Law & Order Key Art Reissue for “The Paley Center Salutes NBC’s 90th Anniversary”

NBC has re-released Law & Order key art for seasons 7 and 14 for the “The Paley Center Salutes NBC’s 90th Anniversary” which will air on Sunday, February 19 from 9-11 PM on NBC. Enjoy!

LAW & ORDER -- Season 7 -- Pictured: (l-r) Benjamin Bratt as Detective Rey Curtis, Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe, Carey Lowell as A.D.A. Jamie Ross, Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy -- Photo by: Stephen Danelian/NBC 2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

LAW & ORDER -- Season 14 -- Pictured: (l-r) Elisabeth Rohm as A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn, Fred Dalton Thompson as D.A. Arthur Branch, Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe, Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy, S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. Anita Van Buren, and Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green -- Photo by: David Rose/NBC 2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

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Law & Order's Fred Dalton Thompson Dies

Fred Dalton Thompson died Sunday, November 1, 2015, at the age of 73, in Nashville, TN, from a recurrence of lymphoma. Fred played DA Arthur Branch on Law & Order from 2002 to 2007, and also appeared on Law & Order spin-offs SVU, Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury and Conviction.

Before his tenure in the Law & Order universe, Fred had an impressive career in politics, serving as a U.S. senator from Tennessee, and was a candidate for president. He also served as committee counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee which investigated President Richard Nixon.

A full story of Fred’s life can be found here:

The Tennessean: Fred Thompson, with larger-than-life persona, dies at 73





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Law & Order: 20 Years And Counting

Let the celebrations for Law & Order’s 20th season begin! NBC has released a quick behind the scenes look (video below) at the show featuring some of its cast members (such as Sam Waterston, Linus Roache, Alana De La Garza, Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, Jesse L. Martin, and Dick Wolf, Supreme Being in the Law & Order Universe. (Video clips of the premiere episode ”Memo From The Dark Side” will be coming later today.) The season premiere episode will air on Friday, September 25 at 8PM ET/ 7C. Be there - and let the party begin!


PS – don’t forget to check your newsstands at the end of this month for the special collector’s edition of the TV Guide devoted to Law & Order.



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

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

The Memorable, Dry Wit of Adam Schiff

My husband and I were watching an old episode of Law & Order over the weekend. It was called “The Secret Sharers” and it was a first season episode with Detectives Max Greevey (George Dzundza), Mike Logan (Chris Noth), Cpt. Don Cragen (Dann Florek), and in the DA’s office, Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks), Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty), and Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). I wish TNT would air some of these older episodes because the themes or stories hold up very well, and the cast was great. The writing was also top-notch.

But the one thing that I really miss about these older episodes is the presence of Adam Schiff as District Attorney. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy that Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) is sitting in the big chair now. I find myself wishing, though, that we hadn’t had to endure a few years of Nora Lewin (Dianne Wiest) or Arthur Branch (Fred Dalton Thompson).

In this particular episode I was watching, I was treated to an appearance of Shambala Green (Lorraine Toussaint), who was probably the best opponent that Ben Stone ever had. While Ben Stone is discussing the case with Schiff, Adam seems to compliment Shambala’s talents with the following line, which I found absolutely hysterical: "A girl raped, a sister on trial for murder, Shambala Green with a jury--she'll milk 'em till they moo."

That has to be one of the funniest lines I’ve even heard uttered (maybe I should say “uddered”) on Law & Order. It got me to look back and some of Adam Schiff's best lines over his many years on the show. I thought I’d assemble some of them here for you to also enjoy.

The Memorable Lines of Adam Schiff

The Violence of Summer
"I don't photograph well with egg on my face."

The Secret Sharers
"A girl raped, a sister on trial for murder, Shambala Green with a jury--she'll milk 'em till they moo."

Wages of Love
"Pride goeth before a fall. I'll send you flowers in the intensive care unit."

Renunciation
"Bring your crying towels, boys."

Intolerance
"Right now, you wouldn't get a conviction for bad thoughts."

Skin Deep
"Stuff envelopes for the county leader, you too can ascend the bench."

Wedded Bliss
"I woke up this morning--I thought it was the twentieth century!"

Prince of Darkness
"I'm not up on my Catholic theology. Is self-righteousness a mortal or venial sin?"

Point of View
"Yep, you've got snap, crackle, but no pop."

Consultation
"It's the Supreme Court of the State of New York, not the Romper Room."

"You have an accomplice--that'll get you into the theater, but won't let you see the show."

Mother Love
"We live in a two choice world--one or the other."

Jurisdiction
"Unless you want a real fight on your hands, stay out of camera range."

Virus
"The crying towels are down the hall."

"With a leap like that, they'll put you in a Nike commercial."

Manhood
"O'Hara's a well-liked cop. He's been decorated more times than my living room."

"Yeah, congratulations. You have flour and water, get an oven, you can make bread."

