Let’s be real for a second. The legal drama landscape is basically a sea of identical suits and predictable gavels. Then came the all rise tv show. It wasn't just another procedural where the good guys always win and the bad guys look like cartoon villains. It felt different. It felt messy. Simone Missick stepped onto the screen as Judge Lola Carmichael, and suddenly, the "Hallowed Halls of Justice" looked a lot more like a construction site—constantly under renovation, loud, and full of people just trying not to trip over the debris.
Shows like this don't usually get three chances at life. It started on CBS, got the axe, and then OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) swooped in to save it for a final season that felt like a fever dream of social justice and personal drama. If you’re looking for a show that perfectly captured the tension of the 2020s legal system while maintaining a weirdly upbeat "Hoosier" heart, this is it. But the road wasn't exactly smooth. From behind-the-scenes writer walkouts to a network jump that changed the show's DNA, there is a lot to unpack about why this series remains a cult favorite for people who are tired of Law & Order reruns.
The Lola Carmichael Effect and Why Casting Mattered
Everything hinges on Lola. Simone Missick brought this frantic, empathetic, and occasionally stubborn energy to the bench that we haven't seen since maybe Amy Gray in the early 2000s. She wasn't just a judge; she was a "change agent." That’s the term the show used constantly.
It sounds cheesy. It kinda is.
But in the context of the all rise tv show, it worked because Lola was flawed. She pushed the boundaries of judicial ethics, she had a "work husband" in Mark Callan (Wilson Bethel) that made everyone's eyebrows rise, and she constantly struggled with the weight of being a Black woman in a position of immense power within a system designed to be rigid. The chemistry between Missick and Bethel is arguably the only reason the show survived its first cancellation. They had this "will-they-won't-they" energy that wasn't actually romantic—it was a deep, platonic soul-bond that felt more authentic than most TV marriages.
The Controversy That Almost Killed the Show Before the Network Did
You can't talk about this series without mentioning the drama that happened when the cameras weren't rolling. This wasn't just "creative differences." In 2020, five of the show’s original writers—including the only three Black writers on staff at the time—quit. Why? Because they felt the show's depiction of race and the legal system was being handled poorly by the original showrunner, Greg Spottiswood.
It was a PR nightmare.
The writers, including Shernold Edwards and Sun Nyunt, were vocal about their frustrations. They argued that the scripts were missing the nuance required for a show centered on a Black female judge in a post-2020 world. Eventually, Spottiswood was fired following an investigation into professional misconduct. This was a turning point. When Dee Harris-Lawrence took over as showrunner, the tone shifted. It got grittier. It felt more honest. But that transition also meant the show was fighting an uphill battle with ratings and reputation.
The Move to OWN: A Different Kind of Justice
When CBS canceled the all rise tv show after two seasons, fans thought it was over. Then Oprah’s network stepped in. This was a massive shift. On CBS, the show had to play to a broad, "Middle America" audience. On OWN, the shackles were off—at least partially.
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Season 3 was... intense.
The show leaned much harder into the personal lives of the characters. We saw more of the "Trialic" (the relationship between Lola, her husband Robin, and the looming shadow of her past). We saw Luke Watkins (J. Alex Brinson) transition from a bailiff to a public defender, which provided a fascinating look at how people try to change the system from different angles. Honestly, the OWN episodes felt like a different show. They were darker. The lighting was even different. It lost some of that shiny, network-TV gloss and replaced it with something that felt a bit more like a prestige cable drama.
Breaking Down the Finale: Did We Get Closure?
The series finale, "Sometimes Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction," had to do a lot of heavy lifting. It had to wrap up multiple character arcs that had been simmering for years. Mark and Amy’s wedding was the centerpiece, and while it provided that "feel-good" moment fans craved, it felt rushed. That's the problem with "saved" shows; they often live on the edge of a knife, never knowing if they're getting another season until it's too late to pace the story properly.
- Lola’s seat on the bench was finally secure.
- The relationship between Mark and his father reached a shaky truce.
- Luke and Emily (Jessica Camacho) finally seemed to find their footing.
But did it feel finished? Not really. There were still so many stories left to tell about the corruption in the D.A.'s office and the systemic issues Lola was trying to fix. The all rise tv show ended because of economics, not because the story was done. Ratings on OWN weren't high enough to justify the production costs of a large ensemble cast, especially with the 2023 strikes looming over the industry.
Why You Should Still Binge It Today
If you haven't seen it, or if you dropped off after the CBS era, it's worth a revisit. Here is why. Most legal shows focus on the "how" of the law—how the evidence was found, how the trial was won. All Rise focused on the "who." It looked at the court reporters, the bailiffs, the public defenders who are overworked and underpaid, and the judges who have to go home and sleep with the decisions they made.
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It’s a character study masquerading as a procedural.
The show also excelled at depicting the "Grey Area." In one episode, you might find yourself rooting for a defendant who clearly broke the law but did it for the right reasons. In the next, you’re watching Lola struggle with the fact that her desire to be "fair" might actually be making things worse for the people she’s trying to protect. It’s a messy, complicated, and deeply human look at the American legal system.
Misconceptions About the Show
People often assume this is just "The Good Fight-lite." It's not. While The Good Fight is satirical and surreal, All Rise is earnest. Sometimes it’s too earnest. There are moments where the dialogue feels like a social studies textbook, but the actors usually sell it. Another misconception is that you need to be a legal buff to enjoy it. You don't. You just need to care about people.
The show’s legacy isn't going to be its ratings or its awards. It’s going to be the fact that it pushed for a more diverse writers' room and actually listened when things went wrong. It’s a case study in how a TV show can evolve in real-time to meet the cultural moment, even if it stumbles along the way.
Practical Steps for Fans and New Viewers
If you’re looking to dive into the world of the all rise tv show, don't just jump into Season 3 because of the "OWN" hype. You need the foundation of the first two seasons to understand the weight of the character relationships.
- Watch the Pilot First: It sets the tone perfectly. Pay attention to the "secret" hallway conversations between Lola and Mark. That is the heartbeat of the show.
- Research the 2020 Hiatus: Understanding the behind-the-scenes shift in showrunners helps explain why the tone changes so drastically halfway through.
- Check Streaming Rights: Currently, the show moves around between Max (formerly HBO Max) and Hulu depending on licensing deals, so check your local listings before committing to a subscription.
- Follow the Cast: Many of the actors, specifically Simone Missick and Wilson Bethel, have been very vocal about their love for the characters. Their social media archives provide some great "behind the curtain" looks at the filming of the final season.
The all rise tv show might be over, but its impact on how we view the "Hall of Justice" remains. It reminded us that the law isn't just a set of rules written in dusty books. It's a living, breathing thing, managed by people who are just as confused and hopeful as the rest of us.