I did catch a couple episodes early in the current season. I wasn't too impressed by the new Assistant D.A. whatever her name is. They seem to write most of these women as the same interchangeable character.
Linus Roache was good in the two episodes I watched, but Sam Waterston, in what has basically become a cameo, was still the one who stood out in the second part of the show.
Maybe it's me, but Sisto and Anderson, both of whom are good actors, both seem like apprentices instead of the veteran and the apprentice of previous teams.
I haven't watched much of SVU this season either, but it was still on top of its game two seasons back. I did watch all of last season, but, yeah, it did seem like it was going downhill.
S. Epatha Merkerson Leaves Law & Order
Season 8 of Criminal Intent ended with Bogosian's, Erbe's, and D'Onofrio's characters all apparently still there as regular police officers, with Julianne Nicholson and Jeff Goldblum as the other team. (Criminal Intent for the past several years alternated between main detectives each episode.) Julianne Nicholson left midway through last season, and between seasons, USA announced that everyone except Jeff Goldblum would be written out of the show, and that it would go back to the original format, with one set of detectives. Bogosian, Erbe, and D'Onofrio were written out in the first episode of the new season, which started Tuesday, although I think at least Erbe and D'Onofrio may appear in the second part of the episode next Tuesday. Saffron Burrows joins the cast as Jeff Goldblum's partner and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio joins as the police captain.
You should give Law & Order another try. The past three seasons have been very good (meanwhile I think SVU has become unwatchable), and the current cast is probably the best ensemble they've ever had. Linus Roache is excellent as the lead prosecutor--completely different than his predecessors, but every bit as good. Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson are surprisingly excellent as the detectives. Alana De La Garza makes a great assistant prosecutor, and Sam Waterston and Merkerson are excellent as always. The writers seem to have gotten the whole "Wait Until the Last Five Minutes" and "Ripped From the Headlines" things out of their system, and have just stuck to writing good stories, sometimes just for the sake of a good mystery, and sometimes tackling some real issues head on. Overall it's been an excellent season.
It won't happen, but an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series wouldn't be at all undeserving this season. S. Epatha Merkerson probably has a good shot though, since it's her last season, and it's probably been her best season as well.
You should give Law & Order another try. The past three seasons have been very good (meanwhile I think SVU has become unwatchable), and the current cast is probably the best ensemble they've ever had. Linus Roache is excellent as the lead prosecutor--completely different than his predecessors, but every bit as good. Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson are surprisingly excellent as the detectives. Alana De La Garza makes a great assistant prosecutor, and Sam Waterston and Merkerson are excellent as always. The writers seem to have gotten the whole "Wait Until the Last Five Minutes" and "Ripped From the Headlines" things out of their system, and have just stuck to writing good stories, sometimes just for the sake of a good mystery, and sometimes tackling some real issues head on. Overall it's been an excellent season.
It won't happen, but an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series wouldn't be at all undeserving this season. S. Epatha Merkerson probably has a good shot though, since it's her last season, and it's probably been her best season as well.
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Big Magilla
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Good catch. Merekersen joined the cast in Season 4 (1993/94).
It used to be my favorite TV series, but haven't really watched it since Jerry Orbach left. I prefer Law & Order SVU these days.
I don't watch Criminal Intent, but wouldn't it be more accurate to say the three actors left at the end of last season, or were they all knocked off in the first episode of this one?
It used to be my favorite TV series, but haven't really watched it since Jerry Orbach left. I prefer Law & Order SVU these days.
I don't watch Criminal Intent, but wouldn't it be more accurate to say the three actors left at the end of last season, or were they all knocked off in the first episode of this one?
The article below is incorrect when it says she joined the show in 1991. She actually joined in 1993. Her character is the longest running African American in the history of primetime TV. By the time she leaves, she'll have appeared in about 390 episodes.
Like the tide, the Law & Order cast comes and goes in waves.
This season, Dick Wolf's 20-year-old mothership is poised to lose S. Epatha Merkerson, currently the most veteran member of the L&O team, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Merkerson, whose character, Lt. Anita Van Buren, has been battling cancer, joined the series in 1991, replacing Dan Florek, whose Capt. Cragen reemerged on Law & Order: SVU in 1999.
The 57-year-old actress, who just won a NAACP Image Award for her supporting-role efforts, apparently gave the word that she wanted out before the season finale was shot, allowing Van Buren to get a proper send-off, and not one of those next-season "whatever happened to?" explanations.
Then again, there's actually no guarantee right now that Law & Order itself is returning to NBC next season, so we're on hold as to who might be in the pipeline to replace Merkerson.
The news comes as sister show Law & Order: Criminal Intent lost original castmembers Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, and more recent addition Eric Bogosian, in one fell swoop on its ninth-season premiere Tuesday.