Even while he was still starring as Inspector Morse in a series of made-for-television mysteries bearing that name, British actor John Thaw launched a second TV life as eminent barrister James Kavanagh, Queen's Council. Making its initial appearance over the U.K.'s ITV1 on January 3, 1995, Kavanagh Q.C. was a series of compelling courtroom dramas, running anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes. In his capacity as Q.C., Kavanagh switched from prosecution to defense, depending upon the circumstances. Though he was an advocate of the letter of the law, he also honored the spirit, and wasn't above playing the system to expose greater truths behind the so-called facts, or to expose the ulterior motives of duplicitous lawyers, politically ambitious judges, and string-pulling higher-ups who would impede the proper dispensation of justice. Kavanagh's smooth courtroom expertise was contrasted with his troubled private life, as the father of several grown children who frequently behaved in a publicly embarrassing fashion. Twenty-nine episodes were telecast at a rate of four to eight shows per season before Kavanagh Q.C. officially ended its ITV1 run on March 29, 1999. Two years later, closure of sorts was brought to the property with the two-hour Kavanagh Q.C. special "The End of the Law," in which the protagonist must decide between accepting an appointment as judge or taking on one last case. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi