RIP, 'L&O' - So what's your dream 'Law & Order' cast?
Meditations on the end of one of the longest-running primetime dramas ever.
This is the final cast of "Law & Order," but what would be your ideal cast?
NBC made it official today: "Law & Order" will not be back next season (and unless a cable channel steps in to produce one more season on the cheap, will therefore not achieve Dick Wolf's dream of producing more seasons than "Gunsmoke" to become the longest-running drama in the history of American primetime TV). Dan Fienberg has more details.
Though I haven't been a regular viewer in a long time, the occasions when I've checked in of late suggest that this final cast was one of the more solid configurations since Jerry Orbach left. But the ratings have been miniscule, even by the low standards that will apparently let NBC renew "Chuck," and various reports suggest Wolf wanted too much money for his victory lap year, so... bye-bye, "CHUNG-CHUNG."
So a question for the fans, whether you're still watching or not: if you could go back in time and cherrypick six of the more than two dozen regular castmembers the mothership has had to come up with your own dream team has had, which six would it be, and why? To keep this simple, you can't put someone in a role they didn't fill when they were on the show. i.e., Jack McCoy can either be your lead prosecutor or he can be running the DA's office, but you can't declare that Lennie Briscoe will be your lieutenant while Max Greevey is the senior detective and Phil Ceretta the junior one.
I'm sorely tempted to just pick the season 5 cast en masse - Briscoe, Logan, Van Buren, McCoy, Kincaid and Schiff - but that seems too easy. At the very least, I'd go back to season 4 and make Ben Stone the prosecutor, and put Jack in the DA's office, to see how these two very different guys dealt with each other - and to see how Stone reacted upon realizing his sidekick was having an affair with his boss.
Fire away: "Law & Order" dream team. Go. I'll be curious to see if anyone will speak for Serena Southerlyn.
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Next 69 CommentsLJA
May 14, 2010 at 1:27PM EST Reply to CommentOh dear god, does this mean my Twitter feed is going to erupt again today? Thanks for the head's up.
McG...inley The blame for this development, by the way, lies squarely on Jay Leno. "Law & Order" was putting up perfectly respectable numbers for a Friday and looked sure to be renewed, then the need to fill the gaping five-hour hole in the schedule forced it to Monday where it got destroyed.
May 14, 2010 at 6:06PM ESTMcG...inley I haven't the slightest idea why that registered as a reply to another comment.
May 14, 2010 at 6:08PM ESTSarah D Bunting
May 14, 2010 at 1:30PM EST Reply to CommentNoth/Orbach on the Law side; Moriarty/Harmon on the Order side with Schiff as the DA ("Make the deal!"). (Yes, I'm aware Crazy Mike and Angie weren't on at the same time.)
sepinwall You don't have to only stick with people who worked together at some point. If you wanna go Greevey/Lupo and Cutter/Robinette, be my guest. Everyone just has to be in a job they filled in the real show.
May 14, 2010 at 2:03PM ESTKat
May 14, 2010 at 1:31PM EST Reply to CommentBriscoe, Logan, Van Buren, McCoy, Carmichael, Schiff.
Cameo of Serena Southerlyn falling down some steps or trying to talk to Jack while everyone speeds away.
Kendra
May 14, 2010 at 1:34PM EST Reply to CommentSo bummed by this.
The Season 5 cast would be my dream cast without a doubt.
I keep trying to come up with new combinations to satisfy me but it's hard because even fantasy casts can't add up to what S5 offered.
So I'll just throw out a few combos I would have liked to see. I would have liked to see Logan work with Green. Or even have Green work with Lupo longer than half a season.
And I wish they hadn't killed Kincaid. I think Cutter/Kincaid with McCoy as the DA would have been interesting as well.
But S5's cast of characters is probably one of my all time faves from any series.
Melissa
May 14, 2010 at 1:35PM EST Reply to CommentLaw: Orbach, Bratt, and Merkerson; Order: Waterson, de la Garza, and Hill
As for Elizabeth Röhm, she may be the worst actress ever to have a regular job on a weekly TV series.
joel I was baffled when she was hired to Angel (although season 1 Angel had some wacky casting), but when she showed up on L&O I was convinced she had compromising evidence on a network exec or two. No other explanation can suffice for her continued acting career.
May 14, 2010 at 2:40PM ESTconrad
May 14, 2010 at 1:41PM EST Reply to Commentdream cast:
law: d.a. jack mccoy, a.d.a. ben stone, and serena southerlyn [i love elisabeth rohm]
order: capt. donald cragen, det. phil cerreta, det. mike logan
conrad forgive my dyslexia re: 'law' and 'order', but yeah...i'll stick up for serena. need at least one wild card in the bunch and she was always easy on the eyes.
May 14, 2010 at 2:05PM ESTBrettAlan Um...no, you're not wrong about which side is "law" and which side is "order". Everyone else is. The police preserve order; attorneys apply the law. And I don't care how many people, including those who make the show say otherwise; until you show me where the common synonym for "attorneys" becomes "orderyers", lawyers are the law side. Seems pretty obvious to me.
