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

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18

Release Date:

13 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

The Story Is Everything

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:

Black Cop | Law And Order | Docket Number | New York City | Italian American Cop

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Golden Globes. Another 38 wins & 145 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. May 15	9:00 PM	TNT	Formerly Famous	#12.6
Fri. May 16	2:00 PM	TNT	Tragedy on Rye	#13.4

Cast

Steven Zirnkilton	...	Narrator (406 episodes, 1990-2008)
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren / ... (346 episodes, 1991-2008)
Sam Waterston	...	Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy / ... (323 episodes, 1994-2008)
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe / ... (274 episodes, 1991-2004)
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff (228 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:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 (some epiosodes) | Netherlands:6 | UK:15 (seasons 1-2 DVD) | UK:PG (season 3 DVD) | Singapore:M18 (season 5) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Wolf Films

Trivia:

Jill Hennessy's twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy, once played her sister's character during courtroom scenes filmed while Jill was unavailable due to filming an appearance on "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993).

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:

Ben Stone: The jury should look like society. People that represent the victim as well as the defendant

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Homicide: Life on the Street: All Is Bright (#6.8)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not Driving Anymore

After a few soggy years, finally a great season in 2005

I've been a fan of this show for a long time, dating back to the first few years when it looked like it was filmed by college kids, and like any long term relationship it's sometimes been tough going. After a great first 4 or 5 years, it got a little bogged down, came to life again, and bogged down again, you get the picture.

Quite frankly I thought the show was going down for good the last few years, the cast seemed weak and bored and I didn't even bother to tune in each week, it seemed SVU was overtaking it.

But the good news is this past season it has sputtered back to life again, helped enormously by the new D.A. who yes is beautiful, but is also a very good actress. The scripts have gotten better too, overall I"d buy this season on DVD.

Standouts were the episode LICENCE TO KILL, GOV LOVE, and TOMBSTONE, which featured the shocker of seeing a regular character get shot! I did not see that coming and was roused out of my seat in astonishment at the cajones the show is finally showing again.

(Sidebar- I also watched the painful 'conclusion' of that episode on the woefully misconstrued TRIAL BY JURY, and was equally shocked at how bad that show was. Take it from me, stick to the original.) Yes the music remains cheesy and simplistic and yes you still never learn much about the characters private lives, but this show doesn't go for the easy quick fix and quick shock that SVU sometimes resorts to, and has far better stories than most any other show on television today. Long may it reign.