# The Evil Lawyer (ทนายปีศาจ)
**The Evil Lawyer** (ทนายปีศาจ) is a Thai legal drama series released on Netflix on June 11, 2026, in which an idealistic young lawyer framed for murder must team up with a notorious defense attorney known for exploiting legal loopholes to prove his innocence.[1](https://www.netflix.com/th/title/81756596) Netflix billed it as Thailand's first courtroom drama of this scale, and within weeks of release it reached number one on Netflix Thailand, number five globally, and the Top 10 in more than 34 countries.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-evil-lawyer-main-trailer) • [3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | ทนายปีศาจ (Thanai Pisat)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/92037/the-evil-lawyer) |
| Platform and run | Netflix, season 1 of 8 episodes, all released June 11, 2026[1](https://www.netflix.com/th/title/81756596) • [5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-evil-lawyer-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte4mdc4) |
| Directors | Nottapon Boonprakob and Jakkarin Thepvong; producer Songphon Jantharasom[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-evil-lawyer-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte4mdc4) • [6](https://www.thairath.co.th/lifestyle/life/2938718) |
| Lead cast | Rhatha Phongam as Jittri, Nat Kitcharit as Mek, Atchareeya Potipipittanakorn as Ang[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/92037/the-evil-lawyer) |
| Development | Grown from the Creative Economy Agency's 2023 Content Lab; script research and development ran more than five years, with some accounts citing six to seven years[6](https://www.thairath.co.th/lifestyle/life/2938718) • [3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625) |
| Reception | No. 1 on Netflix Thailand, No. 5 globally, Top 10 in more than 34 countries; a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from the first review batch[3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625) • [7](https://thethaiger.com/th/news/1579463/) |
| Production companies | GDH 559 and Netflix (Thailand)[8](https://thaicontentdb.com/dramas/cmlampqmy006jmq0kfmh14c1t) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series follows Mek (Nat Kitcharit), a young lawyer who believes the law should protect the powerless. His belief collapses when he is framed for the murder of Techin, the son of Anan (Songsit Roongnophakunsri), a powerful police chief. Overnight Mek goes from defending others to fighting for his own life, and the legal system he trusted does not deliver justice.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-evil-lawyer-main-trailer)
Backed into a corner, Mek turns to Jittri (Rhatha Phongam), a defense attorney infamous in legal circles as "the evil lawyer," known for exploiting loopholes, bending rules, and using any tactic necessary to win. She takes his case on one condition: he must work for her. Why she steps in for free becomes a question that pulls Mek, and viewers, deeper into the story.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-evil-lawyer-main-trailer)
Supporting characters widen the moral field. Atchareeya Potipipittanakorn plays Ang, a rising politician and human rights lawyer who is Mek's ex-girlfriend and helps his case; Phollawat Manuprasert plays Rit, Mek's father, a high-ranking judge forced to choose between his principles and his son; Paopetch Charoensook plays Techin, the murdered son.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-evil-lawyer-main-trailer) The cast also includes Popetorn Soonthornyanakij as Chanon, Sarinrat Thomas, and Nopachai Jayanama as Kosol.[9](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-evil-lawyer/TDtcuWV3BoZjjFo5h5cCz3/)
### Structure and episodes
Season 1 consists of eight episodes released simultaneously on June 11, 2026, with episode titles Allegation, Testimony, Confession, Oath, Denial, Falsehood, Statement, and Judgment.[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-evil-lawyer-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte4mdc4) Episodes run roughly 40 to 68 minutes; the [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) lists the first episode at 48 minutes 58 seconds and the finale at 67 minutes 45 seconds.[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-evil-lawyer-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte4mdc4) Mek's own trial forms the spine of the season while the story moves through multiple dark, interconnected cases, each picking at a different thread of Thailand's legal system, from political interference to social inequality.[10](https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/news/the-evil-lawyer-goes-global-on-netflix-061826)
