I had no idea the show existed until the summer of 05 when I found myself alone in an apartment with time off. TNT just happened to be airing an episode with one of my favorite actresses as a guest star. Though the case itself was unique, it was the take-charge nature of the bold political statements that caught my attention. I went from nil interest to an avid watcher overnight, proving for once and for all that an older show can still nail its target audience. "Law & Order" panders to both sides of political debates and tackles topics that most public television would rather avoid. Over the numerous episodes I have seen, only a handful make the audience fail to question where they stand on harsh issues like abortion, the death penalty, and insanity pleas.
Choose any given season and you can have a retired nun accidentally killing a child in a botched exorcism, a liberal politician attempting to cover up his indiscretions, an AIDs-infected teenage boy deliberately passing on the illness to as many girls as he can, and a suburban housewife going homicidal on a complete stranger. You'll get pro-anti-death penalty debates, arguments on civil liberties, and just about every other hot topic of the times. Should parents be prosecuted for refusing to take their child to the hospital for religious reasons? Should forced sterilization of pathological baby-killers be enforced? The show's first four seasons are stellar, but it's after the fifth and the introduction of the "standard cast" that they became exemplary. Sam Waterston and Jerry Orbach became the cornerstones for a magnificent nine-year stretch of controversial, hard-hitting television. Their associates came and went, most of them memorable: Claire Kincaid, the staunch feminist who was involved with McCoy on a romantic level, something the show delighted in hinting at through subtle innuendoes and flirtations. Jamie Ross, the hard-nose former defense attorney who did a roundabout in later seasons and often battled McCoy from the opposite end of the courtroom. Abbie Carmichael, probably the series' most popular ADA: a take-no-prisoners Texas conservative who seemed to bring out the best in Jack's legal strategies. Serena Sutherland, whose personal beliefs often overruled her loyalty and work ethics, and Alex Borgia, a demure presence in the background until her brutal murder.
It's a fascinating look into the judicial system and all the political wrangling and "deals" that go on behind the scenes. It peaked my interest in local politics and the law, and more than that, is a good watch that doesn't require you to leave your brains at the door. You're going to need them.
Choose any given season and you can have a retired nun accidentally killing a child in a botched exorcism, a liberal politician attempting to cover up his indiscretions, an AIDs-infected teenage boy deliberately passing on the illness to as many girls as he can, and a suburban housewife going homicidal on a complete stranger. You'll get pro-anti-death penalty debates, arguments on civil liberties, and just about every other hot topic of the times. Should parents be prosecuted for refusing to take their child to the hospital for religious reasons? Should forced sterilization of pathological baby-killers be enforced? The show's first four seasons are stellar, but it's after the fifth and the introduction of the "standard cast" that they became exemplary. Sam Waterston and Jerry Orbach became the cornerstones for a magnificent nine-year stretch of controversial, hard-hitting television. Their associates came and went, most of them memorable: Claire Kincaid, the staunch feminist who was involved with McCoy on a romantic level, something the show delighted in hinting at through subtle innuendoes and flirtations. Jamie Ross, the hard-nose former defense attorney who did a roundabout in later seasons and often battled McCoy from the opposite end of the courtroom. Abbie Carmichael, probably the series' most popular ADA: a take-no-prisoners Texas conservative who seemed to bring out the best in Jack's legal strategies. Serena Sutherland, whose personal beliefs often overruled her loyalty and work ethics, and Alex Borgia, a demure presence in the background until her brutal murder.
It's a fascinating look into the judicial system and all the political wrangling and "deals" that go on behind the scenes. It peaked my interest in local politics and the law, and more than that, is a good watch that doesn't require you to leave your brains at the door. You're going to need them.