Why Law and Order Will Never Get Stale
After Nineteen Seasons, the NBC Crime Drama is Still a Hit
May 14, 2009
After more than a few seasons on television, many shows tend to get stale. Yet in it’s nineteenth season, Law and Order is still going strong. Against all odds, one of television’s longest running series has not only lasted, but thrived.
Law and Order is an hour-long crime drama that essentially combines the half-hour crime show with the half-hour courthouse show. Each episode follows a very specific formula that begins with the discovery of a crime. The first half follows the police as they investigate the crime, and the second half follows the district attorneys as they prosecute it. Storylines often mimic those in real life, sadly ensuring that the show’s writers will never run out of ideas.
Guilt and Innocence in Law and Order
Because of its adherence to formula, for all intents and purposes Law and Order should have become predictable and stale years ago, however the show seems to remain powerful and relevant. The reason could very well be that the show is more than just the depiction of a crime and prosecution, it explores the complexities of determining guilt and innocence, and the difficulties people experience when human lives hang in the balance. Conflict is abundant in each and every storyline. Passions run high as characters struggle with standing up for what they believe is right, sometimes when it goes against the very laws they are trying to uphold. In this show the good guys don’t always win, partly because when it comes to the law, it’s difficult to know what is right and what is wrong.
Changing Cast and Characters in Law and Order
Each story is self-contained, making every episode accessible to viewers who have never seen the show before. The personal lives of the characters are pretty much left out of the narrative, making the story purely about the task at hand and the emotions involved. This is probably why the show has not suffered from the multiple cast changes it has experienced over the years. Characters come and go fairly seamlessly (with the exception of Jerry Orbach, who is still missed by loyal viewers).
Law and Order possesses a staying power rarely seen in television. The original show has lasted nineteen seasons so far and it has spawned two successful spinoffs. Eventually (some say any minute now) they will stop making new episodes, yet it will live on in syndication for years to come. There are already almost two decades worth of reruns airing on television, and watching them is just as satisfying as watching original episodes. So when it does eventually get cancelled, as it surely will be at some point, viewers won’t have to miss it. Right now someone, somewhere, is watching a rerun of Law and Order, and getting just as much enjoyment out of it as they did the first time it aired.