The opening episode introduces the legal concept of legal personhood under Thailand's Civil and Commercial Code to establish Jittri as a strategic, morally ambiguous lawyer, then centers on the illegal trade of infant remains linked to "child spirit" rituals, a subject that has appeared in Thai news in connection with superstition-driven crime. Another storyline follows Mek as he uncovers a suspected miscarriage of justice in a factory fire case, in which a security guard is allegedly used as a scapegoat for the real perpetrator.[3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625)
## Development and research
The project originated with Jakkarin Thepvong, whose own experience of a family court case shook his confidence in the justice process and raised the questions the series explores.[11](https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/lifestyle/entertainment/1239032) It was developed from the Content Lab program of the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) for the year 2566 BE (2023), a showcase that connects promising local projects with industry partners, and Netflix picked it up from there.[6](https://www.thairath.co.th/lifestyle/life/2938718) • [12](https://www.tnnthailand.com/entertainment/237627/)
**Research depth.** The writing team spent more than five years on legal research, interviewing and consulting people across several branches of the legal profession; some accounts put script development at six to seven years. Legal advisors checked the story structure, dialogue, and courtroom blocking from outline onward, which the director said gave him confidence in the show's procedural accuracy.[6](https://www.thairath.co.th/lifestyle/life/2938718) • [13](https://www.khaosod.co.th/entertainment/news_10264801) • [3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625) Director Nottapon Boonprakob, previously known for the Netflix series [Mad Unicorn](https://www.edgepedia.org/mad-unicorn), described using a distinctive camera-movement technique to link the courtroom to the scene of each crime, making courtroom blocking and shot sequencing a central directing challenge.[6](https://www.thairath.co.th/lifestyle/life/2938718) • [14](https://www.sanook.com/movie/188738/)
One significant change during development was the character of Jittri, originally written as a man. A writer on the team argued that the role needed enough force for audiences to root for someone doing morally questionable things, and that the legal world is usually seen as a man's world, so the character became a woman, played by Rhatha Phongam.[13](https://www.khaosod.co.th/entertainment/news_10264801)
## Themes
The series frames the courtroom as a kind of theater in which lawyers use argument, body language, pressure on witnesses, and psychology to persuade judges, rather than simply presenting truth.[11](https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/lifestyle/entertainment/1239032) Jittri manipulates the law, the show argues, because the law does not protect everyone equally.[15](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/11/netflix-the-evil-lawyer-review-gripping-twisty-and-ludicrously-hammy) The writers said they chose cases whose governing laws were likely to remain unamended at release and that could still be debated, asking what judges should do when facing the situations depicted and what people choose to believe in: law, justice, faith, humanity, or themselves.[3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625) • [16](https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/lifestyle/entertainment/1239039)
