‘Law & Order’ on brink of cancellation - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

RedHot25 · 04-23-2007, 08:09 AM

http://entertainment1.sympatico.msn....and%20order_MH

After 17 seasons, the case could finally be closed on Law & Order. And, six-year-old Law and Order: Criminal Intent could be saying goodbye as well.

Creator Dick Wolf and NBC have been in negotiations for more than a month to determine the future of the two series, which are sadly sagging in the ratings. (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was picked up for its ninth season in January.)

Well this series has been going forever it seems like. I like it, and mean to watch it, but for whatever reason I find myself rarely watching it (but then again, I rarely watch tv to begin with).

ernie · 04-23-2007, 08:13 AM

Too many cast changes over the past few years for Law and Order. That and the death of Jerry Orbach have really hurt the series. They lost a lot of charisma and screen presence when he passed away.

ken0042 · 04-23-2007, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernie

Too many cast changes over the past few years for Law and Order.

Agreed. Just when I was really warming up to the Fontana character, now he's gone. (Can anybody fill me in as to how he left?)

I think part of the show's downfall has been its popularity in syndication. On TNT they show L&O a lot; my guess would be around 25 episodes a week. And the episodes they show are relatively new, so there isn't much point in me watching it Wednesdays.

I-Hate-Hulse · 04-23-2007, 10:39 AM

Agreed with the above, but I also think the spin offs have hurt the main show as well, diluting it well past the spotlight. Same thing will happen with CSI eventually.

fredr123 · 04-23-2007, 02:47 PM

I love Law and Order and have seen every episode up to and including the season that Jerry left the show (RIP). It used to be on a regular night and time and then, for whatever reason, seemed to move around a lot. I'm not even sure what day it's on anymore. Maybe people don't watch it because they don't know when it's on anymore?

Seems to me other shows were canceled after finding themselves in a similar vagabond timeslot situation. Too bad.

corporatejay · 04-23-2007, 02:59 PM

SVU has been better than the original for about seven seasons now.

CI is pretty good, very original stories.

The original just keeps "ripping from the headlines" it's really lost its edge.

Vulcan · 04-23-2007, 03:52 PM

I really like this show. One of the few prime time shows I give my time to but like everthing, I guess it gets stale for a some people. Each new cop has been hard to get use to at first but when they go, I'm disappointed. This new female one seems blah though and I won't miss her. Will be sad to see this show go.

Bobblehead · 04-23-2007, 04:01 PM

I like CI, although I don't think it differs too much from other cops shows. The 'Law' and 'Order' separation is what made L&O special. However, as Ken mentioned, it is on a lot and perhaps it has run it's course.

enthused · 04-23-2007, 04:12 PM

The only one out of the three Law & Orders that I still watch is SVU, and I think a big part of that is because of the characters. The original Law & Order has had so many character changes in the last few years I probably couldn't tell you who's even on it anymore. It has been around forever, but I think its one of those shows that should end before it completely stinks out the joint.

BlackEleven · 04-23-2007, 04:16 PM

I find it to formulaic myself. It's just your basic who-dun-it. Someone get murdered, cops chase the wrong person/people, stroke of genius occurs, cops chase correct person, person is convicted, everything wrapped up in nice little package.

I prefer shows were there is some continuity from one episode to the next. It used to be a bit of a pain if you missed an episode, but now its just really easy to download an episode if you miss one. I also like my cop shows to be gritty and have an original concept or theme other than just who-dun-it. My favourite cop show out there right now is The Wire.

Hack&Lube · 04-23-2007, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

I find it to formulaic myself. It's just your basic who-dun-it. Someone get murdered, cops chase the wrong person/people, stroke of genius occurs, cops chase correct person, person is convicted, everything wrapped up in nice little package.

I prefer shows were there is some continuity from one episode to the next. It used to be a bit of a pain if you missed an episode, but now its just really easy to download an episode if you miss one. I also like my cop shows to be gritty and have an original concept or theme other than just who-dun-it. My favourite cop show out there right now is The Wire.

Law and Order used to be gritty and even have behind the scenes continuity, like when Claire Kinkaid was having an affair with Jack McCoy...and then Claire eventually died trying to drive home a drunk Lennie Briscoe. There were many more cases that ended up unsolved or with not-guilty pleas as well, and a few two-parters.

I think the worst thing though is the shortening of the theme. The original theme was very long with many more scenes...heck it even had an extended guitar solo.

moon · 04-23-2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corporatejay

The original just keeps "ripping from the headlines" it's really lost its edge.

This is what has really turned me off of it lately. I am not a fan of the ripped from the headlines stories because for the most part you know how the story is going to go. Having one a season or something is fine with me but it seems everyone is "ripped from the headlines" now.

I did not like any of the spin-offs and really can't stand any of the characters on them except for Richard Belzer. The CI guy is the worst and the Mariska Hartigay is nearly as bad.

It is too bad that is off air but as ken pointed out it is on TV all the time in reruns so I can still get my fix if need be and see an occassional episode I missed when first run.

Table 5 · 04-23-2007, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

the spin offs have hurt the main show as well, diluting it well past the spotlight. Same thing will happen with CSI eventually.

I think CSI's been out of the spotlight for quiet a while now. Personally, I think the show has become awful....especially the atrocious Miami version.

ben voyonsdonc · 04-23-2007, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

I did not like any of the spin-offs and really can't stand any of the characters on them except for Richard Belzer. The CI guy is the worst and the Mariska Hartigay is nearly as bad.

Mariska Hargitay is awesome. I love SVU but have never once sat through an entire Law and Order episode. It has been playing since I was 8 and I have always thought of it as an old-fogey show like Matlock and MacGyver.

CaramonLS · 04-23-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredr123

I love Law and Order and have seen every episode up to and including the season that Jerry left the show (RIP). It used to be on a regular night and time and then, for whatever reason, seemed to move around a lot. I'm not even sure what day it's on anymore. Maybe people don't watch it because they don't know when it's on anymore?

Man I hear ya, it used to be a regular show for me, but I really had trouble finding it lately. All over the map and I have no idea what time it is on.

I <3 Elisabeth Röhm.

Vulcan · 04-24-2007, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

Mariska Hargitay is awesome. I love SVU but have never once sat through an entire Law and Order episode. It has been playing since I was 8 and I have always thought of it as an old-fogey show like Matlock and MacGyver.

I didn't know this until my sister told me but Mariska is Jayne Mansfield's daughter. Jayne was M. Monroe's well built, main rival as Hollywood's blonde bombshell. Fine actor.
I like all three L&O versions.

Buff · 04-24-2007, 11:10 AM

I never got into the original Law & Order series. I must admit I started to watch SVU because Ice-T is in it. I never really knew when it was on though and I didn't watch it regularily until I got married. My wife knew how to (more like she had the motivation to) look in the TV guide to see when it was on. I also got into Criminal Intent after I got married too. It happened to be on TV before BoomTown (a show that only ran 1 year and hardly part of a 2nd) and we caught a couple of episodes and got hooked on it too.

It is convenient for us that CI and SVU are on the same night, one right after the other. I'm certain I would've enjoyed the original Law & Order too but I just didn't have the time to get hooked on another show.

CI was good before they started making too many changes. It is still good, but I can see why people don't tune in. IIRC Goran (D'Onoforio) had health problems and couldn't do a full time schedule so thats why they brought Logan onto the show. It would be nice to see a few episodes per season to see all four detectives collaborating on the same case. Alternating the which detective pairing is on the show each week kinda loses peoples interest.