Star's Favorite...Television-Law and Order Franchise

What can I say about Law & Order that hasn't already been said, it's the best show on television and the endurance of its franchises tells you why. How do you make three shows with three different cast, involving three different parts of law enforcement the most dynamic show on television? Here's how, turn the story loose. I have been watching the Law & Order Franchise I know for over a decade. The only other show I ever followed that close for that long was Seinfeld. I love this show and want to know why because it never gets too personal and it never gets old. How many shows half-hour sitcoms or full hour dramas do you know where it doesn't get all personal and sticks to the essence of the show, that are successful? Don't think CSI because everybody gets personal in that show. I know some of the later L&O's did a little peep in on folks lives when it came to the cases they worked but the original, was almost anonymous and that's what I always loved. Now of course, my favorite of the L&O's is the original Law and Order. And it was damned shame when they cancelled it, what was that about? There are certainly not any shows where the cast can continually change and it never misses a beat.

Although, I love the original L&O, I am an absolute feign for Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Vincent D'Onofrio's, Bobby Goren just had me at the first hello. What can I say his character's quirkiness and the fact that he was a virtual genius just got my juices flowing. *blushes*  I was so happy when they brought back Chris Noth's character from the original L&O, Mike Logan, the original L&O hottie. When he plays Mike Logan, I just totally forget he ever played 'Big'. He and Annabella Sciorra made a great team on the show, it sucked she was only on for a short time. Although I do love me some Jeff Goldblum, he has swagger. I am missing my man, Vincent, I hope he comes back.

The original Law & Order was the longest running show on television and I know why, it was a fantastic show. All the stories ripped straight from the headlines with a bit of a twist. It also had some of the best guest stars ever. I think everybody has been on L&O and even though the cast changed as much as the weather I had my favorites on it too. I really love Chris Noth but he wasn't my favorite detective on the original. Jerry Orbach, a Broadway sensation was the indelible, Lenny Briscoe, he had some of the best lines. Another one of my favorite detectives was Ed Green played by another Broadway veteran, Jesse L. Martin and the detective is the namesake of my little brother. And even though he wasn't on the show long, Dennis Farina played Joe Fontana and man was he good I thought it was tragic when he left. My favorite District Attorney was Fred Thompson as Arthur Branch, there wasn't a better one and he had some lines that still are my favorites to this day. One of my favorites is 'doing good ain't enough, you gotta be seen doing good'. Classic, Arthur Branch. I can't say anything about Sam Waterson as the Executive ADA, Jack McCoy, really the show wouldn't be any good without him. He was the conscious when it was needed and doing what needed to done when it needed to be done. But my favorite ADA was the beautiful and tough Abbie Carmichael played by Angie Harmon. How do you go wrong, she just seemed like the kind of woman that would rip off a dude's balls, she was great.

I love Law and Order:Special Victims Unit. Really, I hate to say this but if I want to know what the new sexual crimes that are being committed I watch this L&O, they are way ahead of the curve. Sometimes it can be gut-wrenching to watch and if you've ever worked in law enforcement or for an law enforcement agency and I have, the SVU portion of it is not fun at all but it's necessary. I love Christopher Meloni as the just too hot, Elliot Stabler, really I watch the show to just watch him look hot and go off on people. I also  enjoy Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, she's the daughter of the 50's bombshell Jayne Mansfield.  She can be a bit over the top and emotional but I really love her character and she's a pretty good actress. The SVU cast is really good cast bringing back Dann Florek who was on the original L&O at the beginning as Don Cragen. This is a great show that includes Tamara Tunie, B.D. Wong, Stephanie March (who's married to celebrity chef, Bobby Flay), Richard Belzer, and Ice-T as Odafin Tutuola, what a great character name and his on-show son is gay. Yea, it's an interesting show.

There are and were others in this franchise. The now defunk Law and Order: Trial by Jury, which I use continuously in teaching my paralegal studies course. This really is the best legal show on television to use as a pretty close example of the legal system, it may not be true to life all the time but it comes really close and uses a lot of good legal examples. There's also the new Law and Order: L.A. which I am unhappy to say I hate. Not even having Terence Howard on this show could save it, they took all the things that are great about the show and killed them in trying to be original. Why mess with greatness? Then there's the version that takes place across the pond, Law and Order: UK which is great. They've only changed the legal process to the English version and people wearing robes and wigs but the cases are the same. It's a really good show and they have something no other version of L&O has ever had a young black woman as part of the legal system, she's a prosecutor so they put that ugly white wig on her. But I'm really excited about this new turn of events, the actress's name is Freema Agyeman and she's a hot mama.

Yes, I am an Law and Order freak and Dick Wolf is a genius but I'm sure he already knows this.