For generic comments about the board (would that make this a meta-board?). No flamin', fussin', or anything not related to L&O or the L&O boards!

Sax,

When will the remainder of SVU season 1 (and parts of season 2) and L&O S1-10 be up?

Pardon me, that should have been episode synopses and the discussion boards for those seasons.

Sax tells me it will be as soon as his arm heals. But he won't tell me what happened! I've been his friend for almost three years. You'd think he'd trust me by now.

There should be an Emmy nomination next year for J.K. Simmons. He is so convincing both as the sympathetic Skoda and as the reprehensible, beneath contempt Vern Schillinger on "Oz." In fact, "Oz" is always ignored at Emmy time. It is time to change that, but a show like "Oz" does not fit into the clubby atmosphere of the Emmy voters.

I watched an episode of Oz at the suggestion of Brian Webber (speaking of which, thanks for the pic you e-mailed me. I laughed for hours!), and I have to agree. That show deserves some emmys!

I have a question:Why is L&O (and SVU) a co-production with Studios USA and Wolf Films, when Universal Studios was the first studio involved? Did Universal bow out or is USA owned by Universal? (I think the USA cable channel was co-owned by Universal at one point.)

I also read a few years ago that "L&O" was formatted so it could be sliced into two separate half hours for eventual syndication. At the time it was developed, hour long shows had fallen out of favor a bit in the syndication market. Since then, of course, "L&O" (in hour form) has become one of the cornerstones of A&E's daily schedule.
Personally, I like Jerry Orbach's Briscoe better than Paul Sorvino or George Dzundza-Orbach gets better lines, and delivers them very cynically.

The people who do the scheduling for thr netorks should be flogged. Next season, a show I watch and admire, "L&O:SVU" is up against another show I watch and admire, viz. ABC's relationship drama "Once And Again". Thank heaven for VCR's and (almost) instant repeats on cable.

Whatever. I just like Sela Ward's Sprint commericals. I like to tape them and watch in slow motion. *drool*

Let's hear it for us guys who think that women over 40 can still be hot! (Sela is 42.)

Hear hear!

"Oz" was ignored again, guys. Emmy nominees are same-old, same-old.

What's the deal with "L&O" repeats? Anyone know how they are divided between TNT and A&E?

According to the Star-Ledger, Dianne Weist is leaving Law & Order after just two seasons. Retiring Sen. (and former character actor) Fred Thompson is in negotiations to step in as the new D.A. Except for his out of place Southern accent, (which I'm sure they can explain away in an introductory line or two) he would be a great choice.
Why did Steven Hill leave in the first place?

According to TV Guide, TNT will get the entire L&O package in August. They were unclear as to whether it is August 2002 or 2003.

Adam, I knew Orbach would be great in that role when one of the first things he said in his first episode was cynical, mean, and border-line cruel.

OK, L&O fans. Starting 9/1/02, TNT will obtain the entire L&O package, and will kick it off with a day-long marathon. Episodes will be shown at 12 noon, 7,8 and 11 p.m. (ET)

Why did Steven Hill leave in the first place?

He just retired - ten years on a television series is a looooong time.

OK, L&O fans. Starting 9/1/02, TNT will obtain the entire L&O package...

Whoa...A&E just lost their flagship rerun? And they've cancelled 100 Centre Street and Nero Wolfe? (Hellloooo, endless Bill Kurtis reruns...and that Joan Lunden series. Yikes.)

Why do I get the impression there are some serious financial troubles here?

Steven Hill was the original IMF leader in the first season of Mission Impossible. He left before the second season began, and did not return to acting for twenty years. I believe his comeback role was in the 1986 film Legal Eagles.
Sen. Fred Thompson will be the new D.A., and the character will reflect Mr. Thompson's conservative views. The Senator will do double duty as a lawmaker and an actor until his retirement from the Senate in January.
Yes, Kerrie, A&E is in trouble. Their ratings have declined severely of late. They will replace the 11 p.m. run of L&O with repeats of Third Watch. IMO, their programming block is getting stale, especially after cancelling their two original series. Also, they're doing themselves and their viewers no favors by running infomercials from 5-7 a.m. daily

What I don't understand is-With a tremendous catalog of episodes to choose from (over 250) for the TNT marathon, how come the same episodes were on twice? Also, one episode (concerning a gang of punks who award themselves points for each girl they have sex with) was on three times (A&E once, and TNT twice.)

