Highly successful legal drama focuses on crime and punishment, and the outcome of each case is unpredictable with lots of twists and turns in the courtroom.
One of the most popular television programs in entertainment history, Law & Order has been running for more than seventeen seasons and at the core of all episodes is a crime which is investigated by the New York police. For the first thirty minutes of the show, a pair of cops tries to gather enough evidence to arrest an offender and secure an indictment. The second half focuses on the legal proceedings in and out of the courtroom. Evidence is presented, and prosecutors and defense lawyers use every means at their disposal to get a favourable verdict from the jury.
It's a fascinating program. Periodically the murderers, rapists and con men on trial manage to escape punishment, as a result of technicalities, circumstantial evidence and lots of other loopholes in the judicial system. This distinctive preamble marks the beginning of each episode: "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."
The Cast
Over the years the Law & Order cast has changed considerably. When the series premiered in 1990 the roles of the two detectives were played by George Dzundza and Chris Noth respectively. Many other television and film actors like Paul Sorvino, Jerry Orbach, (who remained on the show for twelve years) Benjamin Bratt and Jesse L. Martin have all come and gone. Likewise, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon and Steven Hill have put in long stints as district attorneys and assistant district attorneys.
The Police
The setting is New York City, and many times the show will begin with somebody walking their dog through a park and then stumbling upon a lifeless body. Sometimes a double homicide will be discovered. The police are called in and begin their investigation by collecting fingerprints, bullet casings, firearms and samples of blood, hair and skin. Consultations with medical examiners and ballistic/forensic experts are an important part of each and every episode, the information they provide is critical in finding any and all persons responsible for the crime. Under the watchful eye of their lieutenant, the two detectives bring in all suspects for interrogation, and if they think they have got the right person all kinds of pressure tactics are used to extract a confession, like playing the good/bad cop, reverse psychology, even threats. If the suspect confesses or if the police manage to get an arrest warrant they are handcuffed, read their rights and handed over to the district attorney.
The Prosecutors
Convicting somebody in a court of law is not a simple process. The prosecuting attorneys and their assistants often experience frustration as their attempts to put a criminal behind bars are blocked by several factors, including witnesses committing perjury and the rulings of judges who say that a particular piece of evidence is inadmissible. Occasionally, episodes will concentrate on motion hearings, jury selections and allocution hearings.
Clearing the innocent of any wrongdoing is equally problematic. Although the characters are shown to be honest, by the book professionals who never step over the line between legal and unethical and/or illegal procedures, there are instances when members of the police force deliberately frame innocent people. Bad cops plant incriminating evidence and are sometimes "on the take" as it's referred to in law enforcement jargon. In other words, they accept money or drugs from criminals. In some cases, the lawyers are guilty of some highly questionable actions and underhanded legal maneuvers in order to get their clients off the hook.
Between right and wrong there is a huge gray area and situations are rarely, if ever, solved so neatly.
The original series has spawned the creation of three spin-off programs, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (this one was cancelled due to low ratings).
