A show of hands here, please? Who thought that we would be talking about the 17th season premiere of NBC's Law & Order when the show first premiered back in September of 1990? Just as I thought . . . not that many hands. Yet, here we are, about to talk about the season premiere of the longest running crime series and the second longest-running drama series in the history of American broadcast television.
Granted, no one remains from the original L&O cast, but that really isn't what brings back viewers week after week. It's the uniqueness of the show that grabs them. It's a style that no other show has successfully duplicated. Even its siblings Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent have gone a different route in the way crimes are shown being investigated. That's why the original remains popular to this day.
So, with kudos out of the way, let's talk a bit about what you can look forward to in the season premiere. Be warned, slight SPOILERS ahead after the jump.
Law & Order wouldn't be Law & Order without the revolving door of cast changes that has defined it over the last 16 years. This season is no exception, as two new characters are introduced. The first is Detective Nina Gafney, played by Milena Govich, who replaces Dennis Farina's Detective Joe Fontana.
Unlike previous detectives that have graced the 27th precinct in the past, Govich is quite green in her new role as homicide detective. This makes Detective Eddie Green (Jesse L. Martin) the senior partner (which is also represented in the credits as well). I may be wrong, but this is the first time that I can remember in the history of L&O, that the junior partner actually gets a promotion of sorts. Heck, Chris Noth's Detective Mike Logan went through three partners in the time he was on the show and he never got bumped up (although, he's now the senior detective on Criminal Intent).
Anyway, back to Govich. Not only is she green, but she's famous. By being in the right place at the right time she was able to stop a horrendous crime that was about to occur at a beauty salon. This fame, lack of experience, and a temper that she makes public through her first investigation, makes Lieutenant Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) a little edgy about assigning her as Detective Green's partner. But, as Govich states at one point when the Lieutenant asks her to stay behind, homicide is her learning ground, and she needs to be out there in order to earn her stripes.
The second character to be introduced is ADA Connie Rubirosa, who is played by Alana De La Garza. She replaces Annie Parisse's character of ADA Alexandra Borgia, who left after two seasons. I don't have a read on this character yet, as she really doesn't do too much in the season premiere. As in most cases, ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson) handles most of the talking during the legal part of the investigation. She'll probably need a few weeks to get warmed up to the role before we see something unique from her character.
There is one more change this season, and it's a big one. After being on Wednesday nights at 10:00 PM for what seems like the dawn of television, Law & Order is shunted off to Friday nights at the same time in order to air the new serial drama Kidnapped. Now, the network tried this last year, moving L&O up one hour in order to make room for the short-lived series Heist. However, there was a bit of an uproar from fans, as well as from creator Dick Wolf. Eventually, the show was returned to its old time-slot. With a whole summer to get used to the time change, I wonder if there will be the same anger. I'm guessing that the show will return to its old time slot if Kidnapped performs horribly in the ratings.
Finally, a quick synopsis of the case for the 17th season premiere. While not exactly 'ripped from the headlines' it does focus on a cop killing allegedly committed by a famous white rapper who bears a remarkable resemblance to diva Kevin Federline. Also under investigation is his soon to be ex-wife who has apparently been dropping her baby and leaving the infant in the car while getting a cup of coffee from the Starbucks. Hmm, sounds like a certain singer with the last name of Spears that we know and love.
The season premiere (episode 372) of Law & Order airs this Friday at 10:00 pm.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-18-2006 @ 9:44AM
Toby OB said...
'Kidnapped' will be up against 'The Nine' which should benefit more from its lead-in 'Lost' than 'Invasion' did last season.
This is why I'm leaning toward 'Kidnapped' as the first casualty of the dramas this season. And as such, we'll probably see 'Law & Order' return to its old haunts.
If it doesn't, I don't think I'll be sticking with it once 'Monk' and 'Psych' come back.....
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9-18-2006 @ 1:23PM
Gordy said...
I hope it does return to Wednesdays. Friday at 10 is the proverbial ICU in TV land...L&O will not be long for this world after a season at that time slot. Law & Order: Trial By Jury comes to mind.
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9-18-2006 @ 4:09PM
DaveTehWave said...
To me it's the 'Dink-Dink' sound effect @ the end of the opening and the title frames that get me on this show ;)
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9-18-2006 @ 8:40PM
Lucy said...
If you watch the video clip of the beginning of the episode on NBC.com, Govich plays Detective Nina Cassidy, not Gafney. Both names, coincidentally, have been used in a previous L and O spinoff (Det. Brian Cassidy of the first season of SVU and ADA Kelly Gaffney on the short-lived TBJ)
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9-20-2006 @ 4:00AM
Steve Markus said...
I have a difficult time when there is a severe lack of continuity. Did you notice everyone was wearing coats, heavy coats in NYC. The date was Sept 5 when they got started. It was obviously filmed in the early spring, when temps might have been in the 40s. Why didn't they just give the sequences a believable date?
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9-23-2006 @ 12:00AM
Kelly Landriff said...
This Govich person who plays Detective Nina Cassidy is I would hope has a one or two episode stint. She is a terrible actress and I could not stand any seen with her ugly mug in it. Ugh. Seriously!
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9-23-2006 @ 12:03AM
Jessica Curtis said...
The new detective on the show was horrific. Just awful. Please get rid of her ASAP. Did Jessie L Martin deserve this? Why did he have to be paired with such an ugly, talentless beast? Not fair! And this makes for very bad television. Check your calendar, tonight Law and Order jumped the shark and everyone is saying so!
