Law & Order

Plot synopsis:
Law & Order episodes are typically segmented into two parts, roughly at the halfway point; the first part follows police and detective work, and the second follows the legal and courtroom proceedings of the case. The show dwells little on the characters' back-stories or social lives, focusing mainly on their lives at work.For most of Law & Order's run, the cold open or lead-in of the show began with the discovery of a crime, usually a murder. The scene typically began with a slice of everyday life in New York City. Some civilians would then discover the crime victim, or sometimes the crime would occur in a public place and they would be a witnesses or a victim of a crime. The only exception to this are in the early seasons, mostly Seasons 1 & 2, the crime would usually be discovered by a pair of patrol officers or beat cops or in later seasons when the cold open was replaced with rapid cuts of the victim's final moments, similar to Law & Order: Criminal Intent.The police are represented in the show by the New York City Police Department 27th Precinct homicide department (in the show it is common that the detectives also investigate other cases, like kidnappings and rape, but in the real world these cases are handled by other units and divisions), with two homicide detectives, a senior detective (usually a veteran cop) and a junior detective (usually a young but capable detective), who report directly to their boss at their precinct either a Lieutenant or a Captain depending on rank of the Precinct Commander. During the preliminary crime scene examination, the featured detectives make their first observations and will come up with theories followed by a witticism or two, before the title sequence begins.The detectives often have few or no good cluesthey might not even know the victim's identityand must usually chase several dead ends before finding a likely suspect(s).They start their investigations at the crime scene by talking to any witnesses at the scene whilst the Crime Scene Unit (CSU) forensic technicians start processing the scene by collecting the necessary evidence. The CSU personnel have many tools at their disposal including the materials needed to develop fingerprints, cast footwear and tire impressions, follow the trajectory of bullets fired through windows and the chemicals necessary to observe blood under special lighting conditions that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye, all of which might provide clues to help the police later. The Medical examiner (M.E.)'s office will also be shown to collect the body from the crime scene.Later the medical examiner will perform an autopsy on the victim, offering more clues to the victim's cause and time of death (sometimes obtaining the victim's identity from dental records or fingerprints) which the detectives will read about in the M.E.'s autopsy report and by talking to the M.E. who performed it. When the detectives know the victim's identity they will inform their relatives or loved ones of their death and attempt to get more information on the victim's life and possible suspects.The detectives continue their investigation by interviewing witnesses and possible suspects, all the while tracing the victim's last known movements and victim's state of mind (by talking to the victim's family, friends and co-workers). Sometimes they will have someone they suspect of the crime and will trace their last known movements and state of mind by talking to the people in the suspect's life, until they are either ruled out or dead certain of their guilt. They also visit the crime laboratory to submit and view evidence (e.g. fingerprints, DNA and ballistics, etc.), they may also look into any background information such as financial details and criminal history on both the victim and lead suspect. In some instances, psychologists and/or psychiatrists are called in for insight into the criminal's behaviour or modus operandi. All the while, the detectives report to their commanding officer, keeping them informed and being advised on how best to proceed next.When the detectives are certain they have the right suspect(s), the police will take the case to their boss, who decides if there is enough for a search and/or arrest warrants (though sometimes the commanding officer will consult with the New York City District Attorney's office to see if the case is strong enough) and whether or not any back-up (such as uniformed officers or armed tactical team) is needed. The detectives will then arrest the suspects(s), with sometimes the police having to chase the accused through the streets of New York. The scene then shifts to the interrogation room where the detectives interrogate the suspect(s), until they ask for a lawyer, their defense attorney shows up and asks the suspect not to talk anymore or the Assistant District Attorney from the D.A.'s office decides they have enough to press charges.Towards the middle of a show, the police will begin to work with the prosecutors to make the arrest, though sometimes the Assistant District Attorney will appear earlier to arrange a plea-for-information deal or to decide if the detectives have enough evidence for search warrant(s) and/or arrest warrant(s) before arresting