Law & Order - Law & Order: In the News - Orbach Leaving? - Page 4

dukesmom · 06-04-2004, 07:29 AM

Duo's sought for 'Jury' duty

Quote:

Variety Online Staff
Dick Wolf is looking to some familiar faces as he begins the process of casting the fourth chapter in TV's most successful drama franchise.
Small-screen vets Candice Bergen and John Mahoney have begun talks with Wolf about taking on roles on "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," set to bow early next year on NBC. "L&O" vet Carey Lowell is also said to be in the thesp mix, reprising her role as Jamie Ross.
Jerry Orbach has long been expected to appear on the new skein, having left his role on the original skein last month. Walon Green is expected to serve as exec producer with Wolf, NBC said last month in a press release officially announcing the skein.
Roles on "L&O" skeins are prized in the thesp community, given the franchise's stature -- along with the "CSI" trinity -- as one of TV's few sure things.
Wolf wants to create a sort of repertory company of actors to play the judges on "TBJ," with various actors signing up for multiple episode arcs. Bergen is expected to be one of those judges, casting that would mark her first broadcast series gig since "Murphy Brown."
Bergen has had high-profile guest gigs on "Sex and the City" and "Will & Grace" in the past year and has appeared in the features "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Miss Congeniality."
Mahoney, who's coming off 11 seasons on "Frasier," may be in line for a series regular gig. With Wolf playing his casting cards close to his vest, however, it was hard to nail down whether Mahoney may actually be in talks to play one of the judges.
Whatever the part, a deal would mark a reunion for Wolf and Mahoney: Right before "Frasier," Mahoney starred in Wolf's short-lived CBS drama "The Human Factor" -- thesp's last drama series gig before spending almost a decade on a TV comedy.
No deals for cast members are done, a Wolf Films spokeswoman said, adding that it's "premature to discuss casting" for the series.

Carrie99 · 06-19-2004, 06:05 PM

Wow it'll be interesting to see who ends up on TBJ. Thanks for posting all the articles everyone.

dukesmom · 06-21-2004, 08:06 AM

Here's a small blurb from tvguide.com:

Quote:

DOINK DOINK: Law & Order star Jesse L. Martin is this close to signing a new multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal with the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Come fall, Martin will get a new partner, played by Dennis Farina. Meanwhile, there's apparently no truth to the nasty rumor that Martin's much-maligned co-star, Elisabeth Rohm, will be replaced next season by a wig-wearing Snapple bottle.

dukesmom · 06-21-2004, 02:24 PM

Sorry for the double post, but I thought this deserved it's own:

Quote:

Names of Montreal college grads sometimes turn up on Law & Order
Mon Jun 21, 1:17 PM ET
NELSON WYATT
MONTREAL (CP) - Lower Canada College has provided some stellar members of society. Its alumni book has also yielded the names for some crooks, cops and crime victims on TV's most popular police dramas.
"I have the LCC alumni book and I can just throw a dart at it and I have a name," says a grinning Rene Balcer, executive producer of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and an alumni of the Montreal school. "That's the reason I do it.
"For me, it's just trying to come up with names all the time."
Balcer, a native Montrealer who now lives in Los Angeles, said the yearbook isn't the only source of character names for scripts.
"We did one whole episode (where) we used all the names of professional golfers - the obscure ones. We use hockey players. It's just a way of sending a hello.
"Some people get a kick out of it and some people enjoy being named after bad guys, the worse the better."
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is the third member of the growing Law & Order franchise that was born as a cops and lawyers procedural in 1990.
Besides Law & Order and Law and Order: Criminal Intent, there is also Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, about the New York police sex crimes unit. A reality spinoff, Crime and Punishment, which documents real cases in a California district attorney's office, returned this summer and Law & Order: Trial By Jury is set for its premiere early in 2005.
Balcer said a Russian version of Law & Order will also begin production in the next few months.
"Russian producers and writers will be taking these episodes and adapting them to the Russian reality and filming them in Moscow. It will be interesting to see how their filter will alter the view through this window.
"Will it be the Russian criminal justice system as it is on paper or as it is in reality or as it is in the dreams of their most progressive thinkers? Depending on which way it goes, it could either inspire or depress the Russian viewer.
"As one of the Russian producers told us: 'In Russia, we have many laws but not much order."'
Balcer has been with the Law & Order franchise since the original started in 1990 and served as that show's head writer and executive producer.
Credited with leading Law & Order into the Top 10 shows during his years there, Emmy-winner Balcer was tapped by Law & Order creator Dick Wolf to create Criminal Intent in 2001 when it was decided to expand the highly successful brand further.
Balcer said there is a "universal fascination" with crime and punishment.
"It probably reflects a fascination with criminality, with breaking taboos, a need to understand what makes people do bad things," said the former journalist, adding it also probably reflects a fear of becoming a victim and a yearning for justice.
Law & Order: Trial by Jury will differ from the other shows in that it will follow a case from arraignment through to verdict and likely go inside the jury room.
Jerry Orbach, the venerable Det. Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order, will switch to the new show to lower his workload with a smaller part and Balcer said Courtney Vance, who plays Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver on Criminal Intent, will likely be part of Trial By Jury's rotating cast as well. That will be in addition to his Criminal Intent duties.
Balcer did acknowledge some concern about the number of spinoffs coming to TV. Besides the Law & Order franchise, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has spawned CSI: Miami and will be joined by CSI: NY this fall.
"The spin-off is a double edged sword," he said, noting that while some people are excited to see more of their favourite brand, there are others who roll their eyes.
"I think there's probably a limit to the number of Law & Order spinoffs."
He acknowledged sometimes shows trip over themselves mining the same true crime stories.
"We thought crime was an unending renewable resource and we're finding that's not the case," Balcer joked, noting some tales have been found in Europe, Japan, Canada and as far back as the 1930s. "Everybody is trying to pick over the same crime stories so we have to dig a little further afield to come up with stuff.
"There's only so many crimes to go around. If you know any criminals, tell them to pick up the pace."
But he's not worried about so-called reality TV.
"They all have writers," he said. "They may not write actual dialogue for the contestants for The Bachelor or Survivor but they will write storylines for these characters and it's the result of interviews with these characters.
"They won't suggest 'why don't you say exactly this' but 'the next time you talk to Alison, you should talk about her mother."'
Reality shows are "kind of a sugar shot for the networks. They get the boost but then they have the crash. It's really empty calories."
"The studios want to build a library, they want to build shows that will continue bringing revenue for years and years and years," said Balcer.
He pointed out that the thrill of the reality game shows is not necessarily the story but who wins. Once that's known, the interest is diluted and the shows don't stand up well in repeats.
"One hundred years from now people on Mars will be watching Law & Order reruns," he said. "They're not going to be watching reruns of The Apprentice."

dukesmom · 06-25-2004, 07:44 AM

Here's an article from tvguide.com about who one person thinks should be the new ADA on L&O

Quote:

Armchair Casting Director
New L&O ADA: Who�d be A-OK?
By Ben Katner

Now that Elisabeth Rohm is finally leaving her Law & Order role of Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn, we are dancing in the streets. (Nothing personal, but she was always a little brittle for our taste.) And when we aren't delightedly pounding the pavement, we are dreaming up new partners in crimefighting for Sam Waterston's character, Jack McCoy. Since it's doubtful that our fondest wish will be granted � and Angie Harmon will suit up again as the best ADA ever, Abbie Carmichael � dare we hope that �berproducer Dick Wolf will consider at least briefly these other could-be (and, in some cases, have-been) lawyers?
Lara Flynn Boyle: Provided that she can keep herself out of the Mary-Kate Olsen wing of her local rehab clinic, the incredible shrinking woman could use the legalese she learned as Practice prosecutor Helen Gamble to shore up the L&O cast. On second thought, would skinny Minnie still show up on camera?
Charissa Chamorro: If the soap starlet's agents aren't already camped outside Dick Wolf's office with her head shot in hand, she should sue them! Last seen as a psycho law student on Guiding Light, the brunet knockout is in the perfect position to succeed Rohm: Her own L&O counterpart, Kay Hartley, is a former classmate of Serena's!
Reiko Aylesworth: No longer a regular on Fox's 24, the petite powerhouse will need a new gig to help her fill the hours of the day. If she asks us (or, even better, Leslie Hope), she could do a lot worse than to cross over to the mother ship as Erica Alden, the ADA she occasionally plays on spin-off SVU.
Bebe Neuwirth: Since the Broadway babe seems to love New York as much as New York loves her, why not let the Chicago Tony winner quit commuting to L.A. for work by giving her a steady job in Manhattan? That way, the Here Lies Jenny showstopper could satisfy both her addiction to theater and our addiction to her!
LaTanya Richardson: If any actress can pull off tough and endearing as well as our beloved Angie Harmon, it's this one! She's paid her dues on courtroom series from L&O to Ally McBeal, and finally was awarded judge's robes on Sidney Lumet's short-lived 100 Centre Street.
Cynthia Nixon: Not only would the prickliest of the Sex and the City gals be perfectly cast as a thorn in curmudgeonly Sam Waterston's side, but after all those years of sizing up and running down trendoids, the sitcom's schlubby barrister has earned the right to deal with victims of more than fashion.
Sharon Lawrence: Having done time on NYPD Blue, the three-time Emmy nominee's credentials are impeccable. But that's not why we're all hot and bothered to see the sexy dame hired by L&O � we think the one-time SVU guest is the rare femme fatale who could leave "chatty Cathy" McCoy speechless.
Susan Dey: The only way this TV survivor can resuscitate her career is by giving us what we want � herself in court! Think about it. Dey in L.A. Law? Loved it. Dey in Civil Wars? Liked it. Dey in everything else? Skipped it. Then again, we might also tune in if she picked up a tambourine to relive her Partridge Family heyday...

