RIP LOLA

[skittles4me]

Looks like LOLA bit the dust.


Moment of silence


TV News: NBC Renews ‘Harry’s Law,’ Cancels ‘Law & Order: Los Angeles’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 11, 2011 - 8:05am. Brian Tallerico Chuck Harry's Law HollywoodChicago.com Content Law & Order: Los Angeles NBC Parenthood Television Wonder Woman Theater, TV, DVD & Blu-Ray
We got these two right. In our feature earlier this week predicting what would happen at the NBC Upfronts on Monday, we predicted that “Harry’s Law” would get a second season and that “Law & Order: Los Angeles” would not and this is exactly what TV By the Numbers is hearing has been made official (as has the expected pick-up of “Wonder Woman”).

No word yet on the future of other bubble programs at NBC, including “Chuck,” “Outsourced,” and “Parenthood.”

Both “Harry’s Law” and “Law & Order: Los Angeles” premiered with strong numbers but slid in the following weeks. “Harry’s Law” plateaued at a reasonable level, especially for NBC. It’s not a “hit,” but it seems to have a loyal following and that’s something NBC could use right now.

“Law & Order: Los Angeles” seemed troubled from the beginning and the decision to overhaul the cast so early in the show’s progression might have smelled like desperation to some viewers. When Skeet Ulrich left (despite the fact that this critic thought it was the right decision), viewers did as well. With “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” currently airing its final season, this means that there will only be one installment of Dick Wolf’s legendary franchise on the air in the fall, assuming NBC can finalize contract negotiations with Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni of “Law & Order: SVU”.



Read more: hollywoodchicago.com/news/14286/tv-news-nbc-renews-harry-s-law-cancels-law-order-los-angeles#ixzz1MBKwRacP

[angua]

You know, I probably would have guessed I'd see the end of the Dick Wolf era in my lifetime, but not this young!

[annabelleleigh]

I shed no tears. Much as I admire Rene Balcer's work I just couldn't watch LOLA. A key character was always missing from the show -- New York City.

On the upside, perhaps this will stoke Dick Wolf's (obvious) desire to keep CI on the air. He may be more pliable on terms when he sits down to negotiate with NBCU.

AL

[skittles4me]

Annabelleleigh: I just couldn't watch LOLA. A key character was always missing from the show -- New York City.

I agree! It just never felt quite right.

On the upside, perhaps this will stoke Dick Wolf's (obvious) desire to keep CI on the air. He may be more pliable on terms when he sits down to negotiate with NBCU.

I thought about that. We can always hope!

[kacesq]

I never took to LO:LA and when they brought Connie in, it just made me mad because I loved the last few seasons of the mothership and what Rene brought to it and the fantastic cast they had...

I tried and tried with LO:LA because of Rene (and in the beginning for Skeet Ulrich, dreamy sigh) but it just didn't work for me. I'm sure part of it was the LA setting. I remember a few years ago, Dick Wolf snarked at CSI for being the same show in different cities whereas each of the L&O shows had distinctive personalities. And then he does LA, which was mothership...in LA. Grrr. Plus, I've never been happy that mothership didn't get its final 1/2 season which Dick Wolf said they were supposed to get...

Anyhoo, if CI gets another season, I would love to see Rene involved in some way. Maybe not as showrunner, but as a writer? I dunno. But it would be nice.

[outerbankschick]

I am SO not surprised. Putting Law & Order in Los Angeles is like trying to put Hawaii Five-O on Cape Cod. ;D

I'm with you AL - Law & Order IS New York.

[idget]

Count me as one who is also not surprised, the writing just wasn't good and most of the acting seemed really wooden, especially Terrence Howard. I did come to like Alfred Molina and his character. He really tried. He was never on my radar before but now if I saw something with him in it I would give it a chance.

[roots2rock]

I know it's gone, but now that it has been cancelled, NBC has started to show NEW unaired episodes with Skeet Ulrich and company after LOCI. The one that aired on this Monday night 6/20, was one of the better ones of the entire series. Perhaps if the network had shown these episodes before rolling out the re-tooled cast, it might have been better received and not have had to die an early death.

[idget]

You know I am not so much buying that LOLA failed because it was set in Los Angles. I have been watching the first few seasons of Law and Order and in a lot of ways it reminds me some of film noir. Film Noir movies were both successful set in New York and LA. In fact the LA film noir movies I thought worked because it looks so beautiful on the outside the pacific ocean, the beaches and the blue sky but underneath all that LA could be just as gritty and deadly as New York. Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, the Big Sleep, Lady In The Lake, and The Blue Dahlia were all excellent movies that showed how desperate and deadly LA could be. If LOLA had showed that dichotomy, the difference between how the rich live and the people who worked for them. If it showed the desperation of the people who move their to achieve their dreams and the lengths some of them go to achieve said dreams. If it had interesting characters instead of cookie cutouts it could have been a great show.

[roots2rock]

Idget, I like your analogies. I also agree that it was not only because LOLA was in L.A. that it failed. Look at NCIS: Los Angeles, it has become a solid hit show (in L.A.)--this is not a good analogy. I'm just making the point as you said, it could have been a great show because Dick Wolf is famous for having made good shows.

[outerbankschick]

Now that I've seen a few episodes of LOLA - it really was more than just location. It just was not that good. There were no characters that grabbed me, no layers, nothing. I know they said that ratings went up when Molina's character was onscreen, but I got nothing from him either. It was just...okay. Like if I'm not watching anything else, I'll watch it.

I don't know...it just did not have the grit of L&O...or the compelling scripts of so many of the Mothership's scripts. There was one epi that had a decent plot - the Russian spy epi - but the others I have seen have fallen flat.

Too bad really....but then this isn't the first time a spinoff went out with a whimper...TBJ didn't last either and I know it had its following - but it never grabbed me. If Jerry Orbach had lived...well...that might have been different. Briscoe's salty snarks might have made up for what was lacking elsewhere for me. As it was, I think I saw all of two epis and called it quits. It just wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention.

[roots2rock]

I think it is best, as they say, "do not beat a dead horse.” As such, perhaps we should simply let LOLA RIP and stop saying how bad it was. However, since it was brought up again, TBJ was indeed another spin-off which was not that good even with good actors. LOLA also had good actors but not good characters and storylines. I just do not like to see the creator’s legacy tarnished after such a long period of really good shows. There was a series, New York Undercover, which I did not know until recently was a Dick Wolf show. While it did not have the acclaim of the Law & Order franchise, it was on the air for several years during the same time period and enjoyed favorable ratings. I may be one of the few people here who did like LOLA even though at times it was cringe-worthy. It had its moments for me as well as a very attractive cast!!

[outerbankschick]

I resurrected to add the comment after I had a chance to actually *see* an epi. And since honest opinions are the policy - well there you have it.

I never really watched New York Undercover - had a friend that loved it. Mainly for the lead detective with the droopy eyes. LOL! I didn't realize that was a DW production.

And while on the subject - it doesn't tarnish the legacy to have a bad idea. You accept it and you move on. That's life.

In the words of Dr. Skoda - from the LOCI S1 epi "Crazy" - "Even Elvis sang out of tune."