the suspect or suspects. An arraignment court scene will follow, in which the defendant(s) plead (usually not guilty) and bail conditions are set.The matter is then taken over by a pair of representatives from the New York County District Attorney's Office, an Executive District Attorney and an Assistant District Attorney. They discuss deals, prepare the witnesses and evidence, and conduct the People's case in the trial. The District Attorneys work together and with the Medical Examiner's office, the crime laboratory (including fingerprint analysts, DNA profilers and ballistics analysts), and psychologists and/or psychiatrists (if the defendant uses an insanity plea), all of whom may be needed to testify in court for the prosecution. The police may also reappear to testify in court or to arrest another suspect, but most investigation in the second segment is done by the D.A.'s office, in consultation with the District Attorney for advice on the case, as the D.A., being an elected official, sometimes brings political considerations to bear concerning decisions to prosecute various alleged offenders. If the case is very weak then the police would re-investigate.Unlike many other legal dramas (e.g. The Defenders, Matlock, Perry Mason and L.A. Law), the court proceedings are shown from the prosecution's point of view, with the regular characters trying to prove the defendant's guilt, not innocence. After the arraignment of defendants the D.A.s proceed to trial preparation, including legal research and plea negotiations. Some episodes include legal proceedings beyond the testimony of witnesses, including motion hearings, (often concerning admissibility of evidence); jury selection; and allocutions, usually as a result of plea bargains. Many episodes employ motions to suppress evidence as a plot device, and most of these end with evidence or statements being suppressed, often on a technicality. This usually begins with the service of the motion to the D.A. team, follows with argument and case citations of precedent before a judge in court, and concludes with visual reaction of the winning or losing attorney.Many episodes use outlandish defense scenarios such as Diminished responsibility (e.g. "Genetics"/"Television"/"God"/"the devil made me do it" and intoxication defence) and temporary insanity (e.g. "Black Rage"/"White Rage"/"Sports Rage"). Some episodes revolve around moral and ethical debates including the right to die (euthanasia), the right to life (abortion), and the right to bear arms (gun control). Episodes usually ends with the verdict being read by the jury foreperson and a shot of both the winning and losing parties. The scene then shifts to the District Attorney's office, where the team is leaving the office to go home while contemplating either the true guilt of the accused, the defense scenarios that were used, or the moral or ethical issue that was central to the episode.

Tags: murder

Review:
Dzundza left because he preferred to live and work where it was warmer and his character, (played by his stand-in), gets bumped off in the first episode of the second season.1991-92: Paul Sorvino plays his replacement, nice-guy Phil Cerretta.
The show actually began the next year with the same cast but Sorvino wanted to leave to become an opera singer so poor Phil got shot by a black-market arms dealer in November, 1992 and was replaced by the classic dog-faced flatfoot, Jerry Orbach as Lenny Briscoe.
She later told a newspaper reporter that she had "watched enough "Law and Order" episodes to know suspicious behavior when she sees it."  She got out her camera-phone and starting taking photographs of the man and the license plate on the van.
Very simple at first, but it is the complex relationships between the regular cast, as well as the quirks of the guest stars, that make the show what it is.Like any long-running television series, Law & Order has had its ups and downs.
All good things must come to an end, even if many would prefer a bad Law & Order to a good Survivor.Aside from the cast dynamic, the stories are what makes the show truly work.
Although many of the stories are uniquely American in nature, a fair percentage are of the kind that could literally happen anywhere.Another aspect that sets Law & Order apart is its ability to show that even the simplest of cases do not always have a happy ending.
In recent years, L&O has lost some of the grittiness that made it so compelling, and I do miss actors such as Steven Hill, Michael Moriarty, Chris Noth, Jill Hennessy and now Orbach, but the show is still far superior to the majority of what passes for prime-time programming.
It has stayed at the top of the viewing public's taste because of the intelligent way it presents the criminal justice system and the issues of the day.The typical Law And Order episode will have a murders the cops will investigate and arrest their suspect and then the District Attorney will take over.
But not always, defense lawyers do win, it's why they command the fees they do and folks this is not Perry Mason.The show's concept has struck a resonating tone with the public, it has to be the concept because no other show in the history of television drama has undergone as many cast changes as Law And Order.
