Did anyone see Law&Order last night?

[StevieM]

Fred Thompson is being allowed to use the show to pursue his political agenda. A few month ago we learned that the Nicaraguan Contras never sold drugs (a blatant lie). Now they write Serena off by basically labeling her a liberal who was unfit for the job, and had to be fired from a position that protects the public. (Like, I guess, all liberals should be).

Serena did not deserve to be fired. Furthermore, she had been portrayed as a competent and effective DA over the years. That's how the character was written. Now they are suddenly saying that she was not suitable. And the reason was her unacceptable liberalism.

This is so disgusting, the way the Republicans think they own the debate, the way they think they own history. We now live in a country where the official version of history is that Ronald Reagan was not at all insensitive to the AIDS crisis and was quick to combat it.

The lesbian comment at the end was just the writers trying to be cute. Play up the liberal/conservative divide between the two characters. Maybe let Thompson imply that if a lesbian is fired over job performance she instantly screams prejudice.

Steve

[Insider]

1. saw the last 10 mins

ironically, i saw that scene only, flipping channels. and couldn't figure it out. thought i just missed the boat. obviously it was as out of line as i thought it was.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. It was interesting

My jaw dropped when she said she was a lesbian! I wish she had said that at the beginning of her stint, just to have another positive role-model. Oh well. Like I told my partner, for four years people have liked her character, now, in the last minutes they found out those four years they liked a lesbian! heehee! I liked it!

[cattleman22]

61. That is odd

I missed last night's episode. But I remember previously that serena talked about her senior prom in which she had sex with a guy who was in college.

[Wapsie B]

3. Yes he is

being allowed to pursue his agenda. I remember his crack about the CIA drug-running as some liberal whitewash or something to that affect. Fred and his repuke friends can kiss my ass.

[DemBones DemBones]

4. Fred Thompson is such a creep, I wish they'd fire him. eom

[WCGreen]

5. Yep, that was about all she wrote for Law and Order

I loved that show until that ass hole took over.....

And to top it off, he can't fuckin' act for shit......

[StevieM]

6. I will never watch Law and Order again......

I didn't care too much about Thompson until tonight. He didn't get too much airtime. His character was out-of-place, whereas Serena was a succesful character IMO. But I just ignored him, because he wasn't that important. But tonight was disgusting. I'm done with that show.

Steve

[WCGreen]

8. Tell NBC.....

I am....

[Princess Turandot]

7. I think you'll find L&O fans quite divided on Serena's acting ability..

check out the UseNet group.

Personally, I don't think she's a very good actress altho she was definitely better than Angie Harmon. (She might have been the victim of the writers, while Harmon was just awful IMO.)James Brooks & Jill Hennessey were much better in that role than the 3 that followed them.

I really doubt the writers are following Fred Thompson's 'agenda.'
Sam Waterston's character has always been quite 'anti-establishment'
& continues to be so IMO. I think Thompson's ACTING just follows his personality/opinions.

The lesbian comment was just bizarre. It would have sounded at least a tiny bit legitimate if she said it with some suspicion or outrage in her voice, not with tears beginning to flow. On another board, someone noted that it was so out of context that they wondered if the actress was 'outing' herself in real life.

Edited to add: Now we can wonder if she shows up representing someone in a sexual harassment case next season.

[StevieM]

9. Could you provide a link to that other board? Also, the issue isn't.....

acting ability IMO, because while everyone has their opinion, the actress lasted three years.

More importantly, acting ability only speaks to why the actress may have been fired from the show. I am talking about why the character was written off the way she was.

Serena had been written as a competent ADA during her tenure on the show. Maybe some didn't like the character, but she wasn't written as someone who wasn't delivering, or who wasn't up to that particular job. It is also very uncomfortable for man viewers to see an ADA go like that. Why not just have her decide to leave for other things, like every other fired character was?

I really felt like they were making a statement about liberalism, and I am not someone who ususally cries "conspiracy!"

Steve

[REP]

17. No Links To UseNet

You need a newsreader, like Agent or you can go through Google Groups (:puke:). Usenet newsgroups are not web boards.

