Post by Techguy on Apr 30, 2008 16:27:59 GMT -5
From the Calgary Herald:
Longevity the order of the day
Law & Order two seasons shy of setting record
Alex Strachan, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Preview
Law & Order airs tonight on CTV and NBC.
This past week, devotees of Law & Order who've been watching from the beginning heard the words, "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate and equally important groups," for the 408th time.
That is the number of episodes that have aired since Law & Order became that television rarity -- a prestigious drama that tells absorbing, keenly observed stories about challenging issues, with a beginning, middle and an end, all within the course of an hour.
Law & Order is just two seasons shy of the mark for longevity set by Gunsmoke -- 20 seasons -- though, in strictly episodic terms, Law & Order is well behind Gunsmoke's pace. There were more episodes-per-season back in Gunsmoke's day, from 1955 to 1975. Gunsmoke's 408th episode aired in just its 11th season, in 1966.
Still, while Law & Order creator and executive producer Dick Wolf would like to break Gunsmoke's record for seasons -- "It's priority one," he says -- he's not obsessing about it. And, unlike the creators of the similarly long-lived ER -- now in its 15th season -- Wolf is not thinking of calling it quits any time soon.
The plan after the 20 years are up, Wolf says, is: "Go another 20."
Wolf is once again reunited on Law & Order with Montreal native Rene Balcer, one of Law & Order's original story editors and an executive producer of the show who left in 2001 to develop the spinoff series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Since Balcer's return, his effect on the main show -- "the mothership," in Wolf's parlance -- has been remarkable.
"I got to tell you, this is a tip of the hat to Rene, but it's great having him back on the show," Wolf said. "He did a superb job on Criminal Intent. We've worked together for literally the last 20 years."
Balcer is all about subtlety of character, and subtext, Wolf explained.
"He puts things in scripts which nobody notices the first time. He gave Anthony (Anderson) this one line in the first post-strike episode, where he explains he went into Internal Affairs not because he volunteered but because he was recruited right out of the academy. That tells Epatha Merkerson's character that, if he was recruited, he was smart, which is what she wants in her homicide detectives. That's the kind of shading Rene brings to the show. That little two-line exchange sets up a totally credible and realistic way for him to make the transition from investigating officer to become Jeremy Sisto's detective partner in the show.
"That's a function not only of great writing but also of people who have worked together for years and years."
Balcer's intent with Law & Order: Criminal Intent was to introduce viewers to the victim and the perpetrator of a crime at an episode's outset, whereas Law & Order has traditionally opened after the crime has been committed.
"There hasn't been a bleed-over between shows, but I think Rene has seen the advantage of sometimes sinking the hook earlier in the show," Wolf said.
Law & Order has survived this long because it has not lost sight of its original blueprint, Wolf reasons.
"I was asked, 20 years ago, when I first sold the show, what's the bible? I said the front page of the New York Post. That's a pretty good bible. You know, people are not going to stop killing each other in unique and interesting ways, unfortunately."
That's a good problem for Law & Order to have, Wolf admits ruefully. Crime is a constantly renewable resource.
There will be no Law & Order feature film, Wolf insists, even though there has been talk of one. The X-Files, South Park and The Simpsons have all proved it can be done, while an original series is still on the air, but Wolf says a feature film doesn't fit Law & Order's template for success.
"It's been suggested a number of times over the years," Wolf admitted. "This may sound strange, but I'm a TV guy. I hope I don't live to regret those words, but that's just the way it is.
"I mean, feature films are fun -- but I wouldn't even know where to begin, in terms of who to put in it. I've had, for better or worse, more than two dozen incredible actors on Law & Order over the years. So who would I use? What direction does it take? Do you have Sam (Waterston) come back as the prosecutor? So many questions are begged, just by the idea of a film. Frankly, I'd rather just go another 20 years."
While Criminal Intent's future remains up in the air -- production costs were shared this past season between NBC and NBC's sister channel USA Network -- Law & Order has been officially picked up for a 19th season. A 20th season is a virtual certainty. The new episodes won't begin airing until January 2009, however.
"I'm comfortable with that," Wolf said. "This has been a weird season. But the reality is, next season, we will come back in January with 22 uninterrupted episodes in a row. Which means we'll be on against 40 per cent to 50 per cent repeats on every other network. It's quite a shooting gallery."
Wolf is not tired of the crime-TV genre, despite all the other procedural dramas on TV at the moment. He likes to refer to CSI as a "franchise" and Law & Order as a "brand." One is McDonald's, he says, the other is BMW.
"I'm not burned out ," Wolf insisted. "It's still my favourite form of programming. Before Law & Order, I was running Miami Vice. Before that, I worked on Hill Street Blues. I've had the good fortune to work on some of the landmark legal shows. And it's always been fun.
"I love cop shows because they're about the ultimate stakes -- life and death. It's endlessly fascinating, from a dramatic point-of-view. As I've always said, crime is a growth industry."