The name of Tovah Feldshuh's recurring character, defense attorney Danielle Melnick, is doubtless a word play. There is a film producer named Daniel Melnick (Altered States.)
Is Tovah Feldshuh the long lost sister of Kate Mulgrew?

I like all the Law and Orders, but they all have certain quirks that bug me.

The original Law and Order has my favorite cast and basic set-up, but its almost stringent following of its conventions bugs me at times.

SVU has good plots, but Mariska Hargitay's ac

Hey Mike, your computer go ••••-up on ya there ol' buddy? I hate when that happens. Were you referring to her acting? It seems fine to me, although I'm a bit at how Belzer hasn't ben seen that much this season. I think it's beucase he lives in Frnace and the U.S. Government is trying to revoke his dual citizenship status. If those bastards take Det. Munch away from us it'll be Revolution 2 time!

Dumb thing!

Yeah, I was. It's not anything really annoying, it's just that her "pained expressions of angst" are starting to get on my nerves.

Criminal Intent has an overly mannered D'Onofrio. It works sometimes, other times it's just Columbo-style annoying.

Anyone else here think the women of CSI:Miami (Khandi Alexander and Emily Procter) are red hot?

If those bastards take Det. Munch away from us it'll be Revolution 2 time!

Yeah, but Munch doesn't have an FBI file! We know, because he asked for it!

L&O:SVU is currently being repeated on the USA Network. I'd like to know who the scheduling genius is that slotted the reruns at 7 and 11, up against TNT's repeats of Law & Order.

One of the things that ticks me off about McCoy is that he continually brings up the death penalty as a fait accompli. Although N.Y. Gov. George Pataki signed a death penalty law in 1995, no one has yet been executed. As I write this, I'm unsure if anyone has even been sentenced to death in New York State.

But people have been executed in the L&O-verse. See Season 6:Aftershock.

I'm a HUGE fan of the original and SVU...


And I must say it: I want B.D. Wong *rowr* (I have a thing for Asian men as of late).


I know he's gay, though...*sigh*

IMHO, the L&O franchise has just about killed the crime-based TV movie. Those movies take time to develop, whereas L&O can get a similar story on the air quickly, maybe even in the current season. (Actually, I don't recall the writers working that fast. However, the Phil Spector story was in the news in February or March 2003, and L&O had it on the air in October.)

Since L&O Season 14: Identity isn't up yet, let me just say this....


THE RETURN OF SHAMBALA GREENE! YAY!!!!

The investment firm T.D. Waterhouse seems to be recruiting L&O cast members to do their commercials. First, Steven Hill (after he left the show) and now Sam Waterston.

TNT is using the song "Waiting For You," by Seal, to play over their ads for L&O. ("You know you love it!")

On the episode of L&O that ran 2/4/04, entitled "Married With Children," there was a discussion between Branch, McCoy and Southerlyn that dealt with a Massachusetts court ruling regarding gay marriage. A ruling from the Massachusetts high court permitting gay marriage came down the same day the episode was aired, and I assume that's the ruling they were discussing. Could scenes have been written, shot and inserted into the episode concerning that (or any other) issue on the same day the episode was due to air?

The MA court had previously issued a ruling stating that there was nothing in the MA constitution (charter/whatever -- what is it Blue? I know MA's a commonwealth) preventing gay marriage, but had not explicitly legalized it until 4 Feb 04. The previous ruling may be what they are discussing.

Adam, Scott: That episode is up now. We should move it this discussion over there.