[Princess Turandot]

24. Go to google groups advanced..

at:

http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search?hl=en

and put 'alt.tv.law-and-order'(no quotes) into the "newsgroup" box, and Serena into the word box, if you cant access UseNet any other way.

[Princess Turandot]

33. I think Angie Harmon was there for more than 3 years..eom

[WCGreen]

12. My Email....

Lost another to CBS....

Oh well,

Serena was a minor character and played the role of a pretty face fairly well, but at least she could act and was a rare centrist voice on your network.....

Fred, I wan't a good Senator and I certainly can't act, Thompson is the fitting nail in the coffin of your long run at the top......

So long fairwell, I guess you can move ABC over and take your turn at the bottom of the heap fairly soon now....

Oh yea, I hear Fred Grandy is available........

WC Green

[teamster633]

13. Glad I fell asleep.

CSI: NY is the worst of the 3 but now Law and Order is definitely out of the running. Maybe I'll even eventually get to like Gary Sinise.

[WCGreen]

15. Yea, that supporting cast isn't anywhere

as strong as on the Vegas or Miami CSI

Now, if only they would make CSI: LAke Erie,,,,,,,

[Princess Turandot]

48. The worst thing about the CSI shows..

other than watching a post-mortum while I'm eating, is that they don't act like actual police officers. Crime Scene investigators do not go off chasing witnesses and likely felons the way the characters in those shows do. The Las Vegas one is the worst one in that regard.

On the other hand, those kink scene episodes with Grissom and the dominatrix madame were kind of entertaining.

[CWebster]

19. Really, you think so about Waterson's character?

I always thought he was a bit of a dick in character although his personal politics are progressive enough to advertise the Nation.

The stories, although formula, are at least watchable, which is saying something about having over 60 channels and nothing worth viewing. Though, I do get annoyed with the belligerence of the cops assuming everyone as suspect. Lately I have been watching the one with the round-faced near genius detective who always sizes up with an all-knowing stare.

My faves are the British detective stories and sometimes I watch an old "Colombo" to savor the winning formula of that particular show: working-class slob poses as idiot and outfoxes pretentious and unethical wealth every time. Now those were the days when class war was moral.

[Princess Turandot]

27. Oh dear..

I find the Vincent D'Onofrio character to be the worst ever presented by an L&O series. It's compounded by the acute lackeyness of his female partner.

If you watch enough of the reruns (I see at least once a day) you'll see McCoy uneasy about prosecuting people related to any Vietnam issue, eager to prosecute people related to the Catholic Church (and not on sexual bases) along with other themes like that. I think Serena's character accused him of prosecuting a priest because of his personal issues with the church in one episode.

My brother is NYPD retired. For what it's worth, he says Lenny Briscoe, Anita (the lou whose last name I can never recall) and Finn (Ice-T) play/played the most realistic roles on the various shows.

These days I'm trying to catch up on the Inspector Lynley series based on Elizabeth George's novels, all of which I have read.

[Theres-a]

40. D'onofrio is my favorite

I just watched season one yesterday on dvd.I haven't enjoyed L&O much since Lenny left.I have to agree I have felt like they were over the top sometimes,as of late.Fred in particular.I'm only watching reruns after last night.That show is getting creepy,IMO

[rppper]

56. heheheh......i still see a bit of private pyle.......

...every time i see d'onofrio.....sorry, i am type-casting, but full metal jacket is one of my favorites. i still think "sgt. hartman every time i see r.lee ermy too.....

[CWebster]

44. Well, I never used to like him -the few times I watched it

but I watched this past weekend and really enjoyed his intense stares and the way he picks at things with his pen, and that he automatically knows how many squares there are on a chess board.

It's all so surreal when he barges in on a dinner conference and lords over the table. What a hoot! Its almost kitchy.

What else can I say?

McCoy, sometimes strikes me as just a little to enthusiastic in his DA role, but hey, someone has to get those bad guys and be right 99.9% of the time.

I don't really know what I am doing on this thread since I am not a devotee and mostly watch reruns when I can't sleep.

[CWebster]

46. Oh, and I really like it when they nail the sexist judges

and Marlo Thomas gets into the act. ;-)

[ThorsHammer]

60. Briscoe was great, RIP Jerry Orbach

[Ilsa]

71. Thanks for validating my opinion of the characters...

I always thought that Orbach's character and his supervisor were very realistic. I've seen Ice-T on that other show a few times. He's a wonderful actor, IMO. I also have a bias towards the detective (he's also a comic) with Ice-T who was on Homicide: Life in the Streets.

I can't stand watching Fred Thompson and he is one of the reasons I stopped watching L&O. I'm not surprised they are pushing a RW agenda more aggressively. I noticed it right after Thompson got there.

[Commendatori]

58. Glad to get rid of her, but not like this

I thought she was a terrible actress, but seeing this sort of firing got under my skin.

[Caria]

70. Aw shoot

I liked Elisabeth Rohm on L&O

[Greybnk48]

10. A year or so ago

They allowed Thompson to editorialize on the show about Roe v Wade and how SCOTUS made a grave misinterpretation of the law. After tonight I won't watch again. The implication was that because she was ruled by passion she should be a public defender not a prosecutor. But his condescending speech also implied that the boys used reason and she, the girly girl, was constantly overwhelmed by her emotions (those darn ovary thingies).

Thompson's 50's mentality is showing. I can't believe the writers allow him this. I remember when the solution to this would have been as follows: Since she's (her character)a lesbian she can't go home and birth babies and bake cookies. I suppose she could leave the law and become a teacher, a nun or a nurse. Anything else is man's work. Welcome to my youth.

[AmandaRuth]

11. long long time fan here

i am going to miss Serena, if I watch again at all. I too, am disgusted with the hard right turn the show has been taking, and I do believe that Fred Thompson gets his right wingnut views/agenda in. Remember the season opener, the story about the Iraqi women carrying on a crusade here in the USA. Not one word about innocent civilians who died (estimated 100,000 by Amnesty International) as one of her motivations.

Or the storyline that included a homeless man (I know, which story that included a homeless man?) and Mr. Thompson made the comment about Serena relieving her guilt by working one day a year at the shelter, and "throwing more money at the problem won't solve anything". Wow, Mr. Thompson, a Christian right winger couldn't have said it better. Lets all blame the mentally ill homeless for being mentally ill and homeless. And this country could make it a priority, getting the mentally ill off the streets and into institutions, but you and your repuke friends have better uses for the money, like a $40,000,000 party for a second term president and an unjust war in Iraq. Throwing money away, indeed.

I also think I am done with Law and Order. Which is too bad, as i was warming up to the Dennis Farina character.

[Ilsa]

72. Yeah, like throwing more $ at * is going to make him a better

pResident. I know they wish it. But they can't afmit it or come to terms with his quackery and immorality.

[radfringe]

14. haven't watched it since

thompson came on the show...

[Lexingtonian]

16. haven't watched it

I'm sure I'll see it in reruns.

I thought Elisabeth Rohm was a pretty good actress on the show, but she only has so much emotional range- which is OK for the sort of roles she gets/takes.

No, she's not a lesbian in real life. That ending seems like it was grabbed out of someone's ass- it's been rumored that she wanted out of L&O, she was getting offered parts she found better and was getting the hints to bail out. This was a quickie and gimmicky way to get her out the door- some mix of leaving and getting pushed, I suppose. Such an ending is also an oblique quasi-explanation to the audience why the show never gave her a private life or 'developed' her character. The real reason was probably that the writers and directors didn't see Rohm sticking around.

I actually liked Angie Harmon's one dimensional acting- c'mon, she was always a model pretending to be an actress, the Power Walk opening to L&O where she could do her best runway act was always her best part. But I liked her tough, and that she was a partyer and a cokehead by reputation didn't bother me. It was her cheesy relationship with the incredibly overrated Jason Sehorn (you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the girl) that disappointed me no end. That Town&Country photo shoot of her is amazing, though.

Fred Thompson makes no sense in the show as a dramatic actor. He's arbitrary in his supposed toughness, his supposed wisdom doesn't come across as coherent if you watch a few shows in succession, it's all gestures that don't add up. His character comes across as a guy who makes shit up about half the time, and so you decide after a while that he's firmly unreliable.

Personally, I used to be an avid L&O watcher. Appointment TV and all that. But they milked all the good story lines dry long ago, for one thing. The raison d'etre of L&O and all the hospital and cop shows was the national mid-Nineties belief that all the everyday establishments normal people rely on were unregenerate and corrupted and in need of renewal...that need to see good people work and transform bad systems is gone, these TV shows are all dying. The sense of where the unbearable corruption and incompetence of establishments is is now closing in on the top of society- generals, judges, politicians, and corporate CEOs. DU is part of that sense.

[Jose Diablo]

18. How much are political viewpoints

influenced by 'fictional' stories on TV? Can movies, even fiction, shape what we believe is true? Can they be used as propaganda to form the opinions of the body politic?

Do the writers of these stories recieve money from the government to push a specific political agenda? At what point in the production of a story are the political meme's inserted?

[Stepup2]

20. yet another case

of throwing a lesbian/gay character under the bus. Gotta throw a little red meat to all those values voters out there who don't watch much cable TV.

[Melynn]

21. I'm a big LO fan.

And if you watch LO, then you know that there is always a plot twist.

I think the lesbian comment was just another plot twist. Although, it wouldn't surprise me if Serena sues the DA's office for discrimination and Fred Thompson's character gets fired because of her lawsuit.

Remember, you heard here first.

[lectrobyte]

22. Am I the only one who thought L&O jumped the shark when Fred T.

joined it? Oh yeah, a Southern RW DA in NYC. Strains my suspension of disbelief just a tad, and his preachiness doesn't help. I hadn't watched in a while, glad I missed last night, it would just have annoyed me.

[Maddy McCall]

30. Same here. Too preachy. SVU is still great, though.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

23. Calm down, people...

I think you're being hasty in reading this show's political agenda -- to the extent that any entertainment vehicle on network television has a political agenda.

Is there any doubt that Serena was right (not just morally, but factually) in her belief that 4-Strike wasn't the killer? The writers were certainly working hard to pull you in that direction -- which means that they're wanting you to see that Serena was justified in taking a stand and that Arthur was wrong (and wrong-headed) to fire her. Ever heard of the dramatic concept of "The Bad Guy?" Meet Arthur Branch.

Arthur Branch is a conservative Republican. He's hard-nosed, old-school, misogynistic and racist. You're not supposed to like him.

The idea that an actor (and a bit player, at that) can push around a mega-successful producer like Dick Wolf is ludicrous. Particularly in this situation, with a series that is famous for rotating characters and actors with great frequency...and success. What's Thompson going to do? Threaten to quit if he can't get his conservative agenda on the air?

[Poppyseedman]

31. All I have to say is

Doh!

It's amazing that for some people everything has a political meaning or overtone.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[Maddy McCall]

38. Honestly. Do YOU think that Thompson would have been hired...

for L&O if he wouldn't have first been a conservative politician?

There are tons of great actors who could have played that role. Why was a conservative politician who can't even act very well at all picked to play a DA in NEW YORK?

[Princess Turandot]

47. His predecessor wasn't such a hot actress...

and the SVU Bureau chief is awful. The Adam Schiff character was the most believable.

2 points if you can tell me where the Adam Schiff character is now!

There may be something wrong in my acting assessment, but I don't think that Thompson is a terrible actor.Plus, relative to the show overall, the DA character isn't all that important IMO

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

50. Here's here, right?

http://www.house.gov/schiff/

OK, so I Googled (twice). Adam is negotiating reparation for Holocaust survivors.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

49. Ever hear of a guy named Rudy Guiliani?

Conservative. Can't act for beans.

[tx_dem41]

69. FWIW...Rudy wasn't the DA....he was the US Prosecutor...

that is appointed by the administration. He was appointed by either Reagan or Bush (first).

