"Law & Order" (1990) TV series 1990-????

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Release Date:

13 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.

Plot:

The show follows a crime, usually adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points. The first half of the show concentrates on the investigation of the crime by the police, the second half follows the prosecution of the crime in court.

Plot Keywords:

Attorney | Detective | Police | District Attorney | Evidence

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Golden Globes. Another 40 wins & 150 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 7	9:00 AM	TNT	Born Again	#12.16
Sat. Nov. 7	10:00 AM	TNT	Girl Most Likely	#12.17

Cast

S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren / ... (374 episodes, 1991-2009)
Sam Waterston	...	Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy / ... (351 episodes, 1994-2009)
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe / ... (274 episodes, 1991-2004)
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff (229 episodes, 1990-2000)
Jesse L. Martin	...	Detective Ed Green (198 episodes, 1999-2008)

Also Known As:

Law & Order Prime (USA) (informal title)
Law and Order (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 (seasons 1-2 DVD) | UK:PG (season 3 DVD) | Iceland:12 (some epiosodes) | Singapore:M18 (season 5) | Netherlands:6 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Studios USA Television

Trivia:

At the time of the show's creation, one-hour dramas were going through a slump, with sitcoms being more popular and much more likely to get strong syndication deals for re-runs. Dick Wolf thought that it might be easier to sell the show in 30-minute segments and came up with the concept of the first half of the show being the police investigation and the second half the legal procedure. Dramas started rebounding in popularity shortly after Law & Order debuted, so this never ended up becoming an issue with re-run deals.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In several episodes in the first season, Sgt. Greevey shows his credentials to identify himself, however the badge in the wallet is a NYPD "detectives" shield which is different from a Sgt's shield.

Quotes:

[Opening narration]
Narrator: In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not Driving Anymore

"Law & Order" solves local crime

On Sunday, May 2, 2004, the local newspaper, The Free Lance-Star, reported the discovery of a body in a dumpster outside a motel. The following day , the paper reported the arrest of the murderer, thanks in part to the quick action of one of the motel residents. While the police were securing the crime scene, one of the by-standers was approached by a man who asked her what was going on. When she told him about the body, he ran across the street and jumped onto a waiting van. She later told a newspaper reporter that she had "watched enough "Law and Order" episodes to know suspicious behavior when she sees it." She got out her camera-phone and starting taking photographs of the man and the license plate on the van. The police downloaded the photos, tracked down the van, connected all the dots, and had the killer in custody 39 hours after the discovery of the body. "Law and Order" RULES !!