"Law & Order" (1990) TV series 1990-????

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Release Date:

13 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.

Plot:

The show follows a crime, usually adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points. The first half of the show concentrates on the investigation of the crime by the police, the second half follows the prosecution of the crime in court.

Plot Keywords:

Attorney | Detective | Police | District Attorney | Evidence

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Golden Globes. Another 40 wins & 150 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 4	5:00 PM	TNT	Release	#17.8
Fri. Dec. 4	6:00 PM	TNT	Deadlock	#17.9

Cast

S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren / ... (379 episodes, 1991-2009)
Sam Waterston	...	Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy / ... (356 episodes, 1994-2009)
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe / ... (274 episodes, 1991-2004)
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff (229 episodes, 1990-2000)
Jesse L. Martin	...	Detective Ed Green (198 episodes, 1999-2008)

Also Known As:

Law & Order Prime (USA) (informal title)
Law and Order (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 (seasons 1-2 DVD) | UK:PG (season 3 DVD) | Iceland:12 (some epiosodes) | Singapore:M18 (season 5) | Netherlands:6 | USA:TV-PG (some episodes) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Studios USA Television

Trivia:

Jesse L. Martin was absent from the last four episodes of the fifteenth season. He left the show temporarily to work on Rent (2005). His character, Det. Green, was shot in the line of duty. For those four episodes, Martin was replaced by Michael Imperioli as Det. Falco.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In several episodes in the first season, Sgt. Greevey shows his credentials to identify himself, however the badge in the wallet is a NYPD "detectives" shield which is different from a Sgt's shield.

Quotes:

[about Jack McCoy's wife's death]
Jack McCoy: You know, before it happened... she wanted to quit. I talked her out of it.
Det. Lennie Briscoe: Yeah, well... I could have kept walking past that bar.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Tapping a Hero (#3.4)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not Driving Anymore

Still compelling after all these years

I only started watching L&O a few years ago, and am hooked on the brilliant writing, acting, and direction that have made this show so popular for so long. Jerry Orbach is great as Lennie, and I was stunned to learn that he also played the voice of Lumiere, the French candlestick in Beauty and the Beast! His sarcastic one-liners never fail to get me laughing, and he and his new partner, Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green, have a good rapport and are believable as partners. On the "Order" side, Sam Waterston, Dianne Wiest, and Elisabeth Rohm are equally compelling. New cast member Rohm has gotten better as she's gone along; she had big shoes to fill as Angie Harmon's replacement. Because the stories are all driven by the plots, and not the characters' personal lives, it makes the constant cast turnover more believable. It's a testament to Dick Wolf and co. that such a smart, sharp show has stayed on the edge after almost 12 years! My only beef is I'm tired of hearing "Ripped from the headlines" in every promo. That, though, is a minor quibble. Wednesday nights wouldn't be the same without it!