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9-23-2006 @ 12:08AM
Marge Ingersol said...
I tuned in tonight to watch my favorite show and see that Fontana is gone and in his place, there is some untalented trainwreck. Can you please write in to the script that Epatha is cleaning her gun and it goes off and the stupid new female detective is accidentally shot? She doesn't have to suffer. She just needs to get gone. How can you have a talent like Sciorra join SVU and then bring this joke on to the one and only ORIGINAL Law & Order. It's like you ruined it on purpose. Someone should be fired for the bad decisions that lead to hiring this chick and for the person who wrote the ridiculous role. It sounds too stupid to digest already. Please get rid of her. xoxoxox
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9-23-2006 @ 7:29AM
Susan J said...
It would be great if they could ditch the new detective - no talent and a ridiculous premise. How about bringing back Benjamin Bratt - the story line could continue that his wife has passed away from complications of MS and the kids are old enough that he doesn't need to be at home.
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9-23-2006 @ 12:37PM
daverr said...
This Milena Govich is a flop, did anyone notice that when the witness came back with the mag. with the pitcher of the perp. on the cover that she took the mag. and started thuming thru it.
What was she looking for?
She'll f-up each week and now we can play the fun
"what f-up this week"
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9-23-2006 @ 4:11PM
Tony Man said...
The new chick is fine! Wow I have a hard time paying attention to the plot with her bouncing around in those tight shirts.
She doesn't do justice to the role, but hey, she's nice to look at! I don't see a lady detective in real life walking around with a tight shirt with the top 3 buttons undone and clevage hanging out.
But hey, It's TV!
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9-24-2006 @ 11:02PM
Biff Romoray said...
Milena Govich is a flop and if she doesn't get off the show, I am boycotting the show. This Milena Govich is a punishment and a slap in the face to the only black detective. Bring Ice T over and pair him up with Jessie. This girl has to go. As for the tight t-shirts, did anyone notice, how when she was standing in the doorway, she arched her back and stuck her t*ts out? She is absolutely unnatural and couldn't act her way out of a vaginal odor commercial.
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9-24-2006 @ 11:04PM
Joan P. said...
The new detective is not fine.
She it total buzzkill.
I am an actress. I could not make it as an actress they say I did not have enough talent. So I switched to porn. Then stripping. Then porn. All the while trying. Now I am a nanny in New York. My point is I have more talent and look way better than that freak. And I don't have to pose and force my chest to stick out. It sticks out nice and good.
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9-26-2006 @ 2:32PM
elaine said...
The new actress teamed up with Jesse Martin is horrible and it is an unbelievable concept. Bring back Benjamin Bratt or resurect one of the NYPD Blue detectives. I can picture a Sipowicz or John Clark teaming up with him. Or bring back Michelle Hurd from SVU. Or Barry Van Dyke from Diagnosis Murder. Anyone but Milena. But if she stays on the show--I still have the "original" on TNT.
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9-27-2006 @ 2:08PM
Anna Mandl said...
Very disappointed by the absence of Detective Fontana.
He was one of the attractions of the show. I also loved Jerry Orbach when he played the role, and was sorry he had to be replaced. But, I learned to love Fontana and am sorry to see him go. Without him, I will probably no longer be a fan, which I have been since the beginning of this series.
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10-28-2006 @ 9:51PM
Carey said...
I have been a Law & Order (the original series) fan/geek for 16 seasons -- and always looked forward to tuning in each week to watch my favorite crime/procedural show. Season 17 is turning out to be a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT, primarily due to the casting of the female detective partner (to Green) and the new ADA. Neither of these women can act (sorry), but they are both painful to watch -- in fact so painful that I am NO LONGER TUNING in!!!!! I certainly hope that Dick Wolfe listens to his fan base and replaces these two actresses -- they are ruining what was once a terrific show!!!!
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10-31-2006 @ 3:22AM
debbie said...
Please get rid of the new detective. What in the heck was Dick Wolf thinking??? I have given it a few episodes and it just gets more painful. I am tuning out until next year and hopefully she will be gone by then. UGH!!!!
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11-01-2006 @ 8:49AM
Betty said...
I concur with the majority of comments already made.
I believe the move to Friday night will see the ratings drop so much this fine program will be cancelled -- but not due to JUST the schedule change.
The Ed Green character NEEDS a hard bitten detective like Joe Fontana. Was Dennis Farina fired? If so, that was a huge mistake. Though I will never forget Lenny, Farina was very believable and I grew fond of him and his character.
This new actress, Milena Govich, is simply a very poor actress. To add insult to injury there is 'no magic' between her and her character and to Jesse Martin as a person or to his character. They do not connect at all - not the actors and not the characters.
The new ADA is bad casting, too.
Actually, as of last Friday I won't even be watching the show again - it is that bad. And I have been a faithful viewer through all the cast changes for the past 16 years.
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11-11-2006 @ 3:00AM
SW said...
I hope the powers that be are listening to their fans here...Milena Govich is not right for this part. Det. Greene needs to have a female partner with whom there is a connection! (Think Olivia and Elliot) This role nedds to be recast ASAP or you are going to lose alot of your loyal viewers. I have yet to get someone who thinks she is good. As for the time slot--MOVE IT BACK! Friday nights will be the kiss of death for this show..how about moving it to Monday nights after HEROES? Replace Govich first, though.
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11-27-2006 @ 6:20PM
Ivan Toufahrtou said...
Wow. These comment are a resounding thumbs-down, Com'on Mr. Wolf, Save Our Ship !!!
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