• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Law & Order:SVU-Has It Gone Down The Crapper?

^ Ice-T was never in the original series, but he was in the TV-movie (Exiled) spun off from it. I've never seen it, though, so I don't know what kind of character he played.
 
^ Ice-T was never in the original series, but he was in the TV-movie (Exiled) spun off from it. I've never seen it, though, so I don't know what kind of character he played.

Ice-T played a pimp in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, but it was pretty bad, so I don't blame you for never seeing it.

Oh, that happens all the time in the L&O universe. IIRC, at least three of the regulars on Trial By Jury were 'repeat offenders'. So were almost the entire cast of SVU, plus a few from CI as well.

He said regular actors. The only regular actors from a L&O-universe show to be recycled into an entirely different character that I can think of are, as The Borgified Corpse said, Julianne Nicholson and Milena Govich, from the aforementioned Conviction.
 
^ So you mean, just those who were regulars on one series and became (different) regulars on another? OK.

Although, Julianne was in the original series before she was on either of the spinoffs. :)
 
I've always been a big fan of Law & Order in general and SVU in particular.

But in my opinion, the last few seasons of the series have really gone down the toilet. Part of the reason I think is Chris Meloni's departure. I'm not certain but it seems that Mariska Hargitay's acting is not nearly as good without Meloni to play off of. The last couple of seasons she has come off shrill, overbearing, and more or less as a wannabe avenging angel.

And the rest of the ensemble can't seem to carry the water so to speak.


And the writers seem more interesting in piling up plots that are so indecipherable that if you glance away you can't follow anything.

Anyone else watch this show and feel this way?

My girlfriend is a big Law & Order fan, she still watches all episodes no matter if they are repeats
 
I've always been a big fan of Law & Order in general and SVU in particular.

But in my opinion, the last few seasons of the series have really gone down the toilet. Part of the reason I think is Chris Meloni's departure. I'm not certain but it seems that Mariska Hargitay's acting is not nearly as good without Meloni to play off of. The last couple of seasons she has come off shrill, overbearing, and more or less as a wannabe avenging angel.

And the rest of the ensemble can't seem to carry the water so to speak.


And the writers seem more interesting in piling up plots that are so indecipherable that if you glance away you can't follow anything.

Anyone else watch this show and feel this way?

SVU has suffered for a lot of years with the making a plot so obtuse. I started to wait to see what the twist would be. Which possible suspect would break from police custody and get in a shoot out in the precinct? Which victim's family member would somehow smuggle a gun into the precinct and shoot the bad guy? The amount of times that the latter happened makes you wonder how Cragen kept his command this long.

The plots also went crazy weird for the sake of being weird. How many people want to have their legs cut off like that fetish episode? However, the episode with James Van Der Beek from Dawson's Creek was an excellent episode, well constructed, acted, etc.

The characters have all grown stale. Both Stabler and Benson had come to a point where the writers had written themselves into a corner and couldn't think of anywhere else to go with the characters. They've had Ice-T coming to terms with his son's homosexuality and the new characters had their flashes (even though they weren't the best), but the two leads were stuck.
 
^ This last season was better - more realistic in terms of plots, i.e. not many of the outlandish wide-ranging stuff they used to have. And for the first time in years, if not ever, all episode titles were more than one word. :lol:
 
I have seen Homicide many, many times. I absolutely adore it. The show never jumped, was always compelling even in the sub par final two seasons, and as SVU has gone on, it has become a far cry from Homicide. Seriously, I don't understand why TNT just doesn't rerun it and get a few million viewers. Instead of having that quality on tv, SVU just plods along.

But if Cragen is forced out, then does that mean Munch will end up in charge? They would never make Benson a Sergeant. It seems once a character is promote to sergeant, it is the kiss of death because the writers don't know what to do with such a middle man position. Even so, it would take a lot more to get me to pursue SVU again. What's left for them to do? You know, I'm surprised they never tried an SVU spinoff. A few cross overs with another city SVU or have a character move and join elsewhere. Not that it would really change much, but it would be some form of fresh whilst keeping the heinous aspects.

Although, is anyone else worried how homogenized we've become to it all?
 
Sorry for the bump, but Firefly fans might want to take a note of this...apparently there is a major cast change in store for SVU season 14:

Adam Baldwin, who plays the new Captain

Also it may feature the return of

Elliot Stabler, if only for one episode or so. There hasn't been a definite word on this but Chris Meloni said he'd be up for it, there was never any bad blood when he left the show and that he'd like to do a guest return if asked

And a guest appearance by

Kathryn Erbe, playing her CI character Alexandra Eames
 
Last edited:
Sorry for the bump, but Firefly fans might want to take a note of this...apparently there is a major cast change in store for SVU season 14:

Adam Baldwin, who plays the new Captain
=

That's a one-time guest spot in the season premiere.
 
I'm not certain but it seems that Mariska Hargitay's acting is not nearly as good without Meloni to play off of. The last couple of seasons she has come off shrill, overbearing, and more or less as a wannabe avenging angel.

Dude...that's her character. Always has been. It's in the show bible.
 
I went into S13 being really skeptical - it seemed like SVU has always been so much about the Benson/Stabler dynamic that the show would just be too odd without it.

Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the new cast members did. I loved Cold Case, so for me, seeing Danny Pino was awesome. Wasn't really thrilled about the wife affair storyline...but the hot temper thing sort of reminded me of Scotty Valens, so in that sense it was at least familiar footing.

And I also found that, contrary to what I expected, it was kinda nice to take a break from Benson & Stabler. Yes, at one time it made that show what it was...but there are only so many seasons you can watch what became rehashes of the same old arguments, etc. I think that the insertion of new characters brought my interest levels up a bit....which I really didn't expect.

I will be setting my DVR again this year so I should see most of it. This show is no longer 'must see' for me...but I still record it. If I get to it before it's deleted, great..otherwise, oh well.

When does the new season start?
 
^ Thanks. My DVR will probably record it since it's still set from last year. But I want to be sure. The only other show I watch on NBC is Grimm, and I'm a couple of episodes behind on that...plus I FF through commercials.
 
I get SVU from the iTunes store...I wish they'd hurry up and add the preorder for Season 14, it airs in just a couple of weeks and there's no season pass option yet. :(
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top