I have to hand it to you Americans - when it comes to decent TV shows, you have us Brits beaten, hands down; Sopranos, Six Feet Under and this, Law & Order.It's an excellent show which makes for firmly compulsive viewing, with great scripts and solid acting.
Even though recently new characters that have been coming into play (almost the entire cast has changed in just the last 3 seasons leaving Lt. Van Buren and new DA Jack McCoy as the only long standing characters with Detective Ed Green's sudden departure last season)the show is still going strong and is still interesting.
The second half focuses on trial of the suspect and thus the prosecutors, the D.A. himself/herself in small doses, and large doses of the executive and assistant D.A.'s.There have been almost thirty people play the six starring roles in this series over the years with probably the door revolving the most in the person of the assistant D.A., which is what you would expect in real life.
Special mention has to go to a few of the long-timers though - Sam Waterston first as executive D.A. and then D.A., as well as Jerry Orbach who played the role of Lennie Briscoe, the "old cop" from 1992-2004 and probably the most beloved character in the series' history.
I much prefer the other Law and Orders where the actors use more restraint.I've watched the original L&O for about 10 years.
Even if the feeling isn't always a politically correct one.McCoy,Briscoe,Logan,and Schiff will always be my favorites.Their comments were always the best and face it Briscoe and Schiff could be hilarious at times.Hopefully the writing will stay interesting and the characters rich.So far this show has managed to skirt being to redundant.Which is a big feat for a show that's been on 15 years.Here's to many more years of a great show.
Sam Waterston of the bushy eyebrows plays the heroic prosecutor, assisted by a rotating cast of severe young supermodels.When, in the mid 1990's, this show crossed-over with "Homicide: Life on the Street", its actors reported that they had a much better time on the lower-rated detective show.
"Law & Order" is entirely about the cases, rather than any of the individuals involved; "Homicide" was about the people and the effects of crime.So, what's the appeal of a show with no suspense, and no character development?
It's genius in it's simplicity (30 minutes with the detectives followed by 30 for the courtroom drama complete with a last minute twist), excellent in it's realism (even if it's shaded by Politically correct BS in later years as the stories it "ripped for the Headlines" always seem to change the skin-tone of the perp).
And even though most episode are interchangeable with any other given episode due to the episodic nature of the show, discernible only by who the Detectives happen to be that year, it's still makes for a highly compelling and engrossing, I still feel "Homicide" a show this one crossed over with a number of times, is the best detective show of the '90's, however that's more a personal preference as I prefer long, intricate story lines.
With that said this show is FAR from chopped liver and is endless much more intelligent than the dumbed down flashy CSI franchise.My Grade: A Season 1 DVD Extras: The Creation of Law & Orderder with Dick Wolf (14 minutes, 15 seconds); and a trailer for the L&O: Dead on the Money video gameSeason 2 DVD Extras: A 30 minute featurette that features interviews with cast members of the first & second seasons, plus Jerry OrbachSeason 3 DVD Extras: Deleted Scenes; a tribute to the gone before his time and dearly missed Jerry Orbach & Jerry Orbach profileSeason 14 DVD Extras: Profiles of Actors Jesse Martin and Fred Thompson, a set tour with Jerry Orbach; and Park Dietz interview.
Once upon a time, there was a great show called Law & Order that had a neat, fresh premise--show a murder case from the discovery of the crime all the way through to the end of the trial.
I just thought Jerry Orbach did a very good job of portraying him, he didn't always depict him as a tough guy, the audience could sometimes see a soft side to him.What I think the writers have a talent for is being inspired by real life cases that are shown on television and they have turned them into something totally different, there are times when I watch it and I remember hearing about the case but I find myself surprised at how the plot has gone in a completely different direction that I didn't predict.Another positive to the show is that you get 2 for the price of one.
Meaning the programme doesn't just focus on police investigating the crime scene or lawyers prosecuting the cases, you get to see how the two sides work in their own ways to convict the guilty and you see how both sides have problems in their investigations and use their police knowledge or the law to trap the guilty people.The actors and writing just make this programme a joy to watch and it is never predictable and has many twists and turns which adds to the edge of the seat tension and you get caught up in a piece of fiction, hoping that the person who has committed the crime won't get away with it..