May 15, 2010 at 3:10PM ESTThe season 5 cast is pretty hard to beat. I'd have no problem putting Curtis or Robinette in there, but I can't say they're any better than Logan or Kincaid. Maybe I'd put Ross over Kincaid, but it would be close.
And, sorry, but I thought Elizabeth Rohm was the worst actor in the show's history.
May 14, 2010 at 1:47PM EST Reply to CommentYou can't mess with perfection:
Lt. Anita Van Buren
Detective Lenny Briscoe
Detective Mike Logan
D.A. Adam "grumble grumble Settle!" Schiff
Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
A.D.A. Claire Kincaid
kirpre Agreed!
May 14, 2010 at 2:07PM ESTADKid25 Double agreed. And Serena Southerlyn was only good for the most amazing final line in an L&0 episode, so...never her.
May 14, 2010 at 2:14PM ESTcadfile Agreed but I also loved Ben Stone. They tried real hard to have Cutter be Stone again and at times it worked.
May 14, 2010 at 4:04PM EST
May 14, 2010 at 6:31PM EST
May 14, 2010 at 2:01PM EST Reply to CommentI'm so glad to see so many people voting for Adam Schiff. My husband and I have a long standing joke that the more heinous the crime the more weak the offer.
"He's charged with slaughtering a bus full of nuns."
"Offer him an oatmeal cookie and warm glass of milk."
Hatfield Haha, didn't that actually happen at some point?
May 14, 2010 at 3:28PM ESThaask
May 14, 2010 at 2:10PM EST Reply to CommentI'm very sad by the news, but not surprised. I love the idea of a dream cast - most of them I think long-time fans of the show can't argue with.
Lt. Anita Van Buren
Detective Lenny Briscoe
Detective Ed Green
D.A. Adam Schiff
Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa
*I went with Ed Green instead of Mike Logan because I absoluately loved his chemistry with Lennie.
**I would have loved to have seen Connie promoted to be the first female Executive ADA in the series - she definitely seemed like the best of all the assistants that could have fit in that job.
Omagus This is EXACTLY the lineup I would have gone with. Mike Logan may have been a more interesting character than Ed Green but Green and Briscoe just *worked*. And there is simply no other choice for Lieutenant than Van Buren.
May 14, 2010 at 2:33PM ESTOn the Order side, McCoy could have worked as DA or EADA but why would we not want to see him in court?He was the best at cross-examination. Schiff was crankily hilarious as the DA. I agree that Rubirosa was the best of the ADAs. I don't think that any of them were really ever bad (yes, including Serena) but she just seemed most ready to make the leap up to EADA. And while all of the ADAs were attractive (pretty sure that was a job requirement), if we want to discuss easy on the eyes, Rubirosa would be number one on my list.
(I can't believe that it's a post about Law & Order that finally made me break down and get a Hitfix account.)
haask (haha - this post finally made me break down and get a Hitfix account too!)
May 14, 2010 at 3:00PM ESTbut yes I agree that I definitely miss McCoy in court - thats where he really was the best.
BrickBat
May 14, 2010 at 2:13PM EST Reply to CommentJeremy Sisto was doing really good work as Lupo, so maybe pair the "junior" version of Lupo with Lenny Briscoe under Dann Florek's Cragen, with Jack McCoy prosecuting under Ben Stone as the DA, assisted by Claire Kincaid. I'd also like to see Fred Thompson's Branch as, like, the Mayor or something, and the sassy medical examiner is Rodgers.
sepinwall You can make McCoy be Stone's boss, but not vice versa. Jack has sat in the big chair; Ben quit before he got his shot.
May 14, 2010 at 3:44PM ESTfilmcricket
May 14, 2010 at 2:16PM EST Reply to CommentBriscoe-Logan-Van Buren/Stone-Kincaid-Schiff.
Wish I could get Phil Suretta in there somewhere too, but I can't see dumping either Orbach or Noth.
Merle
May 14, 2010 at 2:24PM EST Reply to CommentVan Buren, Briscoe, Bernard and Schiff, McCoy, Carmichael
It's too bad the ratings didn't pick up this season, because the current cast is pretty solid.
Omagus
May 14, 2010 at 2:26PM EST Reply to CommentSpeller
May 14, 2010 at 2:32PM EST Reply to CommentI can't see a way to email or I would. Sure, "miniscule" is in the dictionary, but only because so many people spelled it wrong it has now become acceptable. Its root is "minus," and the unimpeachable spelling is "minuscule."
I can't really remember L&O by season, so I will try to seek out some season 5 episodes since so many of you love that cast.
Mac T
May 14, 2010 at 2:43PM EST Reply to CommentI like your group, Alan. And yes, the current configuration (particularly on the lawyer side) does stand up very well. I'm gonna miss them.
Jeff
May 14, 2010 at 2:46PM EST Reply to CommentI would just take the whole season 1 cast. They always seemed the most 'realistic' for their positions to me. The current cast is really solid, too.
Moriarty has the best indignant "Sir" ever.
