I loved this series when It first appeared and then cheered when it returned last year. That proved to be disappointing. Jeffrey Donovan grew on me as did Camryn Manhiem (given not enough to do) but the two new lawyers just didn't click at all. The way they were written didn't make it sound like they were real lawyers concerned with the law. The new assistant particularly didn't sound like she got any closer to law school than a double date. The exchanges with Waterson were pale reminders of the series at its height with Steven Hill. Have the original writers all died?
This season Anthony Anderson has walked and the tri-part debut often seemed like a video game with a basic by-the-numbers script. Action, action, action but very little thought and zero wit. Boy was Jerry Orbach missed. To say the charcaters are 2-dimensional gives them a dimension. Where is the writing on this? The Benson/Stabler episodes in particular trotted out every tired cliche in the book. Ripped from today's headlines? No ripped from today's slush pile. This go-round ignores what we liked about the original. It really was different. It brimmed with humanity. It was intelligent. The charcaters were alive. New York was a vital character to the series. This city was a video game backdrop. Acting was optional. Even watyerson seemed to sleepwalk through the role. He had no real lines.
If Dick Wolf can't salvage this, I think they should pack it in.
This season Anthony Anderson has walked and the tri-part debut often seemed like a video game with a basic by-the-numbers script. Action, action, action but very little thought and zero wit. Boy was Jerry Orbach missed. To say the charcaters are 2-dimensional gives them a dimension. Where is the writing on this? The Benson/Stabler episodes in particular trotted out every tired cliche in the book. Ripped from today's headlines? No ripped from today's slush pile. This go-round ignores what we liked about the original. It really was different. It brimmed with humanity. It was intelligent. The charcaters were alive. New York was a vital character to the series. This city was a video game backdrop. Acting was optional. Even watyerson seemed to sleepwalk through the role. He had no real lines.
If Dick Wolf can't salvage this, I think they should pack it in.