Law & Orderseason 24 is off to a rocky start, but itcould do several things to recapture audience attention after a dip in the ratings. NBC canceled the long-running police procedural after 20 seasons, but revived it a decade later as part of its plan to make ThursdayLaw & Ordernight. Some of thebestLaw & Orderepisodeshave been broadcast during its new run, although it suffered a significant setback when Sam Waterston left the series after playing Jack McCoy for over 400 episodes.
Law & Orderseason 24 was the first full season not to feature Waterston. Additionally, Lieutenant Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim) abruptly disappeared at the beginning of the season, leaving newcomer Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney) with big shoes to fill. The show’s fall finale left open the question ofwhether Tierney was leavingLaw & Orderas Brady found herself in the hot seat after admitting to police corruption when at her previous precinct. These cast changes, along with other factors, are contributing to the long-running procedural being 16% down in its ratings from season 23 (viaTVLine).
8Give Nolan Price Better Stories
Poor Writing Is Making Him Unlikable
Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) is one of the least popular district attorneys inLaw & Orderhistory. This is unfortunate becauseDancy is a phenomenal actor who could make the character unforgettable if given the right material.Law & Orderhas improved on his character since his introduction in season 21, but has not given him enough chances to be anything other than a generic district attorney. In many episodes, his function has been to insist he can win an unwinnable case and then somehow manage to pull it off despite a less-than-impressive performance in court.
Jack McCoy’s 10 Best Moments In Law & Order
District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) has many memorable moments over the course of more than 400 episodes in his Law & Order career.
Law & Orderhas taken steps to rectify this. In season 23, Price had a compelling story in which he became a witness to a violent crime rather than an impartial district attorney. Giving him more emotional storylines rather than having him be a one-note character who just wants to win cases would help make him more interesting. Additionally, season 24 has allowed him to lose sometimes, andmaking the outcome of cases more ambiguous would make the show more suspenseful.
7Make Law & Order Equal Parts Cop and Lawyer Drama Again
The Cop Half Of The Show Often Seems Rushed
Law & Order’s appeal is in its premise of being both a cop and legal procedural. While most cop shows end when the week’s villain is arrested,Law & Orderexplores what happens afterward. However, in recent seasons, the double focus feels unbalanced. The legal procedural aspects are pitch perfect, with nuanced conflicts over how to proceed with the case, biased judges interfering with legal strategy, and lawyers tempted to take matters into their own hands. However,the cop aspect often feels rushed, as if the writers are eager to get to the part of the show they enjoy writing.
WhileLaw & Orderalways focused on social issues, current discussions between the cops about racism in policing and related issues often seems forced rather than natural.
WhileLaw & Orderwas always formulaic, its formula used to include a realistic depiction of police work. The current show tends to limit the cop portion to focusing on one suspect until that suspect is ruled out and moving onto someone else.Additionally, whileLaw & Orderalways focuses on social issues, current discussions between the cops about racism in policing and related issues often seem forced rather than natural.This problem could be corrected by writing more nuanced and realistic investigation scenes for Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) and Riley (Reid Scott).
6Tackle More Complex Storylines That Would Make Viewers Think
Make It Less Obvious What The Right Answer Is
One of the best things aboutLaw & Orderis its ability to expose flaws in the justice system. In its original run, there were many stories that explored this issue, with the most famous being season 6’s “Aftershock,” which focused on every character’s reaction to watching an execution. There were also more standard stories that brought up questions about what was fair or right in a given case.
Unfortunately, the current storylines lack some of the nuance that these older stories had. It’s often obvious from the dialogue and plot events which side of an issue the writers want the audience to take, and that makes the stories less interesting.A more evenhanded approach in which various viewpoints about a complex issue are treated fairlywould go a long way toward makingLaw & Orderas enjoyable as it used to be.
5Let Baxter And Brady Be Obstacles To Justice (Occasionally)
Brady and Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) are both strait-laced characters who care more about accomplishing their goals than what the people working for them think. However, Riley’s problems with Brady have mostly been personal — he was close to Dixon and resents her replacement — whileBaxter often butts heads with Price over trial strategy and has accused Price of hating him for replacing McCoy.
it would be more in line withLaw & Order’s brand for Baxter or Brady to occasionally interfere with their employees getting justice for victims in the way they want.
These workplace conflicts over having to deal with a new boss are relatable. However, it would be more in line withLaw & Order’s brand for Baxter or Brady to occasionally interfere with their employees getting justice for victims in the way they want. Baxter’s insistence on putting the big picture ahead of any individual case could lead to some especially potent conflicts of this nature, while Brady could disapprove of the cops doing anything that even slightly bends the rules. These types of conflicts could spark discussions about what is ethical when it comes to thorny criminal justice issues.
