Surely enough "Law & Order" content exists to schedule an entire network, seven nights a week, with reruns. The spin-off “Special Victims Unit” has run continuously since 1999; the flagship series aired between 1990 and 2010. There are obvious market reasons for bringing back the original: the perceived likelihood of a known quantity outperforming a new replacement-level series, the decades of audience familiarity with the format. But artistically, the only justification for reviving "Law & Order" is to find something to say about a world that has come a long way since Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy last appeared on screen.
In its first episode, "Law & Order" 2.0 does just that. The show is the show is the show: fans will be relieved by its dogged commitment to its structure, while naysayers will once again note, for example, the rather ludicrous departure from real-life courtroom protocol. But the new look of “Law & Order” appears on the fringes, in a proceeding that seems at least concerned with framing its subjects with more than a thoughtful sympathy for law enforcement and prosecution.
Creator: Dick Wolf
Stars: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher MeloniIce-T
Namely: a new character played by Jeffrey Donovan is remarkably volatile, and in the investigation of a high-profile murder of an accused serial rapist, he treats young black men with instant suspicion and derision. What follows is a conversation between Donovan's character, Det. Frank Cosgrove and his partner Det. Kevin Bernard (a somewhat mollified Anthony Anderson, returning from the late run of the first "Law & Order") nervously pushing close to outright combat, with Cosgrove complaining about the presence of cell phones and Bernard, surprisingly, saying that the omnipresence of cameras guarantees police responsibility. Cosgrove no-nonsense announces, "I speak my mind, probably about things I shouldn't be saying what I think about, but that's how I'm connected," making it clear that the couple's relationship will be characterized by disagreement and open debate. .
Is Cosgrove's announcement of his candor subtle or slick writing? Well, no. This franchise continues to spend its energy on narrative twist rather than delicate character nuance. But the scene presents a challenge for the show going forward: to find ways, within the "Law & Order" framework, to portray a cop as brash, brash, well, misguided. Elsewhere in the episode, Cosgrove's tactics to extract a confession would seem, to this viewer at least, to go beyond the bounds of ethics; the gray area in which the evidence he requested exists creates an enigma for A.D.A. Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) and for his boss Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston, who returns from the original series).
The second half of the episode focused on Price's attempt to untangle what seemed to be an open and shut case: these scenes, swirling with reversals, eventually become largely about themselves and the series' ability. to create surprise. This is nothing! "Law & Order" is as smart as ever. But this narrative ingenuity can, at times, make the show's attempts to talk about the issues feel awkward and clunky: The murder of a Harvey Weinstein-like figure not only kicks off a trial full of wild twists, but also some speech. . about what might have motivated such a crime, and whether it might be justifiable.
Not that this is such a strange debate, but it's not the “Law & Order” 2.0 debate that this viewer found most interesting. The show could spend a lot of time discussing what makes murderers kill and the proper way to punish them. But what's new about "Law & Order" 2.0, the thing that makes it clearer that we're not just picking up where we left off, is its ability to look at how its police operate.
In Anderson's character, the show presents a kind of almost naive optimism about the way he could be a cop: respectful, ethical, looking for ways to be more responsible. It would be intolerably sunny if it wasn't countered by Donovan's rogue detective forcing everyone to clean up after him. By depicting both his tactics and his fallout, the show comes up with something chewy and more interesting than a lot else on network TV right now. It's a worthy sequel to a show that always had a twist, but re-enters the picture at a time when consideration of surveillance is also paramount.
“Law & Order” premieres on Thursday, February 24 at 8 p.m.
Watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 2023 Tv Series Trailer
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