Longevity the order of the day
Law & Order two seasons shy of setting record
Alex Strachan, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Preview
Law & Order airs tonight on CTV and NBC.
This past week, devotees of Law & Order who've been watching from the beginning heard the words, "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate and equally important groups," for the 408th time.
That is the number of episodes that have aired since Law & Order became that television rarity -- a prestigious drama that tells absorbing, keenly observed stories about challenging issues, with a beginning, middle and an end, all within the course of an hour.
Law & Order is just two seasons shy of the mark for longevity set by Gunsmoke -- 20 seasons -- though, in strictly episodic terms, Law & Order is well behind Gunsmoke's pace. There were more episodes-per-season back in Gunsmoke's day, from 1955 to 1975. Gunsmoke's 408th episode aired in just its 11th season, in 1966.
Still, while Law & Order creator and executive producer Dick Wolf would like to break Gunsmoke's record for seasons -- "It's priority one," he says -- he's not obsessing about it. And, unlike the creators of the similarly long-lived ER -- now in its 15th season -- Wolf is not thinking of calling it quits any time soon.
The plan after the 20 years are up, Wolf says, is: "Go another 20."
Wolf is once again reunited on Law & Order with Montreal native Rene Balcer, one of Law & Order's original story editors and an executive producer of the show who left in 2001 to develop the spinoff series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Since Balcer's return, his effect on the main show -- "the mothership," in Wolf's parlance -- has been remarkable.
"I got to tell you, this is a tip of the hat to Rene, but it's great having him back on the show," Wolf said. "He did a superb job on Criminal Intent. We've worked together for literally the last 20 years."
Balcer is all about subtlety of character, and subtext, Wolf explained.
"He puts things in scripts which nobody notices the first time. He gave Anthony (Anderson) this one line in the first post-strike episode, where he explains he went into Internal Affairs not because he volunteered but because he was recruited right out of the academy. That tells Epatha Merkerson's character that, if he was recruited, he was smart, which is what she wants in her homicide detectives. That's the kind of shading Rene brings to the show. That little two-line exchange sets up a totally credible and realistic way for him to make the transition from investigating officer to become Jeremy Sisto's detective partner in the show.
"That's a function not only of great writing but also of people who have worked together for years and years."
Balcer's intent with Law & Order: Criminal Intent was to introduce viewers to the victim and the perpetrator of a crime at an episode's outset, whereas Law & Order has traditionally opened after the crime has been committed.
"There hasn't been a bleed-over between shows, but I think Rene has seen the advantage of sometimes sinking the hook earlier in the show," Wolf said.
Law & Order has survived this long because it has not lost sight of its original blueprint, Wolf reasons.
"I was asked, 20 years ago, when I first sold the show, what's the bible? I said the front page of the New York Post. That's a pretty good bible. You know, people are not going to stop killing each other in unique and interesting ways, unfortunately."
That's a good problem for Law & Order to have, Wolf admits ruefully. Crime is a constantly renewable resource.
There will be no Law & Order feature film, Wolf insists, even though there has been talk of one. The X-Files, South Park and The Simpsons have all proved it can be done, while an original series is still on the air, but Wolf says a feature film doesn't fit Law & Order's template for success.
"It's been suggested a number of times over the years," Wolf admitted. "This may sound strange, but I'm a TV guy. I hope I don't live to regret those words, but that's just the way it is.
"I mean, feature films are fun -- but I wouldn't even know where to begin, in terms of who to put in it. I've had, for better or worse, more than two dozen incredible actors on Law & Order over the years. So who would I use? What direction does it take? Do you have Sam (Waterston) come back as the prosecutor? So many questions are begged, just by the idea of a film. Frankly, I'd rather just go another 20 years."
While Criminal Intent's future remains up in the air -- production costs were shared this past season between NBC and NBC's sister channel USA Network -- Law & Order has been officially picked up for a 19th season. A 20th season is a virtual certainty. The new episodes won't begin airing until January 2009, however.
"I'm comfortable with that," Wolf said. "This has been a weird season. But the reality is, next season, we will come back in January with 22 uninterrupted episodes in a row. Which means we'll be on against 40 per cent to 50 per cent repeats on every other network. It's quite a shooting gallery."
Wolf is not tired of the crime-TV genre, despite all the other procedural dramas on TV at the moment. He likes to refer to CSI as a "franchise" and Law & Order as a "brand." One is McDonald's, he says, the other is BMW.
"I'm not burned out ," Wolf insisted. "It's still my favourite form of programming. Before Law & Order, I was running Miami Vice. Before that, I worked on Hill Street Blues. I've had the good fortune to work on some of the landmark legal shows. And it's always been fun.
"I love cop shows because they're about the ultimate stakes -- life and death. It's endlessly fascinating, from a dramatic point-of-view. As I've always said, crime is a growth industry."
Patrick Roy, 2006 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame