American television network executives more concerned about remaking old dramas (Rockford Files 2010, anyone?) than maintaining a powerhouse drama which has wowed critics and fans for 20 years have finally killed off Law & Order.
Custom has not staled the infinite variety of Dick Wolf's show, which has been kept fresh by revolving casts. Stalwarts have included Jerry Orbach, S Epatha Merkerson and Sam Waterston, while Jeremy Sisto, Chris Noth (of Sex and the City fame), Angie Harmon and Carey Lowell have been among the young turks.
L&O is no ordinary 'tec show; for a start, it has run for over 400 episodes. Second, it is not concerned with characters' back stories, which are only mentioned in brief asides - it is all about the crime and justice (or lack thereof). And third, it is entirely formulaic - which is its strength, not its weakness.
Every week, a body is discovered somewhere in New York City within the first five seconds; two detectives oversee the crime scene and crack wise before the credits. Their hard-bitten lieutenant sends them to interview witnesses. A suspect is arrested at the half-hour mark and the last half is spent in the trial, conducted by the assistant district attorney and his assistant, under the sardonic instruction of the DA. Within the last two minutes, the murderer is unmasked.
What has made L&O so successful is its ability to transcend this formula, to see it as a challenge to break through, thus each episode is kaleidoscopically different from the last. Every stratum of life and society is examined, from pricey Park Avenue doctors to up-town gang members. Complex legal strategies are thrown about (I think I could conduct a trial in New York now). And there are more twists than a funfair's corkscrew ride.
I would say that I will miss Law & Order, except the perpetual repeats on Hallmark, with a plenitude of episodes to choose from, guarantee that the distinctive 'chung-CHUNG' between scenes will remain for years to come.
L&O is no ordinary 'tec show; for a start, it has run for over 400 episodes. Second, it is not concerned with characters' back stories, which are only mentioned in brief asides - it is all about the crime and justice (or lack thereof). And third, it is entirely formulaic - which is its strength, not its weakness.
Every week, a body is discovered somewhere in New York City within the first five seconds; two detectives oversee the crime scene and crack wise before the credits. Their hard-bitten lieutenant sends them to interview witnesses. A suspect is arrested at the half-hour mark and the last half is spent in the trial, conducted by the assistant district attorney and his assistant, under the sardonic instruction of the DA. Within the last two minutes, the murderer is unmasked.
What has made L&O so successful is its ability to transcend this formula, to see it as a challenge to break through, thus each episode is kaleidoscopically different from the last. Every stratum of life and society is examined, from pricey Park Avenue doctors to up-town gang members. Complex legal strategies are thrown about (I think I could conduct a trial in New York now). And there are more twists than a funfair's corkscrew ride.
I would say that I will miss Law & Order, except the perpetual repeats on Hallmark, with a plenitude of episodes to choose from, guarantee that the distinctive 'chung-CHUNG' between scenes will remain for years to come.