I wish I could rate each season individually, as "Law & Order" began as a 10 star television series in 1990, but gradually deteriorated into virtually unwatchable by the time it left the air.This series, created and produced by Dick Wolf, took the formula first appearing in the 1963 series "Arrest & Trial" and honed it to perfection.The original cast was wonderful.
Only with Sam Waterston's emergence in season five would Dick Wolf again find a character that would benefit the series for the better.Sadly, it was in season four that NBC, in their infinite wisdom, decided to stick their fingers into the formula and start "Law & Order" on its slow but steady decline.
She was replaced after two seasons by Fred Thompson, whose character was an obnoxious blow-hard, just as the actor playing him.Lennie Briscoe's (Jerry Orbach's) sidekick changed a couple of times over the years as well.
The series was finally killed after 20 years, but should have been put out of its misery about 5 years earlier."Law and Order" will still go down in television history as one of the greatest dramas of all time.
But sadly, like series such as "The Andy Griffith Show" (which went three seasons too long), it too will be remembered as a series that would have been more of a classic if it had quit while it was ahead.I thoroughly recommend catching "Law & Order" in reruns if you did not see it during its original run.
For years he was one of my favorite actors, until I saw him on "Law & Order" where he at times seems more ruthless and cold-hearted then some of the criminals he is prosecuting!
To make matters even worse: by the end of this episode in question it turned out that the death was the tragic story of two mentally ill people where *he* had assisted in her suicide out of his love for her, so Waterston's character dramatically changed his view and let the guy of with 6 years in a mental institution.
A good start!"Law & Order" deserves credit for being the show that seemed to turn the tides in TV drama, putting the realism back into TV entertainment, a turn for the better that would eventually result in great productions like "Homicide", "The Third Watch" and "The Shield", but as far as "Law & Order" is concerned: it has outstayed it's welcome..
And I suppose plenty of you people do just that.I remember reading another review of this show where someone said: "as any attorney would tell you, this is as realistic as t.v. gets".Which is funny, because I was on a jury at a real criminal trial a couple years back, where in one of the depositions for the DA, the DA said, and I quote, "I usually can't watch shows like those, because things just never happens like that.".
Over the numerous episodes I have seen, only a handful make the audience fail to question where they stand on harsh issues like abortion, the death penalty, and insanity pleas.Choose any given season and you can have a retired nun accidentally killing a child in a botched exorcism, a liberal politician attempting to cover up his indiscretions, an AIDs-infected teenage boy deliberately passing on the illness to as many girls as he can, and a suburban housewife going homicidal on a complete stranger.
"Law & Order" premiered in 1990 as the anti-"LA Law." It follows one case per episode from the streets through the courts, without getting into the characters' personal lives.It was never the highest rated series, and it doesn't bag 10 Emmies every year, but it is currently the longest drama on TV (now in its 13th season).
But if you're looking for great writing, acting, and in-depth drama aimed at grownups, "Law & Order" is on NBC Wednesdays at 10, and nightly on TNT..
Law and Order deserves the praise it has received, but every time I watch it, I'm disturbed by the negative way in which the defense is presented.
After watching this episode of Law & Order SVU, I didn't like this idea of young Teenagers getting Pregnant either.
Like most fans I have watched all the episodes of LAW AND ORDER.
After similar efforts have passed into the cloud of mediocrity, Law and Order will remain the award winning series that lives on as an acclaimed example of the very finest dramas television has ever offered..
I must admit, I haven't seen the show recently - it's drowned out by the platoon of CSI shows here in Belgium - but when I lived in Canada, it was regular evening fare.A thoughtful, well-paced show that takes a crime from inception to denouement, be it good, bad, or somewhere in-between (those are the shows I usually like the best), that gives you a fly-on-the-wall look at the some of the decisions that have to be made by the people involved.
