Mariska Hargitay Will Be Back For SVU Season 15

Great news! Mariska Hargitay announced via Twitter that she will be back for season 15 of Law & Order SVU. Here’s the tweet:

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Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Recap & Review

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” ended season 14 by leaving viewers hanging, wondering exactly what was in store for Detective Olivia Benson. The day started innocently enough, with all the members of SVU squad enjoying a relaxing day off in various ways. But Detective Amanda Rollins quickly ends their fun by pulling in the whole team to handle a flasher in the park, as she has a feeling there is more to the story. She was right.  They uncover one of the most “especially heinous” sexual predators in their recent history, and, as the episode ends, this same man is in Benson’s apartment holding a gun to her head. It’s a fine episode and makes a great end to the season, leaving fans guessing whether their beloved Olivia Benson will survive the ordeal – and whether Mariska Hargitay will return for season 15 to finish the story arc. My money is on Benson/Hargitay  making a return and if so,  I suspect that things will not be quite the same for Benson, or for those close to her.

The creep of the week – played convincingly by Pablo Schreiber – managed to avoid prosecution for previous crimes based on a litany of errors. It was a drama filled episode and the intensity level was high. At times, though, it was hard to believe that one man could benefit from so many mistakes by law enforcement. Sometimes I wonder how real police, detectives, and lawyers feel when they see a fictional story such as this; do they encounter such repeated incompetence in real life?

There were a few situations that were just a little too convenient. Example 1: Rollins just happening to be in the park when a sexual predator runs by, and those girls yelling (what seemed like) to Rollins to stop him. Example 2: Fin and Rollins apparently not having to stake out the store for too long before Lewis arrives. Example 3: Cragen telling Benson to take two days off and if she comes to work during that time he will arrest her. If fans didn’t already know that somewhere in this episode Benson would be put in danger in her own home, this made it very clear that no one would be alarmed if she dropped off the face of the SVU earth for a few days. The only wild card is Cassidy. Does Benson’s bad mood toward the end of the episode signal there is trouble in paradise and would Cassidy also not be dropping in on her for a few days as well? One can only hope he will stop by and save the day. (Even better, let's have Stabler make a surprise visit. OK, I know I shouldn't have suggested that.)

While we’re on the subject of Benson at her apartment, I also took issue with Benson’s handling of hearing an odd noise. Instead of just calling out “Hello?” why didn’t she call out “Bri” thinking it was Cassidy? When there was no response to her hello, why didn’t she pull out her gun before she made a move? (I assume she always has her gun with her.) Benson’s detective senses seemed off here.

I was also perplexed at the references to Alice, the 60 year old woman, as being “elegant” and “cultured.” Those descriptive terms seemed…awkward. Does that make her any more credible as a witness or any more of a victim?

Raúl Esparza’s ADA Rafael Barba is probably the most colorful ADA in SVU history, not because of his snappy wardrobe, but for his lively, energetic exchanges with the SVU team and with his opponents in court. (Speaking of wardrobe, please give the wardrobe staff a round of applause for selecting such a spiffy yachting outfit.) Barba did have, in my opinion, the line of the episode when he said “Look, this case was a dog from the start…it just got fleas.”  That line was even more amusing to me when considering Rollins started the apprehension of the perp by sending her own dog off to catch him. By the way, in the category of “life is not fair,” I take exception that a dog gets to have a role on SVU before I do – and a speaking role at that (wink).  The dog gets a 5 biscuit out of 5 acting rating.  (In fact, everyone in this episode did a wonderful job - treats for everyone!)

If I had a crystal ball, I would say that I see a drug dependency problem for Rollins down the road. I know she took what seemed like only one pain pill while on the stakeout but we all know how taking pain meds usually goes for TV characters.

