...because I could write several paragraphs on each season alone, it's that good. What made this show work for twenty years was that its focus is on the case, not the private lives of the detectives and prosecutors. The structure of each show is simple and over twenty years it does not vary. The first half consists of the discovery of the crime and the determination of suspects that can be charged. Here the focus is on the two police officers - usually a young cop/old cop dynamic - and their supervisor. The second half focuses on trial of the suspect and thus the prosecutors, the D.A. himself/herself in small doses, and large doses of the executive and assistant D.A.'s.
There have been almost thirty people play the six starring roles in this series over the years with probably the door revolving the most in the person of the assistant D.A., which is what you would expect in real life. Special mention has to go to a few of the long-timers though - Sam Waterston first as executive D.A. and then D.A., as well as Jerry Orbach who played the role of Lennie Briscoe, the "old cop" from 1992-2004 and probably the most beloved character in the series' history. Lennie had his private life intrude on the show more than any character, since Lennie had a colorful history of alcoholism, multiple divorces, and a daughter who shared her father's substance abuse problem. Then there is Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green, who was first the "young cop" starting in 1999 and then the "old cop" as senior partners came and went. At first his rather blustering style took some getting used to, but by the time he exited in 2008 I was as sad as when Lennie left. It seemed like the guy had been there since day one. Steven Hill had practically a cameo role as the actual elected D.A. for ten seasons, yet his wit and wisdom during his brief sessions on case strategy added a real touch of spice.
This show is practically a time capsule of important American legal issues and current events from 1990 -2010, and it is interesting to see the changing attitudes of the times reflected in the show. Even now, twenty years later, the oldest episodes hold up under the test of time. As long as human nature remains as it is and always has been, as long as there are people seeking shortcuts and the easy way out, as long as things aren't always as they first appear, I can't see this show losing its appeal no matter how much time passes.
There have been almost thirty people play the six starring roles in this series over the years with probably the door revolving the most in the person of the assistant D.A., which is what you would expect in real life. Special mention has to go to a few of the long-timers though - Sam Waterston first as executive D.A. and then D.A., as well as Jerry Orbach who played the role of Lennie Briscoe, the "old cop" from 1992-2004 and probably the most beloved character in the series' history. Lennie had his private life intrude on the show more than any character, since Lennie had a colorful history of alcoholism, multiple divorces, and a daughter who shared her father's substance abuse problem. Then there is Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green, who was first the "young cop" starting in 1999 and then the "old cop" as senior partners came and went. At first his rather blustering style took some getting used to, but by the time he exited in 2008 I was as sad as when Lennie left. It seemed like the guy had been there since day one. Steven Hill had practically a cameo role as the actual elected D.A. for ten seasons, yet his wit and wisdom during his brief sessions on case strategy added a real touch of spice.
This show is practically a time capsule of important American legal issues and current events from 1990 -2010, and it is interesting to see the changing attitudes of the times reflected in the show. Even now, twenty years later, the oldest episodes hold up under the test of time. As long as human nature remains as it is and always has been, as long as there are people seeking shortcuts and the easy way out, as long as things aren't always as they first appear, I can't see this show losing its appeal no matter how much time passes.