always2nl · 06-29-2004, 05:39 AM

It would be a crime to confuse Fox's new legal drama, The Jury, with NBC's midseason contender, Law & Order: Trial by Jury � or at least so says Dick Wolf, the creator of L&O and its umpteen spin-offs. Rumors that the latest addition to the franchise will be set entirely in the deliberation room are "absolutely incorrect," the executive producer tells TV Guide Online. "There will be one or two scenes in the fourth act every week in the jury room, but you couldn't set a [whole] show in the jury room, I don't think."

However, Wolf concedes that TBJ � potentially an all-star affair featuring Jerry Orbach, Candice Bergen and Frasier dad John Mahoney � will not adhere as strictly to the time-tested L&O format as, say, SVU. "The cops are not as big as they are on L&O because it's set in the courthouse," he explains. "It's not law... it's order. The setup is a look at the criminal-justice system from indictment through verdict.

"This show will feature more of an omniscient perspective for everybody who is in the courthouse [than do the other series in the L&O stable]," he continues. "In other words, you'll have scenes with the prosecutors and the cops the way we do in all of the other shows, but you also have major scenes where you're just dealing with the defense or the judges or the jury."

As a result, viewers may have more insight into a particular case than the principals who are trying it. "One of the most interesting aspects of the show is when the jury goes into the jury room," Wolf previews � not that he's comparing it to The Jury, we hasten to add. "The audience will know not only what information they've seen, but what info has been kept from them or kept out of evidence. They will be slightly ahead of the jurors in terms of what knowledge they bring into those deliberations."

dukesmom · 07-11-2004, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Script tardiness easing
Variety.com
Dave McNary, STAFFThe Directors Guild of America said its efforts to ease the problem of late script delivery in episodic TV have begun to pay off.
Guild, which launched its effort two years ago, said the percentage of on-time scripts for single-camera one-hour dramas had increased to 61% for the 2003-04 season, up from 47% in the previous season. The DGA also said the proportion of scripts delivered more than two days late had been cut to 23% from 41% and the number coming in five to 15 days late dropped to 8% from 20%.
Easing headaches
Rod Holcomb, chair of the DGA's TV committee, said the response to the campaign has helped alleviate the headaches for directors created when they lack time to do the preparatory work necessary to create well-crafted episodes.
"This has been a real effort on everyone's part, and the improved data reflects that by jointly addressing this problem, the DGA, the networks and the studios were able to effect significant change in less than two years -- getting many more on-time scripts into the hands of directors, leading to higher quality and lower-cost episodes," he said.
Guild said the writers for eight series -- "Star Trek: Enterprise," "Law & Order," "The District," "JAG," "Judging Amy," "She Spies," "Hack" and "Strong Medicine" -- delivered all scripts on time in 2003-04. "Six Feet Under" was the only series to deliver all its scripts on time in 2002-03.
Improvement noted
The DGA also said 12 series improved by 20% -- "24," "Alias," "Angel," "The District," "ER," "The Guardian," "Hack," "JAG," "Judging Amy," "Law & Order," "Third Watch" and "The West Wing." It credited CBS, Fox, Sony, Touchstone, Universal and Warner Bros. with improvement of 20% in the 2003-04 season.
Guild also singled out "Ed" and "The Gilmore Girls" as not delivering a single script on time and pointed to five other shows -- "Charmed," "Everwood," "Law & Order: SVU," "NYPD Blue" and "The Practice" -- as delivering more than 70% of their scripts late.

Good for Law & Order on their 100% script delivery. Tsk tsk to Law & Order: SVU for being late 70% of the time.

From Matt Roush's Q&A at tvguide.com

Quote:

Question:
Is it set in stone that Dennis Farina will replace Jerry Orbach on the original Law & Order series? I was hoping that they would cast someone younger and sexier like Erik Palladino, who already established a character when he appeared on SVU. � B. H.
Matt:
From the start, L&O has cast an older veteran actor to be lead detective and paired him with a younger partner (surely Jesse L. Martin isn't that mature quite yet), and Farina will carry on that tradition. Of all the things that still work on the original show, the intergenerational dynamic of the detective team is high on the list. I'm betting there would be an outcry if the show pandered to the youth market, especially with your particular choice.

and

Quote:

Question:
Are you psyched or what about Elisabeth Rohm leaving Law & Order? And who's buying the first bottles of champagne? Seriously, how this lead-voiced actress keeps getting work is amazing. She was so bad on One Life to Live that she got canned quickly, but not quickly enough for fans. She was more wooden than anything on Angel and the least believable female detective ever! Not to mention basically being a bad pair of heels on Bull. However it was on L&O that her lack of skills was really revealed. Her monotone delivery killed her scenes consistently and her inability to support a scene in the background was just blatant. Unlike on Angel or a soap, you don't get the close-ups, so what little acting ability she has was lost. Look intense, woman, look at the speaker, try to have a different expression (or go crazy and have two in one scene!), when you don't have a line that doesn't mean that you can zone out trying to remember if you had one or two carbs for breakfast. And for heaven's sake, please stop delivering your lines like a backup actress in a high-school drama. And that's not even discussing her horrible sense of body when she tries to handle props or the stiff way she holds herself when she's supposed to be a cop capable of physically taking down a perp. � Kar, Atlanta
Matt:
Good grief, you make me sound like a fan of the woman by comparison! I will confess to a twinge of glee upon hearing she would leave a show she was never worthy of, but I'll stop short of a public celebration.

I'm with Matt. Although I've never liked Elisabeth Rohm (on L&O or the couple of episodes I've seen of Angel with her in them), I don't plan on throwing a party for her departure.

dukesmom · 07-16-2004, 01:17 PM

2004 Emmy nominations:

Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Jennifer Garner, "Alias"
Amber Tamblyn, "Joan Of Arcadia"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Allison Janney, "The West Wing"

Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Louise Fletcher (news), "Joan Of Arcadia"
Mare Winningham, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Marlee Matlin, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Catherine Piper, "The Practice"
Sharon Stone, "The Practice"

Carrie99 · 07-19-2004, 10:01 PM

Thanks for posting that. I figured the Emmy noms deserved their own thread so I went ahead and started it.

dukesmom · 07-22-2004, 09:22 PM

from the St. Paul Pioneer Press (7/23/04):

Quote:

CBS nips at NBC's heels
BRIAN LAMBERT
LON ANGELES
Viewers can look forward to a head-to-head clash between NBC and CBS on Wednesday and Thursday nights this fall.
Thanks mainly to the extraordinary success of "The Apprentice" and all those "Law & Orders," NBC still is the top dog in the TV business. But with "Survivor," "Without a Trace," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and all those "CSIs," CBS has moved into a very strong second.
"We finished the season just 0.3 percent of a rating point away from NBC in 18-to-49 viewers � the closest that gap has been since 1993," said CBS boss Les Moonves.
Wednesday nights at 9, "CSI: New York" with Gary Sinise will go up against the venerable "Law & Order" with character actor Dennis Farina replacing Jerry Orbach.
It's a duel between megaproducer Jerry Bruckheimer and megaproducer Dick Wolf � hands down the two major forces in scripted televisionat this moment.
On Wolf's pass through this TV critics press tour, he mildly disparaged the "CSI" franchise. " 'CSI' is like the Palm restaurant. If you go to Los Angeles, or if you go to Chicago, you get a great steak. The only thing that changes are the caricatures on the wall," he said. " 'Law & Order' is a brand. Hopefully, it's the Mercedes-Benz of television shows. Each of the shows is distinctly different. Each has a different attitude."
CBS' Moonves has no problem going on record saying he expects "Law & Order" to beat "CSI: New York" in the ratings this year. " 'Law & Order' is a powerhouse on Wednesday night," he concedes. "We never thought we'd be able to attack that time period."
But now he is. "With 'CSI,' " he said, "we finally have a weapon that can go in there and do some business."
As for Thursdays, network TV's most profitable night of the week � largely because of fat advertising buys by movie studios hyping their weekend openings � "CSI," "Survivor: Vanuatu" and "Without a Trace" will go up against "The Apprentice," "ER" and "Will & Grace" but without "Friends." Which means a lot is riding on the Matt LeBlanc "Friends" spin-off, "Joey."
If "CSI: New York" cuts into "Law & Order" on Wednesday and "Joey" tanks Thursday, the game and the dough shift to CBS.