This episode should give  fans plenty to talk about before season 15 begins. I know there are some fans out there who are simply rabid with worry about Benson/Mariska returning for another season, and I feel I should remind everyone that this is just a TV show and fans should keep this in perspective. I recall years ago when Star Trek’s William Shatner told fans to “get a life,” and while I won’t tell SVU fans to do exactly that, I feel I should reinforce that there are many more important things in life than television. The stars of SVU and the producers of the show will make the best decisions possible based on their own needs. It doesn’t pay to fret endlessly over what will happen down the road. Just like the characters in the beginning of “Her Negotiation,”  one has to keep one's life and priorities in balance,  and have some fun sometimes. So everyone take a chill pill and enjoy the SVU summer reruns!

Here is the recap:


Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro

Guest stars:
Dean Winters – Brian Cassidy
Tamara Tunie – Dr. Melinda Warner
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Pablo Schreiber – William Lewis
Lauren Ambrose – Counselor Vanessa Mayer
Judith Ivey – Alice Parker
Andrea Navedo – Cynthia Mancheno
Michael Mastro – Judge Serani
Robin de Jesus – Jose Silva
Ami Brabson – Judge Karen Blake
Lucy Martin – Bitsy Rabler
Tyler Bunch – Bert Swanson
Logan Rose Nelms - Astrid
Katja Gerz – Tilde
Syphen Gradbury – Judge McNamera
Alison Fernandez – Zara Amaro
Jaden Matthew Rodriguez – Gil Macheno
Harry Chambarry – Doctor
Angel Rosa – Uni
Frannie The Dog – The Dog


Alice Parker is in Central Park taking pictures. Benson is at home and asks “Bri” (Cassidy) if he wants to go to an exhibit at the Plein Air Painters at the Whitney, and suggests they head uptown and grab some brunch. He asks if she is talking to him, and Benson replies she will take that as a no, saying it’s another Sunday watching rollerbladers in the park and she thought they might change it up, and as he kisses her, he says they will – next Sunday.

Meanwhile, a man is in the kitchen of a halfway house and he taunts another man, Jose, who works there, first causing Jose to almost scald his hands on hot water, and Jose complains the water is too hot, asking if it doesn’t bother him. Then, the man says that is not hot, and turns up the heat on the burners and places his fingertips on the cooking surface, saying this is hot, and that it is mind over matter as his fingers burn. He laughs and pulls his fingers away, asking Jose to smell his fingertips and the burned flesh. When Jose complains that the other guy is leaving because they have to finish kitchen cleanup, he pulls Jose over to the hot cooking surface and slams Jose’s hand down on it, Jose screaming as his hand burns. The guy tells Jose that he can’t leave, unless he has a problem with that. He takes Jose’ hand off the hot surface and then leaves.

Elsewhere, Fin meets up with Cragen to take Munch’s place at a ball game, saying Munch’s date went a little over last night.

Amaro is in the park playing catch with his daughter Zara and son Gil, and Gil’s mother Cynthia. He hits a ball too far for Zara to catch and two young woman walk by, one of them catching it and throwing it to Zara, who is thrilled she “catched” the ball. When Amaro corrects her to “caught”, Cynthia encourages Amaro to let her be.

Rollins is also in the park playing with her dog. As a man – the same creepy guy in the halfway house - runs out of the trees, the same two women that walked past Zara run out, one of them yelling to stop that man. She tells her dog to go get him as she calls out that she is police. The dog chases after him and rounds a corner. Rollins catches up and finds the man sitting on some steps, petting the dog as the dog licks his face. Rollins shows her badge and tells her dog to come. He asks if there is a problem.

At SVU, Rollins has a uni take the man to holding as she brings the 2 women into the interview room and puts another woman – the woman taking pictures in the park – in Cragen’s office. The man claims it is a misunderstanding. The girls, Astrid and Tilde, ask about how long they may have to be there, but the older woman, Miss Parker, encourages the girls to tell the police what happened so the man can be prosecuted. The uni tells Rollins they may have a problem.

The man is in the holding cell and shows Rollins his burned fingertips, and she asks if he burned off his fingerprints. He insists it was an accident, he did it on a hot griddle. He also has no ID on him, he left it at the halfway house. She asks that he has nobody who can verify who he says he is, and he explains that he rides alone. She looks at him suspiciously and as she walks off, he asks how about if they call this disorderly conduct and everybody goes home. She looks back at him and then walks off.