TNT's repeat schedule seems to concentrate on the more recent episodes. I wish they'd run some of the earlier ones; they seldom seem to anymore.

And now for the first season Law and Order drinking game.

TAKE A SIP WHEN...

*Logan grabs a suspect and shoves him against a wall
*Cragen tells Greevey and Logan to do some work
*Greevey rants about some form of modern culture
*Logan mentions a one-night stand
*Greevey and Logan shout at each other
*The suspect looks uneasy and says "I think I want a lawyer"
*Greevey or Logan read the suspects his or her rights
*Stone has an objection sustained. Two sips if he's overruled.
*The defense counsel has an objection overruled. Two sips if he/she's sustained.
*There's a sidebar.
*Stone says "Permission to treat this witness as hostile, your honor?"
*The defense counsel says "You don't have a case, Stone" (two sips if he or she says "Ben" instead of Stone)
*The defense counsel gets real quiet and finally nods at the defendant to take the deal
*Stone uses some form of expletive other than the common swear words
*Schiff sits on his couch and looks really tired
*Profaci enters the room, two sips if he comes in with evidence
*Robinette says some variation of "Pick him up."
*Cragen says "freaking."
*Cragen answers the phone and shouts "What?"
*Cragen says "negative bupkis" (as far as I know, just once this season)
*Stone calls someone "sir"
*Stone puts on his coat (two sips if Schiff is also putting on his coat)
*Stone calls the defendant's lawyer by his or her first name
*Schiff says some variation of "No motive. Circumsantial evidence. The jury will never believe us. Make the deal."
*Stone offers manslaughter when the original charge was murder.
*Schiff wears that funny hat.
*The arraignment judge cuts off the defense lawyer and demands that a plea be entered.
*Someone says "C'mon, Paul!" to Robinette. (two sips if it's not Cragen or Stone)
*Funky '80s music plays.

I wish that Stone would come back, with his polite and subdued "Sir". In tonight's episode, dealing with a prison guard accused of murdering a paroled con, McCoy was so sanctimonious and holier than thou, it was annoying.
NBC also has developed an annoying habit - having promo bugs appear on screen not only at the start of each act, but at the halfway point, too. I mean, the bug, advertising an upcoming show, comes out of nowhere. The effect can be startling.

Andrea Yates, the Texas mom who was convicted of drowning three of her five children (all five were drowned; she wasn't tried for the other two murders) had her conviction overturned today, as the psychiatrist who testified mentioned a Law & Order episode that doesn't exist. More can be found here.

That is absolutely ridiculous. Doesn't anyone now how to look up synopses on the internet? Didn't anyone on the team know someone who watches every episode? I'd think someone working in a law office would!

Perhaps it was a plot on another show, but I can't believe something so trivial would overturn a decision in light of other good evidence.

(Ok, maybe this belongs somewhere else, but it is peripherally related...)

I'm not sure if it really is that trivial. If a jury thought Yates got the idea off TV, that could contribute to saying no to "not guilty by reason of insanity."

Anyhoo, doesn't this seem like the sort of thing that trips up Ben Stone/Jack McCoy all the time?

Influx: I thought it might be a CSI ep, but that hasn't panned out either. I'll check NYPD Blue later.

Mike: Wouldn't that be funny in a dark kind of way if it were the case?

Apparently the Yates prosecutor jumped on the alleged L&O connection, without bothering to check if the episode actually existed. For crying out loud, he could have come right here, to Nit Central. Or, he could have checked NBC's own episode guide.

Moderator, we need the rest of L&O Season 15.

**And I must say it: I want B.D. Wong *rowr* (I have a thing for Asian men as of late).
I know he's gay, though...*sigh*


The entire L&O franchise as a whole gets quite a bit of its casting from the Gay community. This is the reason Stabler got divorced. They also tried to write out McCoy several times but fans complained. His character is a ladies man who has a reputation for being sexually active with his subordinates and this created problems with the development of the Southerlyn character. It was easier to fire her by implying the new Conservative DA was a homophobe.
(There are also a number of Sci-Fi series whose casting contain Gay actors. Pretender, Stargate: Atlantis, and the Star Trek franchise are all prime examples.)

