Law and Order Review

When he first developed Law and Order, I wonder if Dick Wolf had any idea that he would be changing the face of television for years to come? Today, the formula seems simple, but way back when this show first aired, it was revolutionary: devote half of every episode to the police work involved in making a collar, and half to the legal work involved in prosecuting the suspect. Never before had tv viewers been walked through legal cases from commission of crime, to police investigation, to building a prosecution case to courtroom drama. It was a brilliant idea, and it still is.

For my money, L&O (original recipe)  is the best cop/lawyer/crime drama television has ever seen. The combination of a fantastic cast (which has maintained a standard of excellence, through countless cast member comings and goings), brilliants storylines and scripts, and the best guest stars on tv today make this must-see-tv, even all these years later. As a native New Yorker, I really love the fact that it's filmed on location. (I actually used to work in oneof the building where they often shoot scenes, and I can tell you that the cast and crew are really nice) I love, also, that really fine NYC stage actors show up on just about every epsiode of L&O. And why not just come out and say it? Sam Waterston is The Man. It's great how the "good guys" aren't always all that good, and a testament to the quality of the scripts that there are often times when I find myself relating to the "bad guys." Another great thing about this show: bad guys don't always get convicted. As in life, L&O has it's fair share of criminals get away with murder.

Sure, SVU is a good show, too, but Law and Order, Original Recipe is still the king of all tv cop shows.