Later, Benson and Amaro arrive at the precinct and Benson asks if Rollins does know it’s the weekend. Amaro asks if she tied Cassidy to a no parking sign, saying he could come in. Benson explains she thinks he is happy, she left him at a sports bar watching the Mets game with Matt Harvey working on a perfect game. Cragen and Fin get out of a cab and Fin comments to Benson and Amaro that Rollins called them in too, adding the Rollins is out of control. Amaro reminds Fin that Rollins is his partner and Cragen sarcastically says it is OK, they were just 6 innings into a perfect game. Benson says it is 8, and Cragen replies “even better.”

In the squad room, Rollins explains she called them in because the perp – William Lewis, IF that is his real name – has no ID, is unemployed, and says he works in a halfway house in Brooklyn. Benson asks that he has a record, and Rollins says he should but she can’t find anything because he just burned off his fingerprints. When Amaro questions that he burned off his prints and then just went into the park to flash, Rollins thinks he was just getting started. Rollins thinks he would have assaulted the girls had her dog, who is now laying on the squad room floor, cornered him. Cragen asks who that is in his office, and Rollins explains it is Alice Parker, who caught Lewis on camera and she says she has seen him there before. When Rollins wants them to start questioning them right now and she wants to take the perp, Cragen tells her to slow down. She says he has a feeling about this guy, and Cragen replies that he gets that. He tells Benson and Amaro to do it to get fresh eyes, and instructs Rollins and Fin to talk to the girls. Cragen says he will take Alice as she is in his office.

Cragen speaks with Alice who explains she’s watched Lewis before and he is as much a predator as any animal in the park and she knew something like this would happen. She heard the girls scream and he had his privates out. She heard the girls scream and she took a picture before he took off. She shows Cragen the photo. She also heard what he said and when she is not comfortable in telling Cragen he gives her a pen and paper and asks her to write it down.

Meanwhile, Benson and Amaro are in interrogation with Lewis who thinks the old lady has a problem with him but has no idea why. He says he runs along the pond and is always running past her, wondering if he ran into one of her photos. Amaro asks if he ran through the photo with his fly open, and reminds Lewis there are kids in the park. Lewis thinks this is a misunderstanding. He was out running, and he got chafed so he stopped to make an adjustment. Amaro asks if he’s tried powder, adding that the girls says he approached them, exposed himself, and made sexually suggestive comments. Lewis asks if they even speak English, adding they are young and from Finland and thinks this is bad timing, suggesting he apologize to them and they all go home. Benson asks if he always goes running in jeans and work boots, and Lewis says he is between jobs and he does not have a lot of money to spend on running gear. He tells Benson he does not think he deserves this kind of attitude, and she smirks and gets up and turns away.

Rollins and Fin are observing and Cragen walks in. Rollins explains the halfway house, Brooklyn Beginnings, is a shady operation, They faxed her his New York State ID, and Fin says he has been there 3 months and they said he come from an in-patient addiction facility on Long Island. Cragen asks where he was before that.

Back in interrogation, Benson comments that Lewis is staying in a halfway house, and he says he is trying to turn things around, having a problem with pills after a work accident. His record was clean and the judge said if he did rehab and went to the halfway house the charges would be expunged. Lewis says he feels awful about what the girls think happened, but Benson is skeptical, saying Lewis is just worried it will screw up his parole. Lewis says this is his point, why would he risk his recovery just to spook some tourists and his mother raised him to respect women. Amaro asks about his fingers, and Lewis says they hurt from KP duty and it was a hot stove. Benson comments that with his fingers burned like that, they are having a rough time checking his prints, so she asks if he minds telling them where he is from. He states he is from all over – Texas, Florida, Delaware – a military family, but he has been in New York for the last couple years. Amaro asks if before the halfway house he lived alone or with roommates. Lewis says it was with a girlfriend, but they did not part on the best terms. Benson questions how exactly did they part, and he replies that he’s not getting a real sense of benefit of the doubt here. He asks if he is entitled to an attorney if he asks for one, and Amaro looks at Benson who clicks her pen and then, with a thin smile, drops her hand to the table.