**Anyone else here think the women of CSI:Miami (Khandi Alexander and Emily Procter) are red hot?

Alexander: Oh yes 'Baby'! Bestill my heart 'Baby'!!
Procter: She might be hot if she'd learn how to handle a weapon! She comes across as a ditz and all those heady lines of dialogue seem to fall flat. They need to get rid of her and Supercop Caine to make this show work again.

The entire L&O franchise as a whole gets quite a bit of its casting from the Gay community. This is the reason Stabler got divorced. They also tried to write out McCoy several times but fans complained

Can you document the claims? (Not that a lot of casting comes from the Gay community, but the alleged results thereof)?

If you are asking about Waterston being Gay I don't know. I was saying that the dynamic with McCoy and Southerlyn was causing problems and they tried to remove McCoy from the equation. Unfortunately McCoy is too popular and they changed the premise to solve the problem. I apologize if the way I worded that seemed to indicate otherwise. When I re-read it later I thought "OOPS!"
With Stabler's divorce, there were problems with Meloni being depicted as married to a woman and having his own children (in real life, all the children from his Hollywood marriage were done using a surrogate). At first they tried to solve it by removing her being featured in any episodes. That didn't suffice for some and so they completely removed the plot device. It has also created quite a bit of controversy that Hargitay's pregnancy may be written into the script by having a suggested intimacy scene during a stakeout with Stabler.

...Wait, what?

No, I'm asking you to document the claims about Stabler's divorce (your 1:16 am post doesn't provide documentation). I'm also asking you to provide provide documentation about your claims about attempts to write out McCoy. I said nothing one way or the other about Waterston being gay (and frankly, I don't care one way or the other).

Law & Order moves to Friday nights in NBC's revised fall schedule (as of May 25, 2006.) It was moved to Wednesdays at 9 for two weeks this spring; the first time it was ever moved from the 10 p.m. slot it's had since 1990. More here.

I have a CI question: Is Jamey Sheridan(Capt Deakins) leaving the show? I hadn't heard about it but the season finale seemed to indicate that(or will that be resolved in the season opener next season?)

My Current L&O Reviews:

L&O: Original--The formula is still strong. The personnel can still get it done when they need to. But a reliance on too many gimmicky "hot-button news stories" and overdone cliches results in a sort of blandness to it at times. I think it's good to get the annoying Fontana out (he wouldn't have been so bad if they gave him more depth, like "Ghosts" tried to).

SVU--The cast is still fantastic. But the scripts are getting annoying; we rarely get to see the entire team in one episode, there are too many "gimmicky" episodes. So we end up with high highs and low lows.

CI--CI is what it is. It's been that way since the first episode. It's like Mark Loretta or Placido Polanco. It's always going to be watchable per se, but it's rarely going to hit a home run. Noth's arrival doesn't really concern me too much. My caveats are the same as ever: give more time to Vance and Sheridan (and now his replacement), don't make this into a comic book (Super Goren, the Lex Luthor like Olivia D'Abo), and keep the plot twists coming.

I can't watch CI. Goren knows too much, and D'Onofrio, while nice eye candy, is the new Shatner. I was a big Mike Logan fan, and don't want to ruin my memory of him. The rest of your criticisms are spot-on.

Logan's pretty good; they end up sort of inverting the Goren/Eames relationship. Logan is Goren's trickiness crossed with Eames' earthiness, while Barek has Goren's smarts but Eames' sidekick persona.

NBC moved Law & Order to Friday nights at 10 last year, and viewership dropped quite a bit. So, NBC is waffling on an renewal for an 18th season. But, I've heard that if NBC drops it, TNT will air new episodes, in addition to the reruns they already air. So, let's breathe a sigh of relief. They may have to do it without Fred Dalton Thompson, who's contemplating a 2008 Presidential run.

