I was kind of blown away by ...
Question: I was kind of blown away by the season finale of
Law & Order. Its predictable format is nice and comforting, sort of like "chicken soup" television but when Alex was abducted and then killed, I have to confess I literally sat up at the edge of my seat from the surprise. It was paced more like a
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode and really reminded me what a great actor
Sam Waterston is when he has compelling material. I know there is talk about more changes to the whole franchise next year. Is this less-formulaic approach one of them, and do you think that would be a welcome change, or a risky move to mess with their success?
Answer: From what I understand, the changes to the franchise are primarily cast-related, not so much in actual format or content. What seems to have startled everyone is the violent nature of Annie Parisse's departure, not the fact that she left, given the show's revolving-door history. I wouldn't expect
Law & Order to become an action series all of a sudden, although shaking things up might help the show shake off the perception that it's grown stale and less popular. (I've often felt the reason
SVU has become the best-regarded of the series is because it doesn't adhere quite as rigidly to formula.)