Benevolence
"You'll need more than open, sesame to get her to talk."

Apocrypha
"I know how to scramble eggs, doesn't mean I made breakfast."

The Pursuit of Happiness
"Quick! Lock the door! Someone might walk in with a case we can win."

"I wouldn't count your chickens: your omelet just hit the fan."

Snatched
"It wouldn't be the first time that you give the grand jury a dog and pony show without the pony."

Kids
"She gets overturned anymore, she'll be walking upside down."

Wager
"Dismissed? What have you been sprinkling on your breakfast cereal?"

Old Friends
"Never ask a jury to think."

Coma
"Well, I understand you've been promoted from assistant district attorney to supreme deity."

Blue Bamboo
"This defense! Like my grandmother's nightgown, it covers everything."

Precious
Jack: "If those were my children, I'd want that woman in prison."
Adam: "With a 15 percent chance she's innocent? I wouldn't tell that to the next Mrs. McCoy."

"You're riding your motorcycle without a helmet."

House Counsel
Schiff: "What is this, Bernie's Bargain Basement? Cop to four murders and get only five years?"
McCoy: "When I made the deal, I had no idea..."
Schiff: "That's because your ego was rushing from your head downstream to somewhere south of the border!"

Guardian
"Don't jump the canyon on your motorcycle."

Progeny
"Is there anyone in town who is not using this office for their own personal agenda?"

Rage
"Without motive, you couldn't convince a jury water's wet."

[to Claire]: "No one's being condescending here, young lady."

Performance
Jack: "...I think I can win."
Adam: "That's great. You get an A for self-esteem."

"So you've got something legal and inadmissible that you're trying to get in the back door twice. [pause] I like it."

"Oh, The Constitution--that pesky thing."

Wannabe
Claire: "The school circled the limos to keep the Barclay name out of it."
Adam: "I'm shocked."
Jack: "This isn't stink bombs in the boys room, Adam! They hindered prosecution of an A felony!"
Adam: "Now I'm very shocked."

Jeopardy
"You climbed Everest in your shorts on a cold day."

Remand
Jack: "Didn't you tell me you never make this job personal?"
Adam: "I lied...second time in thirty years."

Atonement
Adam: "A story for Sophocles."
Jack: "Or Larry, Curly, and Moe."
Adam: "Yeah, I always loved those guys."

Pro Se
Jack: "Then why didn't he plead insanity?"
Adam: "Because he's insane?"

Good Girl
"Four days of deliberation, what are they doing, electing a pope?"

Menace
"Throw the book at him. When the grand jury throws it back, don't get hit in the head."

Showtime
"You better bring something besides your boyish charm."

Schiff: "Started with a murder, ends with an execution. You got what you wanted. Take the rest of the week off."
McCoy: "It's Friday, Adam."
Schiff: "So it is. See you on Monday."

Double Down
"He confessed to a murder to avoid being prosecuted for a murder. I'm putting this one in my memoirs."

Blood
[Jack, Jamie, and Adam are discussing the case over lunch. Jamie's info hurts their case.] "Why do you always give me bad news while I'm digesting?"

Disappeared
"This office doesn't play patty-cake with serial killers."

Hate
Jack: "If I thought we could stop hate with one prosecution or one law, I'd be a fool."
Adam: "Yeah, but you'd be my kind of fool."

Justice
(to Jack): "Lit your own petard, my boy."

Black, White, and Blue
"Last time an Albany jury convicted a cop, I had a full head of black hair."

Stiff
"It's cases like this that make me take a long hard look at my pension plan."

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

Jeremy Sisto: Law & Order's New Detective

Associated Press did a nice piece to introduce Jeremy Sisto, the new addition to Law & Order. He'll be playing a detective named Cyrus Lupo. OK, just how do they think up these wacky names for people? Hmmm, let's check it out:

Cyrus: From Κυρος (Kyros), the Greek form of the Persian name Kûrush, which may mean "far sighted" or may be related to the Persian word khur "sun". The name is sometimes associated with Greek (kyrios) "lord". This was the name of several kings of Persia, including Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon. He is famous in the Old Testament for freeing the captive Jews and allowing them to return to Israel.

Lupo: From an Italian nickname meaning "wolf".

Lord Wolf? OK, I get it. Dick Wolf''s vanity is showing.

Anyway, here's the AP article:



"By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer Wed Dec 26, 4:20 PM ET
NEW YORK - When Jeremy Sisto got his first glimpse of the updated "Law & Order" opening, there he was, in a courthouse setting alongside his castmates, just like so many who had come before him.

Sisto hums a few bars of the "Law & Order" theme, and recalls with a laugh: "There I am, walking with the others. And I thought, `What's HE doing there?!'"

Maybe it was just time. The 33-year-old actor has already played Jesus and Julius Caesar, a high-school hunk who catches Alicia Silverstone's eye in "Clueless," and, recently in "Waitress," Keri Russell's loutish husband.

