I define it as any show where the central characters are people who focus on solving crimes and catching the bad guys, with the exception of Oz, which I include in this category because it shows us, essenmtially, the aftermath. What ahppens to the guys who get arrested and convicted on shows like Law & order, CSI, and NYPD Blue.

However, I've gotten a few e-mails sugesting I should include the other side of the Crime & Justice genre, the defenders. They ask me to include shows like The Guardian and The Practice. What do you think?

The real question is how much moderating are you willing to do? Unlike other categories where new shows/major topics start whole new areas with different moderators (nine for Star Trek alone, for example [unless I miscounted]), this topic, which started out as a Homicide board and then added L&O because of the crossovers, and OZ because of the shared casts, just keeps growing, without really splitting off.

Re: The Practice Since the actors who play Jimmy, Eugene, and Eleanor all appeared on L&O (in one of Camryn's appearances, she was essentially playing [or perhaps closer to the truth auditioning for] Eleanor), I have no problem with including it. Besides, we've seen almost as much of Helen and the other ADA's as we do in some of the L&O spin-offs

Well I've already included the CSI shows, which I actually don't watch unless Scrubs (in CSI's case) or Crossing Jordan (in CSI Miami's case) are repeats or pre-empted for a movie or something, so I guess me not watching The Practice (at least not since that short DA guy was killed off) wouldn't be too bad. The question though, would I have to include Ally McBeal? I'm kidding.

I know. The other partners and bosses Helen has gotten just don't have the same appeal as Richard Bey. Although the current Walsh guy has his momemnts, he just doesn't have Richard's moral compass.

But, please, no Ally McBeal!

Bey's was a jerk. Of course, so is Walsh.

The Boston DA's office really has it in for Bobby and Co., don't they? (I was going to say something that wasn't family friendly).

Why is there no board for "Due South"? I just love this series.

I was going to suggest any show where the characters carry a badge or work with someone who does. But then I remembered that would then include "DOG: The Bounty Hunter". While a cute show, it is more comedy/ 'faux reality' show (I hate reality shows because they aren't).

Still, it would be classified as reality.

Not quite. I used to work in the entertainment industry and 'Reality Shows' are about as real as Wrestling. The cast is given a set of parameters for the episode and is to interpret them while interacting with each other. For example, one season of Survivor had two women whose rivalry was 'news of the week' for talk shows and tabloids. In truth the two were upset about the characterizations since they became friends between the time they went from being hired and traveling to the location. They did not know the crew had already set up their rivalry. They were close friends behind the scenes and several scenes had to be reshot because of it.

Brian Moore: Not quite. I used to work in the entertainment industry and 'Reality Shows' are about as real as Wrestling.
Luigi Novi: I'm not talking about how realy they are. I'm talking about how a show like Dog would likely be classified/categorized in terms of its genre by reference sources. I thought I was fairly clear about that. Imdb, for example, clasiifies it as a reality show, and not a c&j show.

The authenticity of so-called reality shows is an entirely different discussion, and I do not dispute that they're largely b.s.

I misread the intent of your post, my apologies.
Still everything coming out of Hollywood is opinion, despite its effect on the culture (this website is a glaring testament to that point of view). As someone who has dealt with both the entertainment industry as well as the Law Enforcement community I can honestly that the only 'REAL' show is COPS but it still takes some creative editing to make it both honest and entertaining. Since there is so much Crime & Justice programming on the News I will also add that even most newscasts miss the mark as well. As was stated by the little girl on the show 'The Unit' "The is no truth in the news and no news in the truth" I wanted to reach through the TV and hug her!
I still hold to my original sentiment above to include any show where the characters carry a badge or work with someone who does. Unfortunately for this concept to work almost any show on TV would tend to be included in this theory through a variation on a theme. 'Bones' 'Numb3rs' the above mentioned 'The Unit' amongst many others would qualify for this distinction by extension (Bones is intended to get viewers interested in anthropology just as Numb3rs is to do the same for math and this was the core intent for the show until the fans expressed more favor for the dramatic flair that the inclusion of the FBI brought. What started as an education procedural show has become part of the C&J phenomenon. The worst example of this effect is that the lab rats of the CSI genres ALL work in the field, they ALL carry shiny full-sized badges, and they ALL carry guns--even when off-duty! Even when working enforcement on a federal installation, I rarely carried a weapon. I have carried one recently as occasion called for it but I have never used a holster (it usually woound up in the back of my belt like Mel Gibson from Lethal Weapon) and never seen anyone but a civilian using a shoulder holster. I guess with this lack of attention to detail and autheticity in general, even D:TBH could be welcome here (is it obvious I'm trying to save this posting since I managed to get so far OT?!)