NBC has renewed all the L&O shows, but with CI next year the new episodes will be run first on USA, then on NBC.

A Star Trek note- John Schuck played a NYPD big wig in SVU's finale tonight.

The new episodes of Criminal Intent that are running on USA have changed the theme. They now use the arrangement first heard on Law & Order - Trial By Jury.

Law & Order returns to Wednesday nights Jan. 2, 2008 at 9 p.m. with a two-hour episode. It returns "home" (it's old Wednesday at 10 slot) the following week. Criminal Intent starts its NBC season that night, with the episodes that have already had their first run on USA. NBC will run them Wednesdays at 9.

Awesome! I don't get USA, so I've been going through CI withdrawal.

Does this mean that L&O no longer plans to air on Sunday?

And that premiere--up against the BCS? Yeeesh.

Miscellaneous comment on 24.

A lady in my WeightWatchers® group was (pre-strike) a production assistant for 24.

SPOILER (highlight): According to her, LA does NOT get nuked this season. Yay!

I don't get USA, so I've been going through CI withdrawal.
How do you not get USA, unless you don't have cable or satellite? Every cable system I've ever seen has USA. Even some dinky motel I stayed in near Disney World back in 1983 had USA.

Does this mean that L&O no longer plans to air on Sunday?
Yes.

Law and Order had new headshots done of the returning cast for its opening credits fot its 18th season. S. Epatha Merkerson's new headshot stayed up for two episodes, then the credits reverted back to the old headshot of her used for at least a decade. I wonder why...

Scott, I'm glad to see the show has evolved! ;-)

It will be interesting to see what happens when the show comes back, with Joel Surnow having left the series during the strike...

I don't get USA because I live in an on-campus apartment which gets its cable through the university provider, so...

no Sci-Fi
no ESPN 2
no USA
no Game Show Network
no FOX News

But Univision! Telemundo! Scola! Three channels with a live webcam of the university quad!

Linus Roache's Michael Cutter (the new ADA) seems to wear the same shirt (a white one with what looks like white bars going down each side) quite frequently. Maybe all the time; I just noticed that. Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy seemed to favor one shirt (a blue one with a flap over the pocket) for a while.
And, I'll miss Jesse Martin's Ed Green. He's leaving to star in the Marvin Gaye biopic Sexual Healing. Anthony Anderson will replace him; I guess K-Ville didn't weather the writers' strike.

TNT has begun reruns of season 18 of Law & Order. NBC ran those episodes in letterbox. TNT runs them full screen, which result in many extreme close-ups. Sometimes uncomfortably so. (TNT also did the same with season 17, but for some reason it didn't seem as extreme.)

Law & Order returns home (Wednesdays at 10) again on November 5. NBC is making a crime night package, moving Life to Wednesdays at 9.

Good. L&O was the best it has been for a long time last season, with good scripts and a very strong cast (Sisto/Roache--nice additions).

Carol Burnett was the "Special Guest Star" on SVU last night. But - her agent forgot to tell her the series is a dead serious crime drama. Her performance was akin to one of the movie spoofs (specifically one of Sunset Boulevard) that she used to do on her old variety show. Her character was even shown watching old films of herself, a la Boulevard's Norma Desmond. (I believe the films were clips of Burnett from The Garry Moore Show.)

I can't blame Burnett--the script basically dictated that performance.

On the other hand, Delroy Lindo was superb in last night's episode, as a troubled cop who SVU is ordered to take on to assist in the capture of a serial rapist/murderer. Mariska Hargitay was absent, probably due to her recent health problems. If anyone does leave, the producers should consider making Lindo at least a recurring character.

Lindo was pretty cool. I would resist making him a recurring character though as I think that would cheapen the character somewhat. This certainly proves that Lindo needs another TV show, stat, though.

I haven't said this here yet - It's great to have Stephanie March return as Alex Cabot. Even if it's only for five or six episodes.
Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay are involved in an ongoing contract dispute, and the New York Post is speculating that they may not return next year. More here.