Benson and Amaro exit the room where Cragen, Rollins, and Fin are still watching from the hall. Benson comments the guy is a piece of work, and Amaro tells Rollins it was a good call. ADA Barba walks in, wearing some snappy boating attire, and he asks Rollins where is the fire. Benson asks is Barba was on his yacht, and he says not on HIS yacht. Cragen explains the situation about Lewis. Barba smirks, asking if they called him in for a class B misdemeanor because she wanted to use up all her favors in one fell swoop.

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Sneak Peeks – Season Finale

Here are sneak peeks from the season 14 finale of Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The previews feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest stars Raúl Esparza,  Lauren Ambrose, and Pablo Schreiber.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Her Negotiation" can be found at this link.


Please note: These preview clips have a limited life and may be removed at any time, so catch them while you can!












Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Promo – Season Finale

Here is the promo for the season 14 finale of Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Her Negotiation" can be found at this link.






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Cast Interviews & Behind The Scenes Videos (Season 14 Finale)

Here are cast interviews and a behind the scenes video for the season 14 finale of Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The cast interviews feature Dann Florek, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish (with her dog), and guest stars Raúl Esparza and Pablo Schreiber. (Mariska Hargitay appears in the behind the scenes video.)   Enjoy!


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Her Negotiation" can be found at this link.





















Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Brief Interlude” Recap & Review

This episode was clearly mis-titled. It should have been called "Law & Order SVU: Struck Comatose."  It wasn’t only Ariel Randolph who was rendered comatose in “Brief Interlude.” I suspect most viewers dropped into a coma-like stupor after watching the banal plot and tepid acting. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this episode was written by a computer script generator. There were too many times that the characters stated the obvious, the writing seemingly dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. One case in point was the scene where the CSU guy goes though an explanation of the tides and the route the boat took, and then Benson asks him, “Who dumped her in the rowboat?” I can’t imaging Benson really asking such a dumb question (which did not seem rhetorical). Most of Cragen's dialog has been reduced to stating the obvious and talking to the detectives as if they don't know how to do the basics in an investigation. And, when Benson found she was connecting to Ariel’s kids via the web chat, why did she introduce herself to the kids as a detective? It seemed odd – especially for someone who deals with special victims - that she would do so and risk alarming the children. I would have said I was a friend of their mother’s and that I needed to speak with their dad.

In real life, crimes can happen to people by people that are total strangers. The problem with this episode is that viewers had to traipse through a whole host of people who interacted with Ariel in some way before her death but who ultimately had nothing to do with it. It was a tedious process and a chore to watch. I had a bad feeling during the intro where a few minutes were spent in the club and some of the suspects were introduced to viewers. It’s a style of open that I have never liked for SVU; I prefer a mystery and felt the episode would have been far more interesting and suspenseful if it opened with the detectives in the park and allow viewers to learn along with detectives how this woman interacted with others before her death.

For Ariel, it wasn’t simply her giving the wrong man a half of a sandwich. She made several wrong decisions and as a result, she ended up dead, but not at the hands of acquaintances. She met up with the wrong people, took drugs, left the club alone, got into a car with a man that she didn’t know as well as she thought, and then decided to go off by herself. Were viewers supposed to come away with a message like “don’t go to New York alone” or “Don’t interact with strangers?” Usually I come away with something after watching SVU but in this case, I came up with nothing – except a lost hour.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro

Guest stars:
Tamara Tunie - Dr. Melinda Warner
Richard Thomas – Nat Randolph
Kerry Butler – Ariel Randolph
Russell Saylor – Charley Landry
Nick Mills – Phil Desapio
Max Baker – Colin Bennett
Bridget Barkan – Hooker
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick – Wayne Randolph
Rhys Coiro – Santiago
Danielle Lieberman - Maureen Walsh
Christopher Sears – Todd Harper
Waymon Arnette – Jasper Barron
Ranjit Chowdhry – Hotel Manager
Julian Rozzell – Jerry
Tracy Westmoreland - Slick
Jesse Coleman – Grant Randolph



Ariel Randolph parties at a music club, and, in the ladies room, accepts a drug from another woman who kisses her on the cheek. Back on the floor, she kisses one of the band members and dances with him and another woman who kisses her on the neck. She gets uncomfortable and walks out of the club, alone.

