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

User Rating:

8.2/10   

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:

Sat. Nov. 7	9:00 PM	NBC	Just a Girl in the World	#20.2
Sun. Nov. 8	4:30 AM	TNT	Slaughter	#12.19

Cast

S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren / ... (374 episodes, 1991-2009)
Sam Waterston	...	Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy / ... (351 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 | 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:

At the time of the show's creation, one-hour dramas were going through a slump, with sitcoms being more popular and much more likely to get strong syndication deals for re-runs. Dick Wolf thought that it might be easier to sell the show in 30-minute segments and came up with the concept of the first half of the show being the police investigation and the second half the legal procedure. Dramas started rebounding in popularity shortly after Law & Order debuted, so this never ended up becoming an issue with re-run deals.

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:

[Opening narration]
Narrator: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing (2005) (TV)

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!