Childhood vaccination, specifically for measles, was the subject of a recent episode of SVU with guest star Hilary Duff. It started as a L&O take on the Casey Anthony case, but midway through, it went in a totally different direction.

Law & Order has been renewed for its 20th season. But, it will run Fridays at 8 p.m. (ET), as The Jay Leno Show will hog the 10 p.m. slot weeknights come fall. Also, I understand the show has only been renewed for 16 episodes.

Both Dets. Lupo and Bernard wear beards. My brother, a retired NYPD detective, says that's a major no-no.

The short of it - Hargitay and Meloni will return to SVU for an 11th season. Stephanie March will be back for 10 episodes. (Why not all 22? )

Carol Burnett received an Emmy nomination today for her performance in the SVU episode she guest starred on (titled "Ballerina", btw.) I watched the episode again the other night, and my opinion of her performance (see my 3/18/09 post above) has not changed in the slightest.

In fact, of the five "Guest Actress" Emmy nominations, three were for appearances in SVU episodes. (Ellen Burstyn and Brenda Blethyn were the other two.) Yet Delroy Lindo, who was so good in his guest star turn, got shut out in the "Guest Actor" category.
The 2008-09 Emmy nominations are posted in PDF format here.

Dick Wolf is still mining the former Oz cast. Ernie Hudson (Warden Leo Glynn) made an appearance in the episode that aired 10/30/09 (titled "Human Flesh Search Engine") as Lt. Van Buren's husband. He was great in his brief screen time.

Not husband, just a close friend. If you saw the episode in which Anita was first diagnosed with cancer, you'd remember that she hasn't had a man in her life in five years --since her ex-husband left, until recently. She has only just started seeing him.

Kathy Griffin guest starred in one of last night's two SVU episodes, titled "P.C.," playing a lesbian activist named "Babs Duffy." The part was written especially for her, and I think she simply played herself - caustic and abrasive. At least she didn't say "Jerry Seinfeld is the devil."

Both Dets. Lupo and Bernard wear beards. My brother, a retired NYPD detective, says that's a major no-no.

Well, somebody apparently paid attention to NYPD procedure, or maybe they read this website, as both Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson have lost the beards. OK, in the storyline, Lt. Van Buren ordered Dets. Lupo and Bernard to shave.
One nitpick about the opening credits - In the "Law" title card, the police car shown in the first season is still seen underneath the card. It's painted blue with white lettering. New York City, a few years ago, switched its coloring of police cars to white with blue lettering.
Sharon Stone is filming a stint on SVU as ADA Jo Marlowe. I don't know how many episodes she'll be doing; I assume she'll finish out the season in place of Stephanie March.

NBC has just cancelled Law & Order after 20 seasons; the last episode will air on May 24. More here. I admit the show isn't as good as it was in the past, but it's still one of the few "appointment shows" I have left, along with L&O-SVU (which was renewed) and 24 (which airs its last episode the same night.)
One of the reasons I had heard behind the cancellation (which is not in the linked article) is that TNT didn't want to commit to buying the repeats past this season. Since it's an expensive show to make, and the ratings were down, it probably was not economically feasible to keep L&O going without that TNT money.

Moderator, can we get a board for the upcoming Law & Order: Los Angeles?

There will soon be Law & Order overload. The mothership is rerun on TNT almost all the time, SVU has both new episodes and ubiquitous repeats on, CI reruns are on USA, Bravo and Oxygen, L&O-LA starts tonight, and BBC America starts running Law & Order - UK this Sunday (10/3). Dumm Dummm....

Law & Order - SVU is starting its 12th season on a high note, the three episodes they've done so far (the first two interconnected) have been especially strong. But, the episode that aired 9/29/10, titled "Behave", had Det. Benson going on a city-by-city quest to gather evidence against a suspected serial rapist. Because of the current NYC budget crisis, I doubt that something like that would be allowed; the airfare and lodging costs would be prohibitive. (A cynical case could be made that Benson's road trip was a stunt to introduce Skeet Ulrich's Law & Order - LA character Det. Rex Winters in a crossover appearance. IMHO, he fit into the story the way it was structured, and Ulrich had barely a minute of screen time anyway.)