The next day, a woman with a stroller out on a jog sees two men standing over an unconscious woman laying in a rowboat on the stream. One of them tells her it is not a good day as the other goes through the unconscious woman’s things. They run off and the jogger calls the police.

Later, as the unconscious woman is being loaded into an ambulance, Benson arrives on the scene who tells her it is a female Jane Doe who is non-responsive but alive. There was blunt force trauma, bite marks, and bruises on her thighs and scrapes on her knees. There is no phone or wallet or jewelry and a jogger found her in a rowboat. Benson asks if people row on Gracie Mansion. There are no boat rentals. Benson says they have no way of knowing who she was or where she floated in from.

Later, Cragen, also on the scene, speaks with Benson and Amaro who recaps what they know. Amaro explains there were two male teens, one black and one white, hovering over her body and they ran as she approached. Meanwhile, Rollins and Fin speak with the jogger. Benson, Amaro, and Cragen continue to assess the scene. Fin and Rollins press the jogger for details and find out that she was there to buy Adderall from one of the boys, Jasper, who has a scrip for the drug. She says she has to go as she has a baby yoga class, but Fin tells her not today.

Meanwhile, Cragen comments there is no way to ID the woman and Amaro thinks with the way she was dressed she could be a working girl. Benson tells him he needs to get out more, everyone dresses like that now. Cragen tells Benson to go to the hospital in case the woman regains consciousness and Amaro says he will check the databases and missing persons. Cragen says he will tell One PP that the investigation I proceeding but they have to answer just a few questions: who, what, when, where, and why.

At Bellevue Hospital, while the woman lay in intensive care, Amaro tells Benson that the Jane Doe is not in the system and no one is reported missing. Benson says ME Warner thinks the woman was likely sexually assaulted and is collecting samples now; when a half naked woman washes up in the Mayor’s back yard, everybody jumps. Warner explains the woman’s injuries and that she had Ecstasy in her system. Warner says the woman had stainless steel stitching from a hernia, uncommon in this country. Amaro wonders if her prints are in ICE. Warner says the woman had at least two children and urges she find them fast, this could turn into a homicide.

Back at SVU, Amaro explains to Cragen ICE has no info on prints yet. Benson says there is no info on the boat. Cragen asks what harbor and aviation know and Rollins says if SVU can tell them when,  they can tell them where, and if they know where they can tell them when. When Cragen quips that is not as helpful as he would like, Warner says it would be more helpful if she were dead, and she explains that with rigor they could backtrack the time of death, Benson says she is glad they don’t have that. Cragen reminds them it has been 8 hours and they have nothing, and Rollins says it is almost three and schools are about to let out. When she makes a move to leave, Cragen stops her and asks about her “wing” but she insists she is good to go.

Back in the park, Fin and Rollins conduct a “sting” with Rollins dressing as a mom with a baby carriage who got a referral from a woman at a baby yoga class. She approaches Jasper and his friend and when she gets Jasper to agree to sell her drugs, she shows she is a cop. While Rollins arrests Jasper, the other kid runs off but Fin catches up with him and arrests him.

Back at SVU, Rollins and Fin question Todd who puts it all on Jasper. Meanwhile, Benson and Amaro question Jasper who puts it all on Todd. They detectives go back and forth with the suspects who deny raping the woman. Jasper says she had a hotel card.

