Friends
117. Infatuation
118. Snakes In The Grass
119. A Man's Pride
120. Gentlemen's Agreement
121. Self Defence
122. Flash Point
123. Blood And Fire
124. Wedding Vows
125. An Anxious Advocate
126. The Devil's Work
127. The Last Goodbye
128. A Fond Concept
129. Luck Of The Draw
130. A Lucky Investment
131. Strike Me Lucky
132. The Performance
133. A Hold On Life
134. The Old People's Friend
135. The Last Enemy
136. A Small Favour
137. Throw A Seven, Part 1
138. Throw A Seven, Part 2
139. The Comeback
140. Wild Oats
141. Misalliance
142. The Arrangement
143. Hideous Night
144. Gambits
145. Smile For The Camera
146. Malpractice
147. Fear Is The Key
148. Fire And Ice
149. Fallen Into Darkness
150. Seeds Of Doubt
151. The Ivory Tower
152. To The Future
153. Heroic Deeds
154. Another Mrs. Carson
155. Desperate Measures
156. The Long Farewell
157. A Bob Each Way
158. The Lesson
159. One Step Ahead
160. The Wages Of Sin
161. The Mis-Shapen Effigy
162. Trial By Editorial
163. Ploys
164. Baying For Blood
165. The Dominant Gender
166. The Man's Rights
167. La Cenicienta
168. All Is Fair
169. Hell Hath No Fury
170. Beyond All Reason
171. The Break
172. End Of The Road
173. Wild Violets
174. Divide And Conquer
175. Blood On The Straw
176. Buying Time
177. A Question Of Liberty
178. The Scapegoat
179. Hide And Seek
180. My Father, My Son
181. Requiescat
182. The Heir Apparent
183. The Dark Tunnel
184. Daylight