Law & Order
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 "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."
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Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf, and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the Law & Order franchise.
Plot
The series follows a two-part approach: the first half-hour is the investigation of a crime (usually murder) and apprehension of a suspect; the second half is the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Plots are often based on real cases that recently made headlines, although the motivation for the crime and the perpetrator may be different.
Why It Rocks
- It is the perfect mix of detective drama and lawyer drama.
- The show had a darker and gritter tone that fit into the early seasons.
- Blends in the investigation part and the prosecution part perfectly. 30 minutes of investigation, 30 minutes of legal/courtroom
- Excellent casting such as Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy, Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe, Chris Noth as Mike Logan, Jill Hennessy as Claire Kincaid, Dann Florek as Donald Cragen, Richard Brooks as Paul Robinette, Michael Moriarty as Benjamin Stone, Benjamin Bratt as Rey Curtis, S. Epatha Merkerson as Anita Van Buren, Steven and Angie Harmon as Abbie Carmichael.
- Sam Waterston and Jerry Orbach's performances as EADA Jack McCoy and Senior Detective Lennie Briscoe were so popular that their characters were declared "Living Landmarks" by the New York Landmark Conservancy
- The early seasons of Law & Order are among the best in television.
- The show hits a good pattern in Season 4-14 in terms of consistency, and acting-wise, and stuck to it.
- The show has spawned a TV movie and several spin-offs.
- A lot of memorable guest stars such as Christine Baranski, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, John Spencer, John Finn, Patricia Clarkson, Julia Roberts, Kate Mara, Chevy Chase, and William H. Macy.
- Excellent music composed by Mike Post.
The Only Bad Quality
- The last few seasons aren't on par with the older seasons, but are still good, particularly due to the departure of star Jerry Orbach as he left to star in Law & Order: Trial by Jury and died from prostate cancer after filming the first two episodes.
- "Intimidation Game" is considered the weakest episode since it is mostly about only anti-gamergate, pointless guest appearances of guests like Logan Paul, and it is so bad that Zoe Quinn () and others dislike this episode.
- Speaking of guest appearances, the episode even had the gall to include Logan Paul, who's infamous for filming a person who had committed suicide in Aokigahara, better known as the Suicide Forest for one of his YouTube videos, and laughed at it, mocking the LGBTQ+ community by saying that "implying that being gay is a choice," which resulted in GLAAD of all organizations called him out for his remarks. After the Suicide Forest incident and his ensuing apology, he posted a video of him using a taser on two dead rats and another video of him killing a fish. More backlash ensured since it demonstrated that he didn't learn anything from the Suicide Forest despite his attempts to come off as a changed man. Not only did controversial animal rights group PETA vocally criticize his actions but many people sided with them as well. YouTube themselves ended up temporarily demonetizing his channel.
Reception
Law & Order received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest police procedural and legal dramas ever.
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