![]() Once they do, they find that his killer (Željko Ivanek) has already been put behind bars, and the recent discovery pokes enough holes in his case to warrant a new trial despite the fact that he definitely killed the man. When a fresh corpse is found during a historical dig, the detectives struggle to discover the dead man’s identity. “American Dream” is the first standout episode with the new team. The two mark the show’s first female series regulars, and Van Buren went on to be the longest-serving main cast member of all time. Epatha Merkerson) and ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy). ![]() Law & Order picks up speed in season four for several reasons, chief among them the addition of Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Elaine Stritch guest stars as attorney Lanie Stieglitz and wound up winning an Emmy for the episode. The victim winds up having mob ties, and it’s revealed that his hookup was paid to murder him. He joins the series in “Point of View,” when he teams up with Logan to investigate a shooting outside a bar. A straightforward Vietnam veteran who stayed honest despite several corrupt partners, Briscoe is best known for his one-liners. If there’s one character who defines the original Law & Order, it’s Detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach). The case, which would nowadays fall under SVU’s purview, was the show’s way of stepping outside of the typical police-procedural murder tropes and into more nuanced territory. When Stone attempts to charge the parents, the mother simply points fingers at the father, who denies everything. Things take a turn for the worse when the girl dies as a result of her injuries. It takes a little while for Law & Order to find it’s rhythm, but an early standout is “Indifference.” When Greevey and Logan are put on a child-abuse case, they find a variety of problems at home including drug use and a long history of physical abuse. Logan is new(er) to the squad, so Greevey gets to show him - and viewers - the ropes. District Attorney Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) would join later. The episode is a solid who’s who of the show’s main players: Sergeant Max Greevey (George Dzundza), Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth), Captain Donald Cragen ( SVU’s Dann Florek), Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty), and Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks). Although it seems like a typical mugging, the crime quickly turns into a far-reaching case of corruption featuring a mobster, a deputy police commander, and an undercover wire operation gone awry. The episode is gritty (literally - it was shot in the late ’80s and shopped to another network) and follows the mugging and consequential death of a local councilman and erstwhile bagman. “Everybody’s Favorite Bagman” (Season 1, Episode 6)Īlthough “Everybody’s Favorite Bagman” is the sixth episode of Law & Order to ever air, it’s actually the original pilot and better serves the show as an introduction. In honor of the return of Law & Order, we’ve rounded up 20 essential episodes from the show’s original run. Anthony Anderson and Sam Waterston are slated to reprise their roles as Detective Kevin Bernard and attorney Jack McCoy, respectively. ![]() Returning to NBC Thursday night, the reboot (of sorts) stars Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Odelya Halevi, and Camryn Manheim. Nearly 12 years later, the original Law & Order is back. ![]() The show is the second-longest-running live-action scripted TV series, surpassed only by SVU. Although Law & Order remained a staple of prime-time television, ratings began to plummet about 15 years in, and NBC canceled the mother ship in its 20th season after 456 episodes. Unlike SVU, the most successful franchise installment, the original show doesn’t have a Mariska Hargitay type guiding viewers through every season. But this leaves little room for long-term development especially with frequently rotating casts. There’s a comforting familiarity in the rhythms of the series (despite all the murder). Over time, Law & Order’s greatest appeal - predictability - proved to be its biggest obstacle. The TV behemoth came to influence not only the various Law & Order spinoffs (including Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury, LA, and Organized Crime) but police procedurals as a whole for years to come. While the split “Law” and “Order” format of the show - detective work in the first half, prosecutorial action in the second - was originally created in an effort to sell syndication rights for an hourlong show to traditionally 30-minute-block networks (per Wolf’s 2003 book, Law & Order: Crime Scenes), the formula quickly became an essential part of the franchise’s gimmick. Created by Dick Wolf, the series offered an in-depth look at the New York City criminal-justice system with “ripped from the headlines” story lines. When Law & Order premiered on a quiet Thursday night in 1990, the show was fairly unassuming. ![]()
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