Later, at the Times Square Motor Lodge, Benson and Amaro get the manger to open the door and also to give them the pass key for the  room safe. Benson also instructs him to give them the security footage and the record of all calls made to and from that room and her Wi-Fi use. They enter the room at it looks to be ransacked. Benson sees all kinds of new clothing and assumes the woman went on a shopping spree, and Amaro sees no money has been stolen. Amaro finds the woman’s Canadian passport in the safe – her name is Ariel Randolph who entered the country 4 days ago. Benson sees a power cord for a tablet and cell phone charger but no phone. Amaro thinks there is something that someone didn’t want others to see.

In another room in the hotel, Benson looks over the hotel Internet records and sees mp3 files which look like live music. Amaro, looking at surveillance videos, sees someone enter the room who is clearly dressed to mask his identity from the cameras. Benson clicks on a call going to the same video chat number twice a day and it connects to a young boy who wonders who is Benson and asks where is his mom. Another boy enters the picture and Benson asks to speak with their dad.

At SVU, Amaro recaps that Ariel Randolph, 32, from Edmonton, is a music blogger and podcast host. Her husband, Nat Randolph, is 55 and a local celebrity in western Canada and hosts a show called “Canadian Days and Nights.” Benson adds that they have two sons; Wayne, 12, and Grant, 10. The family barely caught their flight and are en route now. Cragen wonders what a married mother of two was doing on her own in New York City. Fin replies that she told her husband she was here to do podcasts on something, and asks Rollins what she called it. Rollins explains it was the Caravanserai World Music Festival. Rollins states she was not lying about that, she had dozens of mp3s of different bands, most of which played during the festival last week. Cragen wonders when the last time the family heard from her, and Benson advises that it was the morning before they found her; they kept in touch and video chatted twice a day. Amaro says she told others that night she was going to pack and edit her podcast and her husband seems to have no idea about her night life. At home, she teaches piano and runs a PTA craft fair. Cragen comments she would not be the first spouse to keep a part of her life secret. Benson wryly comments it doesn’t mean she was asking for it. Fin wonders if she was into something other than fiddles and accordions. Cragen instructs them to find out what or who, and start with whoever ransacked her room. Amaro says the hotel manager says Ariel took out two keys when she checked in and maybe she has a friend. Rollins says she has several calls to several different phone numbers on her cell phone. Cragen tells her to track them down; the family gets there in 6 hours and he would like to give them some answers.

At the residence of Phil Desapio, Benson and Amaro speak with Phil about the phone calls who says he was editing her podcast and he just met her a week ago at a gig. He says she spoke to her recently about the Tomorrowland Festival and Ariel said she would join them. He did not know where she was, and has an alibi for last night. He said Ariel seemed like a groupie in search of a group.

NBC SVU Upfront Videos With Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, Richard Belzer & Dann Florek

Here are videos from the red carpet of the 2013 NBC Upfront Presentation which was held Monday, May 13, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The videos feature Law & Order SVU’s Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Danny Pino, and Kelli Giddish.








Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” Preview Clips

Here are preview clips from Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” which will air on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The previews feature Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest star Richard Thomas.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Brief Interlude" can be found at this link.




Please note: These video clips are available for a limited time only and must be removed shortly after the episode originally airs, so please catch them while you can!









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

2013 NBC Upfront Photos

Here are photos from the red carpet of the 2013 NBC Upfront Presentation which was held May 13, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  The photos feature Law & Order SVU’s Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Danny Pino, Kellli Giddish, and Dick Wolf,  plus Law & Order LA’s Megan Boone (for “The Blacklist”).  (Blair Underwood, from the new series “Ironside," also appears in a photo with Richard.)

