Benjamin Bratt guests on L&O (major spoiler)

[Timby]

None of that is terribly surprising. D'Onofrio's been looking to get out for quite some time, and the move to USA a while back resulted in the budget being slashed almost in half. A housecleaning was inevitable.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As for Van Buren, it seems like the powers that be are really setting her up for a grand exit and I don't think we'll have to wait until season's end to see it.

The odds are that this is Vanilla's final season, anyway.

Yeah, I think the network only kept it on the air this long to please Dick Wolf and let the show tie Gunsmoke's record for number of seasons on the air.

Damn shame, really, since they've had a great cast for awhile now (Linus Roache plays one of the best ADA's in L&O).

 

[bigdaddy]

Since this is the most recent L&O thread, did anyone see that Criminal Intent is losing Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Eric Bogosian AND Julianne Nicholson? After only one (half) season, Jeff Goldblum is now the senior cast member!

Saffron Burrows is the new partner and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is the new boss. I guess no more split shows either.

Yeah literally everyone but Jeff is leaving the show.

And I really hope NBC sees they have nothing better on because L$O for the first time in years is actually good, the cast flows pretty nicely together.

 

[Timby]

As for Van Buren, it seems like the powers that be are really setting her up for a grand exit and I don't think we'll have to wait until season's end to see it.

The odds are that this is Vanilla's final season, anyway.

Yeah, I think the network only kept it on the air this long to please Dick Wolf and let the show tie Gunsmoke's record for number of seasons on the air.

Yes, NBC wanted him to stop braying like a goat about it, but there are also plans for a Los Angeles-based Law & Order one or two years down the line, so keeping cordial relations with Wolf was a priority.

 

[Marc]

The odds are that this is Vanilla's final season, anyway.

Yeah, I think the network only kept it on the air this long to please Dick Wolf and let the show tie Gunsmoke's record for number of seasons on the air.

Yes, NBC wanted him to stop braying like a goat about it, but there are also plans for a Los Angeles-based Law & Order one or two years down the line, so keeping cordial relations with Wolf was a priority.

I'm not sure what an Los Angeles version of Law & Order would actually bring to the table it look like something other than a rehash of the original. Each of the spin offs has had something to differentiate it's self from the original (which is more than you can case for CSI - different city, different cast but same shit).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

there are also plans for a Los Angeles-based Law & Order

Be nice if they could get some of the characters from Boomtown for that one...

 

[Star Wolf]

Yeah, I think the network only kept it on the air this long to please Dick Wolf and let the show tie Gunsmoke's record for number of seasons on the air.

Yes, NBC wanted him to stop braying like a goat about it, but there are also plans for a Los Angeles-based Law & Order one or two years down the line, so keeping cordial relations with Wolf was a priority.

I'm not sure what an Los Angeles version of Law & Order would actually bring to the table it look like something other than a rehash of the original. Each of the spin offs has had something to differentiate it's self from the original (which is more than you can case for CSI - different city, different cast but same shit).

I still haven't figured out what makes a crime a Major case Squad responsibility. And sometimes I find myself asking why isn't Special victims handling cases on the other two surviving shows.

If they want different they can show the UK version every now and then