Law & Order: Criminal Intent News

May 14, 2007

Unique deal saves Law & Order -- for now

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Dick Wolf and NBC Universal have sorted out the Law & Order mess for the time being. Despite his status as a mainstay for NBC and various versions of the L&O franchise being aired every hour on some network somewhere on the dial, the producer who can only get a hit if he puts the words Law & Order up front of the show title recently found himself with only L&O SVU pulling in enough ratings to be guaranteed a new season.

Now, after various bargaining, budget-cutting suggestions and the possibility that the granddaddy (AKA "the mothership"), Law & Order, would be moved to cable, they've got the solution:

Continue reading "Law & Order: Unique deal saves Law & Order -- for now" »

March 13, 2007

Too much Law & Order

law-and-order.jpgNot long ago, there were so many Law & Order episodes and shows, there was talk of spinning the brand into its own network. Today, with the franchise spread thin across the prime time schedule, TNT, Bravo, and USA, NBC is looking to cut costs-- and possibly, one of the shows.

Creator Dick Wolf, who can't produce a hit unless it's got the L&O attached, is expected to meet with the suits this week to talk about saving money on the "The Mothership" (that's what they call the original Law & Order) and the baby in the family, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Both shows are having trouble in their new timeslots and bringing in an older audience than NBC prefers.

The obvious chops would be older, expensive actors. L&O is famous for shuffling the cast, and they could start with old Fred Thompson, the former US Senator who plays the L&O DA-- he said this weekend he's think of running for president (Yeah, he'll win). More drastic, but not out of the question, is killing off one of the shows altogether. And that would probably be CI, which was built around quirky Vincent D'Onofrio, who now splits the season with Chris Noth.

Continue reading "Law & Order: Too much Law & Order" »

March 12, 2007

Anna Nicole gets the L&O treatment

kristyswanson.jpgThe Anna Nicole Smith story is about to be dramatized on TV. Though any similarities to the real Anna Nicole story will be purely coincidental.

Roger Friedman at Fox 411 says he got word that Law & Order: Criminal Intent will soon begin shooting a ripped-from-the-headlines version of the sad and wacky saga, with Kristy Swanson starring as the bombed bombshell.

You might remember Kristy for playing Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the movie before Sarah Michelle Gellar played her on TV (Hey is Sarah Michelle pregnant or what?). We of course know and thank Kristy for her scandalous role on Skating with Celebrities, in which she ran off with her married skating partner Lloyd Eisler. They won the contest-- and she had his baby last month.

Now we'd say Lloyd would make a perfect Howard K. Stern in the Criminal Intent episode, but once again, those Law & Order guys have the character nailed:

Continue reading "Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Anna Nicole gets the L&O treatment" »

May 14, 2007:Unique deal saves Law & Order -- for now
March 13, 2007:Too much Law & Order
March 12, 2007:Anna Nicole gets the L&O treatment