4Lean Into Baxter’s Willingness To Sacrifice A Win For The Bigger Picture
The More He Can Separate Himself From McCoy, The Better
WhenSam Waterston leftLaw & Order, he left a tall order for whoever followed him, as he was a fan-favorite character who had been part of the series since season 5.Baxter initially came in with the promise that he would be a different type of district attorney than McCoyand that his focus was on delivering justice to all New York City residents, However, he hasn’t had many opportunities to demonstrate this yet, and often focuses on winning as much as McCoy did.
Law & Order Season 24, Episode 7 Case Makes Baxter A Hypocrite
Baxter’s decision in Law & Order season 24, episode 7 exposed the hypocrisy in his claim that he makes unpopular decisions in the name of justice.
Baxter’s season 23 finale story was interesting, as he alienated his wife by insisting on continuing to run for district attorney despite an assassination attempt and then encouraged their daughter to testify.Law & Orderneeds more compelling stories like this for him. Additionally, since Baxter was pitched as more of a big-picture thinker who would gladly sacrifice a win to make the city more just in the long run,he should get more stories in which he has to make difficult decisionsthat might disappoint the people involved in the current case.
3Bring In More Familiar Faces
Crossovers and Throwbacks To The Past Are Always Exciting
Law & Orderseason 24, episode 2 featured a crossover appearance fromLaw & Order: SVU’s Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), who butted heads with the cops and made an enemy out of Nolan Price when she chose to leak to the press that he was prioritizing his murder case over her rape case.This episode featured everything that madeLaw & Ordera high-quality show in its early years:a compelling conflict, two sides that weren’t completely right or wrong, and characters the audience cares about.
Waterston’s exit means that there are no characters from the original series left, which unfortunately means that that part of the audience that watches for the nostalgia factor will lose interest.
Hargitay’s guest appearance underscores the fact that regaining viewers is more helpful when there are familiar characters involved in a story. Waterston’s exit means that there are no characters from the original series left, which unfortunately means that that part of the audience that watches for the nostalgia factor will lose interest. Thus, having cameos from pastLaw & Ordercharacters or crossovers with other currentLaw & Ordershows may draw this part of the audience back in.
2Continue Ripping From The Headlines, But Don’t Make It Obvious Who Cases Are Based On
Retelling Current Events Only Divides The Audience
Law & Ordercreated the trend of ripped-from-the-headlines cases, and with good reason. There are plenty of real-life cases that are stranger than fiction and which the procedural can use to offer its own take on the strengths and weaknesses of the legal system. However, it’s important not to be too on-the-nose. If a case is too recognizable, it risks alienating that part of the audience that doesn’t agree with the writers' opinion about it. Additionally,making the source material too obvious can come across as sensationalizing or glamorizing an incident that caused real-life victims deep pain.
It would makeLaw & Ordera more compelling show if it based episodes on several real-life cases at a time rather than fictionalizing cases in an obvious manner.
These issues weren’t as prevalent whenLaw & Orderpremiered in 1990 because it was before the digital revolution. Nowadays, people can easily learn everything they want or need to know via the Internet or social media and are more likely to recognize cases taken from the news. Thus, it would makeLaw & Ordera more compelling show if it based episodes on several real-life cases at a time rather than fictionalizing cases in an obvious manner.
1Keep Cold Opens As Short As Possible
The Opening Scene Shouldn’t Give The Whole Story Away
The most important thingLaw & Ordercould change is its cold opens — the sequence before the opening credits. The 1990s version of the show had perfected this part of the formula. Every episode opened with a short scene in which someone found a dead body, followed by the police arriving before the credits rolled. Unfortunately, the newer episodes have expanded on this formula when it was stronger the way it was.
Jerry Obrach’s character, Lennie Briscoe, was famous for making sardonic quips upon arrival at the scene.
The newer episodes ofLaw & Orderinstead provide a longer cold open in which the victim’s last moments are depicted in detail before the cops arrive at the scene of the victim’s murder. This formula is intended to give context to the murder, but unfortunately, it gives away too much about why the person was killed. Additionally, long cold opens feature unfamiliar characters for the first five to 10 minutes of the episode, which makes it harder to maintain interest than if the episode moved quickly to the cops arriving on the scene.
Law & Order
Cast
Law & Order is a procedural crime drama series that premiered in 1990, featuring New York City police detectives and prosecutors as they investigate and prosecute serious crimes. The show is known for its two-part approach, dividing between the crime-solving efforts of the detectives and the legal proceedings in court.
