Saffron Burrows, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe
Will Saffron Burrows replace Julianne Nicholson on Law & Order: Criminal Intent next season?
USA is in final talks to green-light the show for a ninth season, but...
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Harold Perrineau by Bob D'Amico/ABC, Chris Noth by Eric Ogden/USA Network Photo, Grant Show by Cliff Lipson/CBS
Was Lost hasty in giving Michael the hook? Which of the Law & Orders has bid adieu to some fans' favorite? Is ABC's Life on Mars already on a shaky mission? In this launch of Mega Buzz, a new weekly column, I'll field your questions about your favorite shows. If there is a topic you want to see covered or a question you'd like to ask, this e-mail is the place to do it.Since we're just starting out here, I'll have to settle for answering my own questions. Hope I'm not a smart-ass to myself.Question: What's your take on Harold Perrineau's Lost exit Q&A?Mitovich: It's an incendiary topic, but I hear where Perrineau is coming from, on Michael's too-short return. Sure, it (partially) explained what became of the Dawson men after their Season 2 sail-away. But to leave Walt fatherless — and in doing so rob the series of its second barely-used African American character (Mr. Eko, we barely knew ye) — was a questionable move. This country now has its first for-real African-...
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Alicia Witt courtesy NBC Photo
Its berth on USA Network isn't the only change in store for Law & Order: Criminal Intent this season. Alicia Witt (The Upside of Anger, Cybill) has been tapped to join the crime drama as Det. Nola Falacci, a new partner for Chris Noth's Mike Logan. Witt is subbing, at least temporarily, for Julianne Nicholson, who will miss a string of episodes this season due to maternity leave.L&O: CI returns Thursday, Oct. 4, at 10 pm/ET on USA. (Don't make me remind you again.)
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Well, it’s late, so I’ll just come right out and say it: For a finale, this was a big disappointment. While last week’s trailer made this ep look like a killer-hunting-cops thriller, it turned out to be a standard-issue case with a side of sentimentality.To its credit, this episode remained interesting throughout, probably because of the unusual decision to follow two separate cases. But the problem, at least for me, was that we’ve been so well-trained by Law & Order to try to put the pieces together that I kept searching for a nonexistent connection between the cases. Definitely a missed opportunity for a nice twist and a satisfying resolution.Of the two story lines, I preferred Logan’s, mainly because it was so personal and character-driven. This was the first chance we’ve really had to connect with the Noth since he joined CI, and I was so impressed with his performance, which relied on genuine emotion and subtlety rather than sarcastic quips. I ...
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Here’s the thing about giving your detectives more backstories: They can’t come at the expense of interesting cases, which are always the driving force behind every Law & Order incarnation. But that’s exactly what’s been happening on Criminal Intent lately. Surrounding nearly every emotional glimpse into Det. Bobby’s troubled family life, there has been a by-the-numbers case that wouldn’t have stood so well on its own, but was buoyed by the “behind-the-scenes” drama. And tonight’s episode was the best (or worst) example of this problematic duality I've seen yet. On the one hand, we had a whole bunch of clichés: another semi-rapper-related killing, more spoiled rich kids turned criminals, and such a convoluted web of motives and machinations, it was hard to keep all the “players” straight, let alone care. And that rapper’s name was Apocalypto? Seriously? Of course, it’s a well-known fact that nothing gets you m...
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Tuesday night's repeat, “Bedfellows,” is a solid, though somewhat derivative, Goren/Eames episode worth catching if you missed it the first time around. For my original post about it, click here.Next Week: I haven’t seen any commercials for next week’s episode, but here’s the summary from TV Guide’s listings: “A judge’s son is found shot to death following a rapper’s trial. Meanwhile, Wheeler investigates her estranged father’s alleged illegal activities.”Q: Just how many storylines involving rappers are the CI writers required to pen per season, anyway? A: Way too many.But I do like the second part of that description. We’ve gotten almost nothing thus far on Wheeler’s background, save for a couple of passing references. So giving Detective Pan her own storyline might give us a reason to care about this character, and let JulianneNicholson show she can do more than act as a foil for The Noth’s rapier wit. We shal...
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Question: I was wondering if there is a difference in either the reviews or the ratings for the two different versions of Law & Order: Criminal Intent? I happen to like both versions, for the completely different approaches each set of characters takes to solving the crimes and how they relate interpersonally and to suspects and victims. Yes, Vincent D'Onofrio is sometimes a little over the top, but I still like him. I also really like his partner, and this season there seems to be more insight into their nonworking relationship. I will forever love Chris Noth, dating back to the original Law & Order (he and Jerry Orbach were my favorite combination from any L&O series). I am not sure his partner, Julianne Nicholson, is quite up to snuff yet, but I will give her a chance. Anyway, thanks for the insight.
Answer: On this subject, you have more insight than I do. Of the L&O shows, this is the one I've watched the least. I'm more inclined to watch the Mike Logan episodes over the Rober ...
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Cop: "You listen to rap music, right?"Logan: "Regularly."So, I wasn’t really looking forward to this episode — another rap-murder case when we’ve seen way too many of these Tupac/Biggie slayings. And yet, I have to admit, I really enjoyed it – probably because the rap murder was only the “inciting incident” (pardon the high-school English term) for a complex case.The real heart of this episode was deep-undercover detective Williams, played with surprising depth by rapper Sticky Fingaz — that’s right, I said Sticky Fingaz. It’s a subject that’s been dealt with sporadically (the excellent drug-cops drama Rush comes to mind), but not so much from the hip-hop underworld angle. It wasn’t hard to see why Williams became torn between protecting his family and carrying out his duty as a police officer — and why he crossed the line in the end.Though he finally turned in his badge, I’d actually like to see a little more of this ...
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Per the Hollywood Reporter, Julia Roberts will produce and possibly star in Happiness Sold Separately, a novel-based romantic feature about a woman broadsided by heartbreak when she learns her husband had an affair. Jennifer Aniston, do not see this movie.... OutKast's André "3000" Benjamin is joining Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson in the basketball comedy Semi-Pro.... Per Variety, principal photography has begun on Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, a big-screen take on the David Foster Wallace novel, written and directed by The Office's John Krasinski. The pic stars Law & Order: Criminal Intent's Julianne Nicholson as a grad student who interviews assorted men played by, among others, Bobby Cannavale, Will Forte, Timothy Hutton and Christopher Meloni.
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Now that I’m officially caught up on all of this season’s episodes, I’m glad I got to finally witness Logan and Wheeler’s awkward beginnings — and were they ever awkward. Without going over every example of Logan’s now-standard casual sexism, let’s just say he had a few misconceptions about what it would be like to work with a female partner. He certainly didn’t anticipate Wheeler’s knowledge of motorcycles or her ability to flirt (?) with a lesbian mechanic — nor her ability to translate IM-ese into actual English.All of which was more interesting than the crime(s) at hand. After the Mary Kay Letourneau case and the more recent Debbie LaFave one, this whole teacher-in-love-with-underage-pupil routine has long passed its expiration date. Ditto for all of those “edgy” camera tricks that made the beginning of this one look more like a late-’90s student film than a dignified member of the Law & Order family.That sai...
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