He admitted to things under duress and was never allowed an attorney before questioning, the same way you hear the police on "Law and Order" act like they are angry when a suspect "lawyers up" and act as if it is a bad or wrong thing.
Law & Order like other shows have the run it's course at least 8 years ago.
Both, original Law and Order and SVU are for me the most consistent on quality level...of course it all has to do with pretty similar set up in every episode in terms of plot construction but still - you can watch 200- 300 episodes without feeling that show drop on quality level too much.
("Perry Mason" is the all-time classic of that genre.) "Law & Order" is unique in that it traces a criminal case (usually a homicide) from the police investigation all the way to the courtroom.But more than just the basic premise, L&O is a consistently intelligent, fast-paced, thought-provoking hourly series, packed with seemingly authentic detail and snappy dialogue.
"Law & Order" (as envisioned by creator Dick Wolf) is one of the best cop shows I have ever seen.
I've been hooked on the dynamic characters and ripped-from-the-headlines plots for almost five years now, and every episode is pure delight.Ever since I first saw the original "Law & Order" during the summer of 2001 on A&E (it has since moved over to TNT), I have realized I am watching one of the greatest hours in entertainment.
The second half of the program, "Order" - is dedicated to the judicial process - as the lawyers attempt to prosecute the defendants (you can pick Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Sam Waterston, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm, Annie Parisse and their superiors Steven Hill, Dianne Wiest, Fred Dalton Thompson).Each plot is varied, deep, and involving.
Suffice it is to say, there were a lot of different Detectives and A.D.A.'s in and out during the course of the series run, which continues as this is being written!But it was also style and quality of writing and formatting that makes LAW & ORDER so watchable, habitual even.
Whereas other series,e.g.HOMICIDE:LIFE ON THE STREET(1993-99)is more character driven, LAW & ORDER relies more on story.
Hey I was just looking on the page for The Sopranos and I realized that just about every single actor and actress that's on The Sopranos has been in a Law & Order episode.Michael Imperioli's going to star in the next season.
In the ten years or so that LAW & ORDER has been running, it has remained focused on the crimes being solved, and never succumbed to the temptation to go off on soap operatic side trips about the sordid details of the characters' personal lives..
When L&O tries to break new ground, it goes into ridiculous territory, like tonight's episode about breaking international laws to pursecute a murder suspect.Now, the show was great when Chris Noth and Michael Moriarty were the stars.
Chris Noth in the earlier episodes alongside Paul Sorvino and later the late Jerry Orbach (he was and will always be Law & Order) was pretty good.
Years from now I'm sure there will be a show about this decade on VH1 like what has been done with the '70s, '80s, and '90s called "I Love the '00s" and the "Law & Order" franchise will definitely be mentioned.
If something came up that completely ended the "Law & Order" franchise today, it wouldn't matter because years from now the reruns would be playing on TV and more and more generations would definitely be interested in it.
"Order" is a leisurely paced series, wrapped in Mike Post's now classic score and punctuated by a simple 2-chime sound effect that will probably be an instinctive signature of the series long after it is off the air - if that ever happens.In the first half we have the criminal investigation, with our two detectives (of an oscillating cast, with Jerry Orbach, the perfect rugged, smart-alec New York cop, as the standout) on the case.
"Law & Order" doesn't have the time to build even its main characters.
There have been a lot of strong performances during this show's run,with--and these are standout performances IMO--Jerry Orbach,Chris Noth,Paul Sorvino,Jesse L.Martin and S.Epatha Merkersson doing the police work,and Michael Moriarty,Sam Waterston,Jill Hennessey,Elisabth Rohm,Steven Hill and Fred Dalton Thompson adjudicating the cases.If you haven't caught any of these shows,you either don't watch much NBC or you don't get basic cable,and my suggestion is that if you appreciate good,dry-bones topical drama television,you should give this one a try..
As a student of Criminal Justice, I have run into more police professionals who believe that "Law and Order" is the best crime drama both in production and (in many cases) ever made.
I began watching "Law & Order" about three years ago, long after the series had been established as a success.
I have watched no other television program as avidly as this one."Law & Order" is perhaps the finest of the television crime dramas.