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

73. My point being...

If real New Yorkers can elect Rudy mayor, fictional ones could elect Arthur as DA.

[Princess Turandot]

75. Except that in real life..

the voters of Manhattan have elected Robert Morgenthau as DA for years,who is no right-winger. He is extremely opposed to the death penalty, and has refused to prosecute anyone associated with issuing marriage licenses to gay couples in his jurisdiction. I believe he is also on record as being in support of gay civil marriages. I'm not 100% positive of this, but I dont think Morganthau has sought the death penalty on any case. He's no Arthur. (Regretfully, he is also not a spring chicken.)

In addition, if you roll back time to when Giuliani actually ran for mayor, vs his current 'admiration' for *, his predecessor was viewed as being rather ineffective, and in his second term, he ran against a democrat who would have been a catastrophic mayor IMO. ( I had the pleasure of working at a place which suffered because of his opponent's grandstanding in support of her mayoral race, and would have voted for one of my cats before I voted for her as mayor.) When George Pataki first ran for governor of NYS, Giuliani even endorsed the democrat Cuomo, because he felt he would be more attune to the needs of NYC.

[AngryOldDem]

64. Wasn't he in acting first?

He had a small part in the Kevin Costner movie No Way Out -- played a congressman, as I remember.

Which came first -- his acting or political career?

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

74. Part of his bio...

Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Thompson maintained law offices in Nashville and Washington and served as Special Counsel to both the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of the Watergate memoir, At That Point in Time. Having grown up in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, Thompson attended Memphis State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science. He went on to receive a law degree from Vanderbilt University. Two years later, Thompson was named an Assistant United States Attorney and, at the age of 30, was appointed Minority Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, where he served in 1973 and 1974.

In 1977, Thompson took on the case of a Tennessee Parole Board chairman under suspicious circumstances. Thompson's work helped to expose a cash-for-clemency scheme that ultimately toppled the governor. The scandal became the subject of a best-selling book and later a film, Marie, in which Thompson portrayed himself. He went on to appear in 18 motion pictures, including feature roles in Cape Fear, In the Line of Fire, Die Hard II, and The Hunt for Red October. He has also guest starred on the television series, China Beach, Wiseguy, and Matlock.

[Princess Turandot]

39. The show also has a history of turnover in the major roles..

Jerry Orbach lasted the longest, and he had three other partners. His first partner played by Chris Noth, had 2 partners before Orbach was hired. There have been 2 lous, Anita, and the Dan Florek character, who now runs the SVU squad.

There have been 4 DA's, 2 Bureau chiefs and 5 assistant DA's, which actually is somewhat realistic given how long the show has run.

[Maddy McCall]

43. I loved Noth and Orbach together.

Those were the best days, IMO.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

51. I heard that Noth is coming back in one of the franchises...

Wonder if he might replace Jerry O. in the new series.

[NYYFan]

55. I agree totally

It's not like it's a secret that Arthur & Fred are big Conservative Republicans. The show was writtent that way to get that angle in there. Sam/Jack McCoy is a liberal, as was Serena. They constantly clash about politcs as well as law.

Still is one of my favorite shows, and continue to be.

[newportdadde]

25. I haven't watched Law and Order in years

since the grumpy old man left. Is Serena the blond lady who wears the black glasses to make her character look smart? I saw her talking to a young black man last night while I was flipping channels but didn't watch anymore then that.

[Princess Turandot]

32. I think that may have been Alexandra on SVU..

who I thought did a good job as the ADA but got farmed out to witness protection, because of a serious gang related episode in which she was shot and supposedly killed.

That grumpy old man, Adam Schiff, did a great job IMO, in displaying the balance between the law and local politics.

[Poppyseedman]

26. OMG, It's only a

T.V. show. It's all about ratings first, not politics.

They are actors being paid to pretend to be someone else.

If you don't like the show, push the button on the remote.

[Maddy McCall]

29. You do know who Fred is, right?

If you do, then you can't say that it's not about politics.