## Reception
In mid-June 2026 the series became the most-watched series on Netflix Thailand, ranked fifth globally, and entered the Top 10 in more than 34 countries.[3](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625) It later climbed to fourth on the Netflix Global Top 10 chart for non-English TV for the week of June 15 to 21, 2026.[17](https://techmx.net/the-devils-lawyer-netflix-global-top-10/) The Guardian gave it three stars, calling it "gripping, twisty and ludicrously hammy" and "a fun, very watchable show, albeit one that is faintly ridiculous at times."[15](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/11/netflix-the-evil-lawyer-review-gripping-twisty-and-ludicrously-hammy) Time Out reported a perfect critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes shortly after release; the Thaiger attributed the 100% score to the first four international reviews.[10](https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/news/the-evil-lawyer-goes-global-on-netflix-061826) • [7](https://thethaiger.com/th/news/1579463/)
The series is also a product of Netflix's investment in Thai content, reported at about 200 million US dollars between 2021 and 2024, which generated 750 million viewing hours worldwide; The Evil Lawyer is described as one of the clearest results of that push.[18](https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/th/news/the-evil-lawyer-goes-global-on-netflix-061926)
On a second season, co-creator Jakkarin Thepvong said the team had not written the season with a sequel in mind, while producer Songphon Jantharasom added that it is not a series designed to end in a single season.[19](https://jediyuth.com/2026/06/28/the-evil-lawyer-creators-talk-if-we-will-have-season-two/)
## References
1. [ทนายปีศาจ (The Evil Lawyer), Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/th/title/81756596)
2. [In a Broken System, How Far Will You Bend? Netflix Releases Main Trailer for Thai Legal Drama 'The Evil Lawyer', About Netflix](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-evil-lawyer-main-trailer)
3. [Behind the real cases that inspired Netflix's The Evil Lawyer, The Nation](https://www.nationthailand.com/life/entertainment/40067625)
4. [The Evil Lawyer, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/92037/the-evil-lawyer)
5. [The Evil Lawyer, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-evil-lawyer-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmte4mdc4)
6. [เจอกันที่ศาล! ซีรีส์ดราม่าชั้นศาลสุดเข้มข้นฝีมือคนไทย ทนายปีศาจ, Thairath](https://www.thairath.co.th/lifestyle/life/2938718)
7. [ทนายปีศาจ Netflix ไทย คว้าคะแนน Rotten Tomatoes 100% รีวิวชุดแรก, Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/th/news/1579463/)
8. [ทนายปีศาจ (2569), ThaiContentDB](https://thaicontentdb.com/dramas/cmlampqmy006jmq0kfmh14c1t)
9. [The Evil Lawyer (2026): Season 1, Cast & Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-evil-lawyer/TDtcuWV3BoZjjFo5h5cCz3/)
10. [The Evil Lawyer goes global on Netflix, Time Out Bangkok](https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/news/the-evil-lawyer-goes-global-on-netflix-061826)
11. [เจาะลึกเบื้องหลัง "ทนายปีศาจ" ตีแผ่ช่องโหว่กระบวนการยุติธรรม, Bangkok Biz News](https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/lifestyle/entertainment/1239032)
12. [เจอกันที่ศาล! ซีรีส์ดราม่าชั้นศาลสุดเข้มข้นฝีมือคนไทย ทนายปีศาจ, TNN Thailand](https://www.tnnthailand.com/entertainment/237627/)
13. [เปิดเบื้องหลัง "ทนายปีศาจ" เปลี่ยนตัวละคร "จิตตรี" จากผู้ชายเป็นผู้หญิง, Khaosod](https://www.khaosod.co.th/entertainment/news_10264801)
14. ["ทนายปีศาจ" รีเสิร์ชนานกว่า 5 ปี เปิดศาลเดือดด้านมืดระบบยุติธรรม, Sanook](https://www.sanook.com/movie/188738/)
15. [The Evil Lawyer review – gripping, twisty and ludicrously hammy, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/11/netflix-the-evil-lawyer-review-gripping-twisty-and-ludicrously-hammy)
16. [เปิดแรงบันดาลใจ เบื้องหลังคดีเด่นในซีรีส์ "ทนายปีศาจ", Bangkok Biz News](https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/lifestyle/entertainment/1239039)
17. ["ทนายปีศาจ" แรงต่อเนื่อง ขึ้นอันดับ 4 Netflix Global Top 10, TECHMX](https://techmx.net/the-devils-lawyer-netflix-global-top-10/)
18. ['ทนายปีศาจ' ซีรีส์กฎหมายไทยทะยานสู่ระดับโลกบน Netflix, Time Out Bangkok](https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/th/news/the-evil-lawyer-goes-global-on-netflix-061926)
19. [ผู้สร้าง "ทนายปีศาจ" เบิกความว่าซีรี่ส์จะมีซีซั่น 2 หรือไหม, Jediyuth](https://jediyuth.com/2026/06/28/the-evil-lawyer-creators-talk-if-we-will-have-season-two/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › Turkish, Middle Eastern, and African serials › Thai serial dramas (lakorn) › Premiered 2025 to 2026*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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