NBC has cancelled "Law & Order - LA". Even after extensive re-tooling, the show couldn't make a go of it in its Monday, 10 p.m. timeslot (the final timeslot of the original, BTW). More here.

And, even though NBC has cancelled LOLA, and are still (at least as I write this) burning off unaired episodes with Skeet Ulrich, plans are afoot to release the one-season series on DVD this September 20. This is a bit odd, as NBC-Universal still has yet to release nine seasons of the mothership. More here.

Not so odd. The main reason for holding off is that the cable stations pay more for seasons that are not available n DVD. One season is not enough to give cable stations a wide enough rotation. You need at least three seasons. So no cable station wil pick it up.

No cable station has picked up Law & Order - Trial By Jury either. That lasted 13 episodes, but was released on DVD. At least one episode, a crossover with the mothership, was rerun on TNT.
In the meantime, the just-ended 12th season of SVU will be released this Sept. 27. More here. And will doubtless be rerun on USA plenty of times; the episode "Behave" already has.

The entire series - 20 seasons - of Law & Order will br released on DVD this November 8. The list price ($700) seems a bit steep, but just look at the content. Also, imagine the shelf space necessary . More on that here. (Note that there's no indication of whether or not 1998's Exiled TV movie will be included. And, extras seem minimal.)

And, Law & Order begins syndicated repeats on local stations this weekend (Sept. 24 & 25.) First episodes up are "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" and "Prescription for Death." At that rate, they'll be done with the series, and start over, in January 2016.

SVU ran an episode on 12/5/12 titled "Dreams Deferred". Patricia Arquette played a church-going prostitute who is used as bait to try and catch a multiple murderer. What's notable about this episode is that it's the first in the franchise (at least that I can recall) that didn't use the Law & Order "clang clang" sound. Not even after Steve Zirnkilton's opening narration.

Law & Order begins running today on WE-Women's Entertainment, WGN America and the Sundance Channel. Sundance is running it in order (starting with, IIRC, "Everybody's Favorite Bagman"). I wonder if the other two cable channels have access to the entire 456 episode package.

Raul Esparza has played ADA Rafael Barba on SVU since 2012. He has a better, bigger and nicer office than Ben Stone, Jack McCoy, or the main DA's (Adam Schiff, Nora Lewin, Arthur Branch and the aforementioned Jack McCoy) ever had. Barba's is a Cadillac compared to the others' Chevies.

Law & Order director (of 32 episodes) Jace Alexander has been arrested on child pornography charges. More here.

Law & Order has begun to run on ion TV. They apparently have the last eight seasons, as their promoes have clips with Anthony Anderson and Linus Roache. Sundance TV and WE still run the first 12 years. TNT still runs the series as well. I think they have rights to the entire series, but haven't run an episode with Michael Moriarty in a long time; when they run "Rubber Room", they start over with "Second Opinion", Sam Waterston's first episode.

CBS is poised to bring back the original CSI, either as a limited series or a full tilt revival. More on that here.

In the new series Law & Order-Organized Crime, Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler has returned to the NYPD, after the (Spoiler Alert) death of his wife Kathy as the result of a car bombing. At Kathy's graveside, her body is lowered into the ground as her family (and former partner Olivia) is present. I have been to many funerals over the years (aunts, uncle, parents, grandfather to name a few) and the coffin was never lowered into the ground in our presence; that is done after the attendees have departed.

It is at a Jewish funeral, but Stabler is obviously not Jewish.

he probably thinks they killed his Lord ;)

Stabler is obviously not Jewish...

