Law&Order: - Bye-e-e-e

Law and Order is one of two programs I first watched in syndication and later cottoned on to "first run" on the major network -- L&O on A&E and The West Wing on Bravo.

I thought Law and Order was a brilliant series. In terms of acting and writing, I don't think it's ever fallen below the standard it established in its first five seasons. We continue to watch on TNT periodically, since even a re-run I've seen 15 times before is far superior to all but one or two programs the Big Four networks put out now. It's sort of like if someone broadcast a two-hour special containing all the funniest bits of all the comedy programs broadcast on CBS, NBC, ABC, & FOX in the last 10 years, I wouldn't laugh half as hard as I would at 15 consecutive minutes of any episode of The Carol Burnett Show.

Law and Order was designed to be an ensemble production. As long as it was going to fit that bill, it could have lasted forever. But the franchise has been on life support since health issues [and death shortly thereafter] cost us Jerry Orbach and the Det. Lenny Briscoe he created. The ultimate team game inadvertantly developed the indispensible player, and when that player went away ... .

As I said, I like the current iteration -- with some reservations about the Aussie ADA who keeps playing with a baseball glove and bat -- and I've often thought that the very best bit parts ever created on television are those of the arraignment court judges. How I would have loved a shot at one of those little parts. But I won't mourn the program's cancellation because, like M*A*S*H, it's reruns will still be clicking around until I'm too fekkin senile to tell a television from a toaster oven. [insert snide insult here].

Speaking of snide? What does "Sermonizing has Consequences" mean. Is Law and Order on the right-wing bad guy list also? Of did I just miss a joke?

 

It might be on petty's bad guy list. I used to love law and order, but you can only use the same formula for so many years, I guess. I stopped watching after D.A.s looked like they were 12 years old. I guess I just miss the old casts, especially Chris Noth (I had such a crush on him for longest time while he was on the show).

 

That's an interesting comment about Waterston, Petty, and one I hadn't thought about.

Of course, his character was pretty much up to going for the death penalty, for taking advantage of 9/11 to extend the power of the police and the DA's office, and for willfully misrepresenting the truth in order to get people convicted. None of this seems too left-wing to me, but then I don't think that Barry Goldwater was a left-winger either. And I thought it was CBS that was involved full-time in denigrating all things American. I must keep up to understand the source of the latest corporate paranoia of the right.

And, DCH, HatterMom shares your un-ending love of Chris Noth. She rejoiced in his made-for-TV Law and Order movie made after his character had been exiled to Staten Island, and was thrilled when he made his comeback on Criminal Intent. For me, though, the best partnership ever was Briscoe and Ed "Sit Yo Ass DOWN" Green.

And I quite liked Fred Dalton Thompson on the show. He was much better than his predecessor, and was a good foil for the dough-eyed assistants to Sam Waterston. If he'd have just stood up to his wife, he'd still have a good steady gig.

 

Does she watch him on The Good Wife? It is becoming one of my favorite on demand tv shows.

 

Yes, she does, and I watched it too until it did a Gray's Anatomy and turned into a soap opera.