Photos by: Charles Sykes/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Photos by Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

NBC Releases 2013-14 Primetime Schedule

NBC ENTERTAINMENT - PRESS RELEASE
May 12, 2013

DISTINCTIVE NEW FAMILY COMEDIES, ACTION-DRIVEN NEW DRAMAS AND QUALITY RETURNING SERIES HIGHLIGHT DIVERSE AND BALANCED 2013-14 NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

Three New Comedies Anchor Thursday Lineup, With Sean P. Hayes and Michael J. Fox Returning to Their Sitcom Roots at NBC Coming Off Its Stellar Fourth Season, ‘The Voice’ Returns on Monday, Tuesday Riveting Drama ‘The Blacklist’ Earns Coveted Monday Lead-Out Timeslot From ‘The Voice’ ‘NBC Sunday Night Football’ Ready to Once Again Rock Ratings with Powerhouse Pigskin Schedule NBC Using Promotional Power of Winter Olympics to Launch Four New Series, Including Jason Katims’ Comedy ‘About a Boy’ and J.J. Abrams’ Drama ‘Believe’


NEW YORK CITY — May 12, 2013 — NBC has announced a new lineup of primetime shows for the 2013-14 season that provide a winning combination of popular returning series, fresh new comedies, compelling new dramas and the latest season of “The Voice,” the top reality program on television.

Highlights of the year-round schedule — which will be bolstered in February on the heels of the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia — include “Believe,” a new drama from J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuaron; the return of three-time Emmy winner James Spader in action thriller “The Blacklist”; and a comedy lineup that includes new series from “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” executive producer Jason Katims, Will Ferrell, Bill Lawrence, Sean P. Hayes, and a return to NBC of one of the biggest TV stars of any generation, Michael J. Fox.

The new comedy additions are “Welcome to the Family,” “Sean Saves the World,” and “The Michael J. Fox Show” as well as midseason comedies “The Family Guide,” and “About A Boy.”

The new dramas are “The Blacklist,” “Ironside,” and “Dracula,” plus mid-season dramas “Believe,” “Crisis” and “Crossbones.”

NBC has also ordered dramas “Chicago PD” and “The Night Shift” and comedy “Undateable” as unscheduled midseason series.

New alternative series premiering during the 2013-14 season include “The Million Second Quiz” and “American Dream Builders.” Returning to the schedule are “The Biggest Loser” and “The Sing-Off.” “Food Fighters” has been ordered as an unscheduled midseason show.

Scripted series returning include “Grimm,” “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Revolution,” “Chicago Fire,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community.”

Pick-up decisions on “Celebrity Apprentice” and “Hannibal” are still to be made in the next few weeks.

“The Voice” will kick off its fifth season in September on Mondays (8-10 pm. ET). The current cycle of “The Voice” has been primetime’s #1 show of the week on the Big Four networks, excluding sports, for four of six weeks thus far in adults 18-49.

The announcements were made by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.

“The overriding strategy this year was to develop enough strong comedies and dramas to take advantage of the promotional heft of the Winter Olympics and devise two schedules for the upcoming season: one for fall and a slightly different one for midseason. I’m pleased to say that our development groups — headed by Jennifer Salke (scripted) and Paul Telegdy (alternative/reality) — really delivered,” Greenblatt said. “This is the most robust and highest-testing slate of new shows we have had in years.”

Greenblatt continued, “And aside from our Olympics planning, we also wanted to create better flow and compatibility on each night, and deploy our strongest lead-in (‘The Voice’) to maximum effect.

“Sunday in the fall remains the night to beat with ‘Sunday Night Football.’ After football and the Olympics are over, we will launch two classy, attention-getting dramas in February: ‘Believe’ from J.J. Abrams, and ‘Crisis’ starring Dermot Mulroney and Gillian Anderson. We think it’s time for big dramas again on Sunday nights. And leading into these dramas at 8 p.m. will be an exciting home renovation competition hosted by Nate Berkus called 'American Dream Builders.'

“Monday and Tuesday will again dominate with ‘The Voice.’ Our highly anticipated new James Spader drama ‘The Blacklist’ deserves to go into the 10 p.m. slot on Monday, and we’re moving ‘Chicago Fire,’ a show we really believe in, to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays to benefit from ‘The Voice’ lead-in that will be at 9 p.m. in the fall.

“After the Olympics, however, ‘The Voice’ moves back to 8 p.m. on Tuesday so that we can launch two of our strongest new family comedies in the 9 p.m. hour: ‘About a Boy’ and ‘The Family Guide.’ Landing more comedy on the schedule is important and using ‘The Voice’ as a lead-in after the Olympics is the strongest way to do that.

