"Law & Order" Valedictory?
Posted May 11th, 2007 by Rich Heldenfels
There's a lot of talk that this will be the last season for "Law & Order" on NBC — and almost as much talk that new episodes will air on TNT after the NBC run. I've been looking at the season finale, which airs on May 18, and it sure looks like a farewell of sorts.
Not because of the story, or even because of the inside jokes about Fred Thompson's political aspirations. Rather some other elements seem designed to mark the show's place in TV history. Among them:
– Jeffrey Tambor, who played a nutty judge on "Hill Street Blues," is a semi-nutty judge in the episode.
– Harry Hamlin, who played a savvy defense attorney on "L.A. Law," is the defendant.
– Hamlin uses a vulgar two-word expression that's an echo of a line in the pilot of "N.Y.P.D. Blue."
– The plot has some unsettling material that would have fit into "L&O: Special Victims Unit."
I'd take the last one as a torch-passing, since "SVU" seems to have the longest legs of the remaining "L&Os," and the others as an argument that "L&O" should be ranked among the top crime shows in TV history.
May 11th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
As weird as this sounds, the show has so grown on me. Friday night time slots suck don't they?…hey, just look at the grave yard of programing sent to the 4th day of the week at 10pm. It made alot of money for NBC, and they should attempt to give it one more season before moving it over to TNT. Have you ever figured that if they (L&O) knew it was the last season, they wouldn't have to impress management and go all out trying new concepts. Wishful thinking on my part.
August 11th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I just lost crossing Jordan which totally stinks now you are telling me that I may be loosing L&O as well, all I have left is what Hero's, So I can really turn over to CBS and ABC and watch Missing, and Without a Trace, NICS, . I plead bring back Jordan and leave my Law and Order alone.
September 5th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Crossing Jordan need to reinstared, great show