[Poppyseedman]

35. Fred Thompson

he's that republican congressman turned actor. Doh!

I can still say it's not about politics because it's about ratings.

Do you really think Fred Thompson has that much control over the show's agenda?

[Maddy McCall]

37. I think that hiring him was a move to attract ultraconservatives viewers.

His character is written around his conservatism. I am not saying that HE controls the show's agenda. I am saying that the show's agenda reflects his conservatism.

[Poppyseedman]

41. You may be right

but, I think he was hired as a protagonist to conflict with the liberal aspects of the shows characters, primarily the ADA females.

Simply for rating, because conflict is good for ratings

[Princess Turandot]

42. The series is the longest running drama of all time, I believe..

and has spawned two relatively successful spin-offs, and is about to spin off a third. I honestly don't think they need to attrack voters based on politics.

[Maddy McCall]

45. I didn't say that they need to attract voters...

but popular culture always follows political currents...or it rebels against them.

[Maddy McCall]

28. Used to watch every episode. Quit when Thompson was hired.

Plus, the cast now just sucks in a general way. And, yes, they have politicized the show.

I still love SVU, though, and will continue to watch it.

[greyfox]

34. I always liked Fred....

even in politics... but this sux.

[DulceDecorum]

66. Fred has an interesting resume

Fred Dalton Thompson (born August 19, 1942) is an American lawyer, actor, and former Republican Senator from Tennessee.
He was the campaign manager for Senator Howard Baker's successful re-election campaign in 1972, which led to a close personal friendship with Baker, and from 1973-1974, he served as co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in its investigation of the Watergate scandal. He was responsible for Baker's asking one of the questions that is said to have led directly to the downfall of President Richard Nixon – "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson

Republican Sen. Fred Thompson, chairman of the Senate panel probing 1996 campaign fund-raising abuses, confirmed through a spokeswoman yesterday that he had accepted a $ 3,000 campaign contribution from a controversial Democratic donor who attended several coffees with President Clinton.
"It's true," said Thompson spokeswoman Alex Pratt. She added that there was nothing illegal about Thompson receiving the money from Kansas City businessman Farhad Azima, whom the Los Angeles Times said had coffee with the President three times in the White House map room in the past two years.
"The most important thing here is the senator has not done anything on behalf of Mr. Azima since he became a United States senator."
<snip>
Thompson and Azima are longtime friends, Azima's wife, Linda, told the newspaper. Their relationship dates back to 1983, when Azima purchased a controlling interest in Capitol Airways in Smyrna, Tenn.
Pratt said Jack Lauderquist, then chief executive officer of Capital Airways, asked Thompson in 1980 to become a board member. In 1983, she said, a group called Capital Holding Co., based in Kansas City, purchased Capital Airways.
"At that time, Azima was a major stockholder in that group and eventually became a board member. At that time, Fred took his various corporations on and represented them" in legal matters, Pratt said.
Thompson continued to represent the companies until 1994, she said.
Pratt said she did not know the names of the Azima-owned corporations that Thompson represented or how much he was paid. She said she also did not know whether Thompson represented Azima before regulatory agencies, in court, or both.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a258636.htm

CAST OF PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
FARHAD AZIMA, Iranian native close to Pahlavi family; Kansas city airline owner; board member and stockholder of Kansas City bank controlled by the mob; CIA asset protected by CIA from criminal prosecution.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a389b6a173e33.htm

One of the planes owned and/or operated by Fred Thompson's good buddy Farhad Azima met with an accident while taking off from Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada.

Interestingly, many of the bodies that had high levels of combustion products in their lungs were also decapitated, yet according to the official report, they somehow kept breathing five minutes after being dismembered.
http://www.sandford.org/gandercrash/investigations/gander_paper/html/_5.shtml

* Even though it is standard procedure to investigate terrorism as a cause in any air disaster, no U.S. agency, including the Vice President's Task Force on Combating Terrorism and its chairman at the time, George Bush, ever investigated for the possibility of terrorism or foul play. This despite the fact that the terrorist group, Islamic Jihad, tried four times to take credit for the crash.
www.fas.org/irp/congress/...gander.htm

Intersting crowd.
Never a dull moment when they are around....