Last season, he tracked down abductees on the short-lived drama "Kidnapped." And among his most memorable roles: Billy Chenowith, a gifted photographer and tormented manic-depressive on the HBO series "Six Feet Under."

Now he's joining "Law & Order" for its 18th season. He plays Detective Cyrus Lupo, new partner to Detective Ed Green (series veteran Jesse L. Martin).

Also joining up is Linus Roache as Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter, who succeeds Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), himself the newly appointed district attorney. Fred Thompson, who for five seasons played District Attorney Arthur Branch, exited last spring to launch a real-life presidential bid. Meanwhile, S. Epatha Merkerson (as Lieutenant Van Buren) and Alana De La Garza (as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa) remain on duty.

Bottom line: Sisto and Roache become the 23rd and 24th actors to fill the show's six slots for cops and prosecutors.

But "Law & Order" begins another season after surviving a near-death experience last May. It was almost canceled, the victim of a sharp ratings drop. Having won a reprieve, it's now back in the chase to overtake "Gunsmoke" (20 years) as TV's most-enduring prime-time drama. Two episodes air Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.

"It's classic `Law & Order,' but it's been reinvigorated," says Sisto, munching a cookie at a favorite coffee hangout in his SoHo neighborhood.

The premise: After four years abroad working undercover intel, Detective Lupo is summoned to New York when his brother is found dead. Lupo joins Green to crack the case.

Unlike many of Sisto's roles, Lupo is a somewhat understated personality. Sisto has a knack for stirring up a thunderstorm in his performances. But not here.

"It's a different kind of acting, this `Law & Order' thing," he explains. "They want two partners who can play off each other well and are fun to watch, but depth of character is not necessary in this job. Too much character gets in the way of the story. This is a very specific gig."

Sisto fell under drama's spell growing up in Chicago, where his mom, an aspiring actress, brought him along to her auditions.

"Then someone would say, `Does your kid want to read for a part?' I did some plays and had a great time."

When he was 16, he landed his first film, the drama "Grand Canyon," playing the teenage son of Kevin Kline and Mary McDonnell.

"That got me a foot in, to come out and have a life in L.A. in this business," Sisto says. "It could very easily not have happened for me. To be an actor takes a lot of courage, but the way I did it takes less courage." He laughs. "I was very lucky."

Since then, he has tackled dozens of roles, roles that often took him to a furious or troubled place. Those are his faves, he says — "the kind of roles where you feel like you've expressed something that's private, and shared sides of yourself that are darker and you're less proud of.

"It's nice," he insists. "It's like having a good cry. Sometimes you NEED a good cry, you know? And if you happen to cry in front of the world, something about that is cleansing: `Here's me at my ugliest, and my weakest and most vulnerable, and it's OK — it happens to all of us.'

"I think it's good to put it out there for the audience," he says. "We've all had moments where we're sitting at a movie or watching a show, and we see it and feel understood for a moment; we feel a little less alone.

"I'm definitely craving some of that right now," he adds with a tight smile. "I'd love it if my character Cyrus Lupo had a breakdown. I tried to get 'em to write that: `Maybe he could freak out!'" Sisto chortles and shakes his head. "It's not gonna happen!

"`Law & Order' is different," he cheerfully concedes. "For the viewer, it's that old friend. It brings up moral questions and the legal aspects of them. It's fun to pretend to be a detective for a little while and go through all the clues. You put it on and you just feel better."

For 18 years and counting. No freaking out allowed."



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Fred Thompson for...President?

The first time I heard about Fred Thompson throwing his hat in the ring, I had a bit of a chuckle. I was aware of his long political career, but for some reason, I am unable to get one image of Fred out of my mind.

It’s a scene from the movie “The Hunt for Red October,” the excellent submarine flick based on a book by Tom Clancy. In it, Fred plays Rear Admiral Joshua Painter. One line in the show always seemed to resonate with me. It occurred while he was having a discussion with Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), and went like this:

Adm. Painter: What's his plan?
Jack Ryan: His plan?
Adm. Painter: Russians don't take a dump, son, without a plan.

The last line made me chuckle at the time, but when Fred came to Law & Order to play District Attorney Arthur Branch, the line popped back into my head. I’ve almost been waiting for Fred to utter it during a scene with Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston).

But now that he’s running for president, that line could come back to haunt him. I can see it being replayed over and over, and not to make Fred look good, especially with "the Russians."

Personally, while I don’t think Fred has a chance of making very far in the presidential category, he made his chances even worse by waiting so long to throw his hat in the ring. He’s also been less than energetic in his appearances, and some of his early responses to questions shows someone who may have been out of politics, and the real world, too long. Maybe he is hoping for a VP slot or something else.

Either way, the one positive thing about Fred leaving L&O to get back into politics is that Jack McCoy is now in the driver’s seat in the DA’s office. And we know Jack McCoy doesn’t do ANYTHING without a plan.

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