Welcome to my Law & Order file. Law & Order is an American T.V. show that premièred in 1990 and is still running. The show's premise is best explained in the opening monologue that is featured at the beginning of every episode: "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."
The series takes place in Manhattan, New York City. As implied in the opening, every episode tells a story in two parts. In the "Law" half, the police investigate a crime, usually a murder. In the "Order" half, the district attorneys prosecute the prime suspects. Unlike other television shows, the series does not deal primarily with the ongoing stories of its main characters, but with cases that are usually resolved within an episode. Its symmetrical episode structure is matched by a symmetrical cast structure. The "Law" half of the cast consists of two partners - one senior detective, one junior detective - plus their precinct lieutenant. The "Order" half consists of two assistant district attorneys - one executive A.D.A., and one junior A.D.A. - plus the district attorney for Manhattan. These six positions remain the same, but the characters who occupy them rotate at a rate of about one new character per season. Some characters have lasted more than a decade, others less than a season. Many have become popular among fans, but none has been around for the entire series.
Law & Order is probably one of the best T.V. series ever made. Of the shows I have followed, the only one that rivals it is The Sopranos. Its tight episode and cast structure allows it to adhere to a rigid formula that favours the telling of interesting stories, and resists getting bogged down in extraneous sub-plots or melodrama. In the early seasons especially its biggest strength is its ability to present different sides to each case, often leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions. Perhaps most notably, while many series begin well and start to go down hill after a couple of seasons, Law & Order actually improves in its early years, peaking in quality around its fifth season, and remaining consistently good for several years after. It does, of course, degenerate over time, and is now looking rather tired, having been on the air for close to two decades. Some popular characters have retired; others have been around so long that they have lost their charm. New characters have sometimes brought fresh energy to the show, but in other cases have proven flat and uninteresting. The show's ability to come up with stories has become strained, leading to many episodes that either seem far-fetched and ridiculous, or that harken back strongly to earlier ones. My exposure to recent episodes has been limited, but has given me a generally negative view of the series as it currently stands. However I am still very much a fan of the earlier seasons - by which I mean roughly the first eight. I would recommend them to anyone who has an interest in crime shows, especially those who are interested in the judicial side of law-enforcement. And I would certainly not discourage people from checking out the later seasons, too.
Law & Order has had three spin-offs. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which premièred in 1999, tells the stories of detectives who investigate sex crimes. Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which premièred in 2001, tells the stories both of the detectives who investigate tough cases and of the criminals they are trying to catch. Law & Order: Trial by Jury was a short-lived series that aired in 2005, and focused on the lawyers who try criminal cases in court. I have never seen this last series, and while the other two have their strength, they do not match the quality of the original.