The article continues, but there's nothing else about L&O.

dukesmom · 08-12-2004, 06:34 PM

Proving that L&O repeats are loved

Quote:

By Cynthia Littleton
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Law & Order" repeats led NBC to victory on a lackluster Wednesday overall in primetime for the Big Four networks.

Fox tied NBC for the nightly win in the adults 18-49 demographic with its two-hour telecast of the Teen Choice Awards, which brought in 6.2 million viewers and 2.6 rating/8 share in the coveted demo, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research.

NBC's regular 10 p.m. encore of "Law & Order" (9.2 million, 2.9/9) was the night's most watched program; the 9 p.m. "Law & Order" repeat was second in line with 8.1 million viewers and 2.5/7 in the demo.

Carrie99 · 08-13-2004, 12:23 AM

Cool thanks for posting. Glad to people are still watching NBC repeats. I guess part of it might be that L&O isn't really episodic in that you can watch an ep and not be confused about past storylines.

Subject · 08-23-2004, 01:57 AM

Quote:

from www.gamershell.com

LEGACY INTERACTIVE ANNOUNCES BETA TESTING FOR LAW & ORDER: JUSTICE IS SERVED

Beta testing begins on new PC game based on popular TV series “Law & Order”

Hollywood, Ca., (August 9, 2004) – Legacy Interactive, a leading games developer bringing television’s greatest dramas to life on the PC, announced today that beta testing is underway for Law & Order: Justice is Served. Selected from sign-ups on the Legacy Interactive Web site, approximately 50 beta testers will take part in a two week evaluation of an in progress version of the game before it ships to stores. Law & Order: Justice is Served will be distributed by Vivendi Universal Games and is slated to ship September 30, 2004.

Based on the Emmy Award-winning TV drama, “Law & Order”, Law & Order: Justice is Served immerses players in a murder mystery involving a young female tennis star found dead in her locker room before the start of the U.S. Open. Featuring two phases of exciting & challenging gameplay, players join their favorite stars from the TV show including Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin and Elisabeth Röhm to first solve the crime and then try the case.

“We are very excited to hear what our beta testers will have to say about Law & Order: Justice is Served,” said Ariella Lehrer, Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Interactive. “We are hoping to get some solid feedback from fans of the TV series and PC gamers alike that will help us make the game as engaging as the show itself.”

Players will first assume the role of Detective in the investigation, having to gather and analyze evidence, solve puzzles, and interrogate witnesses along side recognized Detectives Lennie Briscoe (Orbach) and Ed Green (Martin). In the trial phase, players take on the role of Assistant District Attorney working alongside A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Röhm) to build a strong case against the defendant in order to convince the jury to return a guilty verdict. Making a cameo appearance in Law & Order: Justice is Served, is tennis personality, Patrick McEnroe, who will be featured as himself.

New game features include:
° A new character from the TV show: Detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin)
° A redesigned, more intuitive interface
° Increased interactivity and flexibility with more characters and locations
° Improved performance
° Unlockable bonus content from the actors on the show

dukesmom · 08-28-2004, 04:21 AM

Has anyone seen any announcements about the season premiere dates for the various L&O series? The only one I found on nbc.com was for the original: "Unbelievable 2-Hour Premiere, Wednesday, September 22nd." There's also a Featured Video, but I'm on dial-up and don't feel like waiting for it to download.

Subject · 08-28-2004, 04:54 AM

I found these dates at www.knip2.com

SVU - 9/21
L&O - 9/22
CI - 9/26


Fan Forum > Archived Television Shows > Law & Order > Law & Order: In the News - Orbach Leaving?