DrBobert
May 14, 2010 at 2:47PM EST Reply to CommentAlana
May 14, 2010 at 2:49PM EST Reply to CommentDetective Briscoe
Detective Green
Lt. Van Buren
ADA Jack McCoy
ADA Abby Carmichael
D.A. Adam Schiff
I loved the dynamic between McCoy and Carmichael because they were on such opposite ends of the political spectrum. The moral and judicial arguments were fantastic.
I think I have to go with Green over Curtis for no other reason than I watched him longer.
blingbling
May 14, 2010 at 2:50PM EST Reply to CommentI'd have to go with Briscoe, Greene, VanBuren, McCoy, Carmichael, and Schiff.
I always liked that they paired McCoy with a "hang-em-high" Texan. It was the strongest backstory they bothered to give any of the women at that point.
Interesting they really stuck it to Wolf, taking the record away from him like that.
DrBobert
May 14, 2010 at 2:51PM EST Reply to CommentI am utterly disappointed at this news. It's my favourite show, the reason I am studying law, and the reason I am about to study in America. Seriously, they renew SVU with their abysmal stories and stunt casting, but give the show with the superior storylines, acting and all round class the chop?
Guh...
Anyway, I can't decide who to choose, but it wouldn't be Rohm. I'm not an idiot.
conrad
May 14, 2010 at 2:55PM EST Reply to Commenthollywood reporter says that 11th hour talks are still going on:
http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/05/nbc-law-order.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+live_feed+%28The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Live+Feed%29
any chance l&o could be saved?
conrad i guess not. was since updated and yes, it's official.
May 14, 2010 at 2:59PM EST
May 14, 2010 at 3:00PM EST Reply to CommentI'm going to go with an unusual combination:
Cops:
Briscoe
Van Buren
Green (hardest slot to fill)
Lawyers:
DA Jack McCoy
ADA Claire Kincaid
ADA Michael Cutter
(I really like the McCoy/Cutter relationship, and how much more of McCoy there is in Cutter than either of them wants to admit.)
Snax
May 14, 2010 at 3:09PM EST Reply to CommentMcCoy as DA
Stone as Exec ADA
Carmichael as ADA
Van Buren as lt
Briscoe as Lead Detective
Logan as Jr Detective
Clearly an all-star cast.
Otto Man
May 14, 2010 at 3:10PM EST Reply to CommentLaw: Logan, Serreta, Van Buren
Order: Robinette, McCoy, Schiff
Dezbot Finally someone picks Robinette! Was beginning to think I was the only one who liked him :-)
May 14, 2010 at 11:32PM ESTPotatoSolution
May 14, 2010 at 3:12PM EST Reply to CommentPotatoSolution Hmm, apparently when you hit the "X" to cancel posting a comment, it posts one anyway.
May 14, 2010 at 3:16PM ESTIn any case, this must be harsh news for the acting community in New York. Probably every working and semi-working actor on the East Coast was on Law and Order at some point. That source of potential income disappearing is bad news for a lot of day players.
I had a major crush on Angie Harmon, and I thought she did a decent acting job as well, for what it was. How come none of the assistant DAs on that show ever looked like Elena Kagan?
james
May 14, 2010 at 3:18PM EST Reply to Commentditto to season 5 lineup is already my dream cast. I haven't watched it regularly in a very long time (not long after schiff left really), but was still hoping it would hang in there and beat the record if only because it's hard to believe something else is gonna come along and even approach those old tv records nevermind beat them (even kelsey grammer just tied james arness in the end right?). considering what an institution it is you'd think maybe nbc would agree to one final season and get whatever ratings spike preannouncing it was the final season would give (worked for er right? and while er may have been the bigger hit I don't think it generated nearly the cult l&o did).
OnlyMe
May 14, 2010 at 3:28PM EST Reply to CommentIs it because Dick Wolf's a lesbian?
My dream cast would probably be Briscoe, Logan, VanBuren, Carmichael, McCoy, Schiff. But I haven't kept up that much in recent years.
7s Tim Ha!
May 14, 2010 at 3:57PM ESTHatfield
May 14, 2010 at 3:49PM EST Reply to CommentHmm, can I use Logan, Briscoe, and then have Fontana in the Profaci role, just because he's awesome?
Ok, fine, then I take Fontana and Briscoe for the explosion of crustiness, plus Van Buren. For the Order side I go with Schiff, McCoy and...Ross. I know she wasn't especially popular, but I always liked that she didn't sleep with Jack. And I had a major crush on Carey Lowell from License to Kill.
Timothy Dalton The gun strapped to her inner thigh did it for me, too.
May 14, 2010 at 5:48PM ESTLaura
May 14, 2010 at 3:59PM EST Reply to CommentLaw - Briscoe, Logan, van Buren
Order - Adam Schiff, Jack McCoy, Claire Kincaid - I would have like to have seen McCoy and Kincaid eventually marry - even if it was offscreen. The characters brought out the best in each other
Nina
May 14, 2010 at 4:03PM EST Reply to CommentLenny Briscoe & Mike Logan
Anita Van Buren
Jack McCoy & Abbie Carmichael
Adam Schiff
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