[mattclearing]

36. In all fairness, the simple fact that the drug-running allegations were...

even mentioned in conversation by the female attorney in that episode you alluded to struck me as impressive for a tv show. The other guy's "conspiracy theory" retort came off as naive and clueless, I thought, but maybe that's just my tinfoil hat.

[The Stranger]

52. When one of the actors on the show died, I tried to point this out,

but was lost in the loving posts for the actor on the show.

[frogfromthenorth2]

53. Is this FREEPVILLE or what...?!?! I can't believe my eyes when I see so

much nonsense spew on the board. PEOPLE, it's FICTION. I think it was a great way to terminate a FICTITIOUS career. The lesbian comment was weird because the way it was said and the nodding after. Whenever I hear somebody say: "I will never watch again..." because a character is an asshole, it makes me wonder if they understand what entertainment is all about. In my opinion, since you people lost big time in the last election, this place has been filling up with more and more stupid comments....

[lectrobyte]

67. It is just a show, but there is a lot of BS going on. Wasn't there a

psuedo-scandal a few years back when it was revealed the gov't was basically paying shows to include anti-drug messages in their plotlines?

Also, what's up with the "you people" and "stupid comments" comments? I know why I read this site, but what's your agenda? Thanks!

[Edgewater_Joe]

54. You're All Taking This A Little Too Seriously

I know I've had friends question whether Thompson's character would ever survive in NYC, but let's face it: in a city where Rudy and Bloomberg have been the last two mayors, it just makes sense to have a right-tilting guy on there. Maybe Thompson's country bumpkin act is a bit much, but in a lot of the episodes you mention I thought Thompson was a good foil for the latent '60s lefty that Waterston's character clearly is.

And ... come ON! Elizabeth Rohm SUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED! Easily the most plastic, least convincing of all the D.A.s on the show (although, okay, I'm still nursing a huge crush on Jill Hennesey); the lesbian line was either a twist in the knife or something the writers will revisit later in the season.

I just wonder how they'll address Jerry Orbach/Lenny Bristoe's character on the show. That was really unexpected.

P.S.: Ms. Rohm is not a lesbian. She's engaged to Food Network regular Bobby Flay.

[knight_of_the_star]

68. I'll have to agree on that

I liked Jamie Ross (don't know the actor, so please forgive me) MUCH better than Serena. Ross was hard as nails, tough, and gave it back to McCoy as well as he dished it out sometimes and would make him stop and think more often then not. Don't get me wrong, I love how Sam Waterston plays his character and how McCoy is as a character, but I think some of the best episodes were the ones with Ross because he had someone who was a good foil for him.

[OneTwentyoNine]

57. Orbach dead and Farina in his spot along with Thompson at the top...

Goodbye Law & Order. Bet it'll be cancelled before to long. I like to watch the re-runs,the new shows SUCK!!

[GoldenOldie]

59. Thompson the ultimate actor/politician????

It is hard to listen to Fred either as an actor or a politician. He speaks in a slow, monotone that leaves the listener staring at the screen in an hynotic stupor. It is hard to take him seriously in either role. In other words, he stinks as an actor and a politician.

[lectrobyte]

62. Don't misunderestimate them. After all, Reagan wasn't exactly

Olivier on the screen, and don't even get me started on Ahnuld.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

65. Hated it when Jerry Orbach

left the show. Hadn't been paying much attention, so didn't know he was sick. And Farina - can't stand him - he looks, what? - dirty? Like Jesse L. Martin alot and Merkerson as the LT. And Thompson - please just take it somewhere else.

[Love Bug]

63. Don't know how much influence Thompson has on the writers

But L&O just isn't what it used to be. I watch the reruns and SVU now. And Vincent D'Onofrio -- don't get me started. I can't stand to watch all of his twitching and quirky actions. If I were the female who works opposite him (can't think of her name) I'd kick his ass because he pulls all of that scene-stealing twitchy crap every time she has a scene.