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Law & Order TV Series

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mahendrap

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Excuse me if I'm posting a question already discussed or posting in the wrong forum - this is my first post.

I'd like to know how Objectivists rate the TV Series "Law & Order".

I like watching the series because:

1. It generates ingenuous situations in which applying Objectivist ethics is interesting.

2. It upholds the Law - which in most cases, involves ruthless application of justice rising over and beyond subjective emotionalism. Or irrational 'causes' like Environmentalism.

3. In the situations where the Law isn't objective or moral, it shows the characters on the law-enforcement side being caught in a conflict (thought not necessarily always so).

4. In the situations where the law-enforcement individuals hold irrational religious beliefs, it shows the conflict they go through to impose the Objective (and moral) Law.

5. It upholds Individuality over race, ethnicity, sexual preference, and level of education.

I dislike watching the series at times where:

1. Religious or 'Social' values (or the "public good") over-ride Individual rights.

2. Sometimes it gets frustrating when the Law doesn't support objectivist principles.

3. It can get to feel that crime is a commonplace and 'to-be-expected' fact of human nature.

4. Deals are made with criminals to catch other criminals.

I wonder what are your thoughts?

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I think I got officially "hooked" on Law and Order last night watching Law and Order: SVU. Every time I catch the beginning of a show I'm glued to my seat for an hour. Last night was the first night I planned on watching it. One thing I like about it is how it relates episodes to recent headlines.

My only complaint, which is actually a complaint of television in general, is the subtle liberal tilt of the show. For example, one of the detective’s comments in last night’s episode about people helping Columbian drug lords launder money was, "Capitalism at it's finest!"

Overall though, great show.

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I think I got officially "hooked" on Law and Order last night watching Law and Order: SVU

Thanks. To clarify, I am specifically referring to "Law & Order" the original, not its derivative series. This is because none of the derivative series (SVU, CI, etc.) focus on courtroom drama at all.

Law & Order shows 30 min of detective action and 30 min of courtroom action. This involves integration between the two and ofen involves ambiguities over the roles of these (legitimate) public servants. This is another interesting aspect that I didn't point out in my original post.

None of the derivative series has really dealt with ethics and law to the extent Law & Order does.

Once again, thanks for your response!

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I like the regular Law and Order because McCoy is my favorite DA. He seems to always do what he thinks is right, which is definitley cool.  :(

Have you seen the early Law and Order? McCoy is okay, but the early seasons with Moriarty (and Sorvino, Noth, et al.) were significantly superior IMO. You might want to check them out if you haven't yet.

(It's too bad Moriarty was kicked off for political reasons.)

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Have you seen the early Law and Order? McCoy is okay, but the early seasons with Moriarty (and Sorvino, Noth, et al.) were significantly superior IMO. You might want to check them out if you haven't yet.

(It's too bad Moriarty was kicked off for political reasons.)

I've only seen a couple of those, and that was after I was already addicted to Law and Order. You are right though, those are very good too. :(
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Law & Order is one of the best shows that I have seen of television. My favorite character was the prosecutor, Jack McCoy, played by Sam Waterston. What I admire about him as a prosecutor is the paramount role that justice plays for him in his work. He is not always consistent (and as noted, sometimes his arguments favor "public good" over individual rights), but his dedication to justice is unmatched in the other series, or on any other show I've seen.

I have to disagree about Moriarty, I never liked him as much as McCoy, but that is my personal feeling on the matter.

As for SVU, I would also reccomend it as a good program. It does not focus on the courtroom nearly as much as the original Law and Order, but it is very dramatic and compelling at times. My favorite character on that program is Det. Elliot Stabeler, a man committed to justice as a police officer, who has a passionate hatred of child molesters. When the case is particularly heinous, Stabeler's feelings (and desire to crush the rapist) mirror my own.

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Thanks. To clarify, I am specifically referring to "Law & Order" the original, not its derivative series. This is because none of the derivative series (SVU, CI, etc.) focus on courtroom drama at all.

Not so. SVU spends an average of 10 to 15 minutes in court.

I miss Jerry Orbach's (Lt. Briscoe) character (well, you can catch him on the TNT reruns!)

All the Law and Order shows are among the best prime time TV offers these days.

As you can see, I've become something of a Law and Order junkie :thumbsup:

Edited by Yes
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  • 3 months later...

I really enjoy the show (the original L&O, plus SVU, I don't care much for Criminal Intent). My biggest problem with the show (which plagued the now-cancelled L&O: Trial By Jury, which I thought was good but suffered from some bad writing) was that they too often "ripped stories from the headlines" and just made the whole plot totally ridiculous. For instance, last night I saw an episode of Criminal Intent about a radio jockey who was hooked on pain killers. Yeah, I wonder where THAT came from. It just totally rips me out of the story.

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I really enjoy the show (the original L&O, plus SVU, I don't care much for Criminal Intent). My biggest problem with the show (which plagued the now-cancelled L&O: Trial By Jury, which I thought was good but suffered from some bad writing) was that they too often "ripped stories from the headlines" and just made the whole plot totally ridiculous. For instance, last night I saw an episode of Criminal Intent about a radio jockey who was hooked on pain killers. Yeah, I wonder where THAT came from. It just totally rips me out of the story.

Believe it or not, I actually think that episode predated Rush Limbaugh! B)

Several DJ's who were "shock jocks" who actually confessed to being addicted to pain killers. (NY's Don Imus comes to mind)

In general, I like Criminal Intent as much as the others. I can get into Detective Goran's psychologically-related probing of a suspect, as well as his Columbo-like persistence in solving a crime.

I'm sorry to see "Trial By Jury" go. I think the real reason is that the Wolf production company bit off more than they could chew.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I really do like the Law and Order series. I watch it constantly. My biggest issue with it though is that it makes the government look so powerful that you get the impression that even if you try to fight them you will lose.

Other wise thought I love it!

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  • 11 years later...

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