Creating a successful Crime/Police/Drama is a hard task. To take your already successful series, such as "LAW & ORDER"(0000), give the fundamental premise, look at it from a different point of view and bring us something new and different, yet somehow familiar, you're in again! In this case, we have an example of the highly successful "other" series, "LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT." Known as "SVU" for short, this spin-off hit the ground running back in 1999, and has been toward the front of the pack ever since. "SVU" has the same look of its forerunner, what with the same type of Police Buildings and Court Rooms used. The Court Exteriors, with the seemingly endless flight of cement stairs to climb, use to discuss cases or to face up to the Cameras and Microphones of the "Gentlemen" of the Electronic Media.
The shows all feature the functions and work of the Prosecutors, as well as that of the Detectives. As far as the basic overall blueprint for an individual Episode, here is where the two related series diverge.
Whereas "SVU" does dramatize the Court Room and the "trials and tribulations of the Assistant District Attorney is generally a little less of the screen time as the approximately half time taken up by the "Suits"in the progenitor, "LAW & ORDER".
"SYU" also does get more into the personal lives of the regular characters in each story than does "LAW & ORDER". What with Olivia's(Miss Hargitay)longing to find the true identity of her Father.(She is the product of Her Mother's Rape!) And we have Fin's (Ice-T) getting personally involved with certain Victims. Also, we have the problem's of Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Maloni), who is the family man of the SVU Detective Squad. He simultaneously struggles with raising his kids right, and seeing all of the sexual promiscuity and abuse of the youths by perverted offenders.
In the category of re-cycled parts, we have two(2). First of all there is Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragin, formerly boss of the Detectives on "LAW & ORDER", but was resurrected after a couple seasons hiatus, only this time to head up the Special Vics'Unit.Then of course there is Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), formerly with the Homicide Unit of the Baltimore Police Department. This inclusion of Munch, from "HOMICIDE: Life on the Street"(1993-99), was a natural as there had been several "crossovers"* involving the two series over the years.
In conclusion, this "LAW & ORDER" spin off has managed to be just enough like the original, yet having the innate ability to be just a little different.
The shows all feature the functions and work of the Prosecutors, as well as that of the Detectives. As far as the basic overall blueprint for an individual Episode, here is where the two related series diverge.
Whereas "SVU" does dramatize the Court Room and the "trials and tribulations of the Assistant District Attorney is generally a little less of the screen time as the approximately half time taken up by the "Suits"in the progenitor, "LAW & ORDER".
"SYU" also does get more into the personal lives of the regular characters in each story than does "LAW & ORDER". What with Olivia's(Miss Hargitay)longing to find the true identity of her Father.(She is the product of Her Mother's Rape!) And we have Fin's (Ice-T) getting personally involved with certain Victims. Also, we have the problem's of Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Maloni), who is the family man of the SVU Detective Squad. He simultaneously struggles with raising his kids right, and seeing all of the sexual promiscuity and abuse of the youths by perverted offenders.
In the category of re-cycled parts, we have two(2). First of all there is Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragin, formerly boss of the Detectives on "LAW & ORDER", but was resurrected after a couple seasons hiatus, only this time to head up the Special Vics'Unit.Then of course there is Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), formerly with the Homicide Unit of the Baltimore Police Department. This inclusion of Munch, from "HOMICIDE: Life on the Street"(1993-99), was a natural as there had been several "crossovers"* involving the two series over the years.
In conclusion, this "LAW & ORDER" spin off has managed to be just enough like the original, yet having the innate ability to be just a little different.