“I believe we’ll have a more compatible Wednesday line-up with three dramas: ‘Revolution,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ and ‘Ironside,’ starring Blair Underwood, which is another new show we’ve very high on.

“Thursday will have a family theme, starting with a two-hour comedy block from 8-10 p.m. anchored by strong stars: Amy Poehler in ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Mike O’Malley in ‘Welcome to the Family,’ Sean Hayes in ‘Sean Saves the World’ and the new ‘Michael J. Fox Show.’ Then at 10 p.m. ‘Parenthood’ moves in to top off the night with what I know is the best family drama on television.

“On Fridays, anchored by ‘Grimm’ at 9 p.m., we will have a more fun genre night with the limited-series ‘Dracula,’ starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers at 10 p.m. In the spring, ‘Crossbones’ — with John Malkovich as the infamous pirate Blackbeard — replaces ‘Dracula,’” said Greenblatt.
Jordan Wertlieb, President of Hearst Television and Chair of the NBC Affiliate Board, commented, “This schedule is another example of NBC's continued commitment to restoring prime time to its traditional leadership position. I am sure the investment in partnering with some of the most recognizable names in television will be obvious and exciting to the affiliates.”



NBC FALL 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”
10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser” (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. – “The Voice” (New time)
10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire” (New Day and Time)

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Revolution” (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation” (New time)
8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood” (New Day and Time)

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”
10-11 p.m. – “DRACULA”

SATURDAY
Encore programming

SUNDAY
7:00-8:15 p.m. – “Football Night in America”
8:15-11:30 p.m. – “NBC Sunday Night Football”

NBC MIDSEASON 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”
10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “The Voice”
9-9:30 p.m. – “ABOUT A BOY”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE FAMILY GUIDE”
10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire”

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Revolution”
9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation”
8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”
10-11 p.m. – “CROSSBONES”

SATURDAY
8-10 p.m. – Encore and specials programming
10-11 p.m. – “Saturday Night Live” (Encore)

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
8-9 p.m. – “AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS”
9-10 p.m. – “BELIEVE”
10-11 p.m. – “CRISIS”

2013-14 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

New Comedies
“ABOUT A BOY”
Based on the best-selling Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity,” “An Education”) novel, writer Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”) and director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Revolution”) present a different kind of coming-of-age story. Will Freeman (David Walton, “Bent,” “Perfect Couples”) lives a charmed existence as the ultimate man-child. After writing a hit song, he was granted a life of free time, free love and freedom from financial woes. He’s single, unemployed and loving it. So imagine his surprise when Fiona (Minnie Driver, “Good Will Hunting,” “Barney’s Version”), a needy single mom and her oddly charming 11-year-old son, Marcus (Benjamin Stockham, “1600 Penn”), move in next door and disrupt his perfect world. When Marcus begins dropping by his home unannounced, Will’s not so sure about being a kid’s new best friend, until, of course, Will discovers that women find single dads irresistible. That changes everything and a deal is struck: Marcus will pretend to be Will’s son and, in return, Marcus is allowed to chill at Will’s house. Before he realizes it, Will starts to enjoy the visits and even finds himself looking out for the kid. In fact, this newfound friendship may very well teach him a thing or two that he never imagined possible — about himself and caring for others.

Writer Jason Katims, director Jon Favreau, Tim Bevan (“Les Misérables,” “About a Boy”), Eric Fellner (“Les Misérables,” “About a Boy”), Liza Chasin (“Les Misérables,” “About a Boy”), Robert De Niro (“About a Boy,” “Meet the Parents”) and Jane Rosenthal (“About a Boy,” “Meet the Parents”) serve as executive producers. “About a Boy” is a production of Universal Television, Working Title Television, True Jack Productions and Tribeca Productions.

Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for the season 14 finale of  Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest stars Raúl Esparza, Dean Winters, Pablo Schreiber, and Lauren Ambrose.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Her Negotiation" can be found at this link.

Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.