No, Stabler is Roman Catholic; that was established long ago. And reinforced in the episode, where Stabler is seen praying in either a chapel or a small church. Which raises another nit. Except for masses, confessions and other services, churches here in NYC are locked tight during the current pandemic; you are now requested to leave as soon as mass ends. No staying in place to pray any more (although I do light a candle for my last surviving uncle at the end of every mass I attend). So, where did Stabler find an open church or chapel during the pandemic?

Just an FYI, at a Jewish funeral, the casket is lowered into the ground and then the family (followed by the attendees) each put three shovelfuls of earth on top.

Personal FYI- At the Jewish funerals I've attended, I and other non-family members were dismissed from the synagogue at the end of the service; we never went to the cemetery. One thing that struck me was how short the service at the synagogue was; usually just under thirty minutes.

Odd, I've never seen that (dismissal).
The graveside portion is usually another half hour to an hour.

Greetings All!

Natalie/Judi's has come up too many times. I have removed her moderating privileges.

I have many things to do in my life. And unfortunately, there are many things higher in my priority list than Nitcentral. I apologize that that, but it is what it is.

If I have to come out there multiple times for the same individual, we're done.

Happy Nitpicking!


Phil

Hi Phil,
Thank you for your quick action. Could I ask you please tp clarify this statement?
"If I have to come out there multiple times for the same individual, we're done.
Do you mean the site or the person?

I would hate to think of you shutting us down because one individual can't control her words...

I think we're fine, Rodney. We can carry on nitpicking. ;)

Well I just don't want another mod thumping us on the head with "HE'LL SHUT US DOWN!!" everytime someone puts a big toe over the line.
I'd just like the clarification.

If Phil were going to shut us down, he'd have done so.

However, as you can see, he didn't. As JD said, we're fine.

Hopefully we can get Butch to clear out this mess to restore this particular board to its original discussion.

Of course, this forum was dormant for years, until last week.

Well, last week was when Stabler came back....

I never watched the show, but the commercial almost seems to hint that he's going to be a bad guy now. Is that what's happening?

Stabler was never a "bad guy", but his hotheaded attitude pushed the envelope pretty far in regard to interrogating suspects and perpetrators. Also, for a good part of his run on SVU, Chris Meloni also played manipulative convict Chris Keller on HBO's prison series Oz. Sometimes it got tough to determine the boundaries between cop and con.

Sorry, I've been busier than usual with personal stuff week. Taking care of it now.

I've disabled Anonymous posting on C&J.

Thanks, Butch.

Bull..it or Not - According to this report, the original Law & Order is returning to TV after 11 years. No cast was mentioned; Alana DeLaGarza, Anthony Anderson and Jeremy Sisto, from the show's last couple of seasons, are currently involved with other projects.

Law & Order will return to NBC for season 21 on February 24, 2022. This makes Thursday an all Law & Order night, with the mothership, SVU and Organized Crime airing together. The only cast member I know of is Jeffrey Donovan as a detective. Anthony Anderson and Sam Waterston have been approached to return.

The mothership is coming back after the Olympics.
Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson are supposed to return. Camryn Manheim will be the new Lt, as S. Epatha Merkerson is on Chicago Med.

Jesse Martin is interested in returning to the mothership. More on that here.
Nitpicking the article: Martin's Ed Green was replaced by Anthony Anderson's Kevin Bernard, not Jeremy Sisto's Cyrus Lupo, as the article incorrectly notes.

Here's some still shots from the Season 21 premiere, titled "The Right Thing." Anthony Anderson's Detective Bernard is back to wearing the beard. Which, AFAIK, is still a no-no on the NYPD.

And, here's interviews with L&O cast members, new and returning. Anthony Anderson says his Det. Bernard goes "by the book". If that's true, then he should get rid of the beard.

I googled the NYPD uniform code, and apparently you are allowed to wear a beard, provided you have a doctor's note. Which begs the question, what sort of medical condition requires you to wear a beard?

what sort of medical condition requires you to wear a beard?

Being Chuck Norris?

Sam Waterston's 400th episode, titled "Open Wounds", will air on 5/18/23, as the Season 22 finale.

Cool.