After more than a month of negotiations, the future of ratings-challenged NBC crime dramas Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent is still uncertain.
This week began with a flurry of rumors Monday about the cancellation of the mothership series, which is in its 17th season.
After an in-person meeting between representatives for the series' creator, Dick Wolf, and NBC later that day, the fate of the show was moved back into the "undecided" column. Talks between the two sides are expected to stretch into early May before a final decision on the two series is made. (The franchise's third series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, was picked up for next season in January.)
"Talks have been taking place and continue to take place about the future of both Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent," Wolf said Wednesday. "I think the discussions have reached a productive stage, and it's my finest hope that we will find a way to have both shows picked up. I feel that creatively they are remarkably strong.
"Criminal Intent went through a major face-lift this fall, and I think it really worked. I also think that Law & Order is still doing a great job of telling stories that very few other shows can tackle," Wolf said.
He declined further comment on the negotiations.
"We're in discussions with Dick to explore ways to bring back one or both shows, but no final decision has been made," an NBC spokeswoman said.
From the very beginning, it was made clear by both sides that a renewal for the shows would be a business decision; both Law & Order and Criminal Intent, in its sixth season, are expensive to produce, with ensemble casts and New York-based shoots, while their ratings are down from several years ago.
But as negotiations have been going on, NBC's fortunes changed. With freshman hit Heroes still on the bench, the network posted its lowest weekly ratings among adults 18 to 49 for the past two weeks, with a number of series softening, including once-red-hot game show Deal or No Deal.
It is understood that, from a financial standpoint, even with significant cost cuts, Law & Order won't be able continue in its current slot on the low-traffic, low-ad-revenue Friday night. Things look brighter if Law & Order moves to another night, with the Wednesday 10 p.m. period--where the veteran drama spent 15 years--as a potential candidate. All of the drama series NBC has put in the time slot since sending L&O; to Fridays have fared worse than that long-running crime drama.
It is understood that the Wolf camp also is hoping for a return of its other series on the bubble, Criminal Intent to its old Sunday 9 p.m. period after football.
There has been speculation for months about potential casting changes on Law & Order, including presidential possibility Fred Thompson and Milena Govich leaving, but sources stressed that no decisions on cast changes and/or reductions will be made until there is a license fee agreement.
While its future on the network is still in doubt, the crime franchise is going strong for producers NBC Universal TV Studio and Wolf Films with international format sales and domestic syndication sales. Russian versions of Special Victims and Criminal Intent already are on the air, and France is about to launch a local version of Criminal Intent. Special Victims was recently sold in weekend syndication for the fall in the United States.
L&O and CI aren't really that interesting to me. I try to pay attention but I just can't. SVU is to die for. Granted that this current season is kind of a bore on some parts but it is still the best by far! They should never cancel this show, NBC would hurt so bad if they did.
I love the original Law and Order and Special Victims Unit. I have seen some improvements in Criminal Intent and watch it when Noth is on. I don't like the other guy. I don't know what I'll do if you remove the original and SVU. Dick Wolf has made TV tolerable for me and the thought of not having Law and Order around is very upsetting. There is NEVER too much of Law and Order in my house!
Does anyone know the latest news on whether CI has been renewed or not? I really hope that it has....
I have watch all three. I prefer L&O, but CI comes in a close second. The turn the SVU has taken this season has made it missable, and I have DVR. I agree that CI has two formulas, one for G&E and one for L&W but to be honest I have always like North's portrail of Logan and was really happy to see him brought in. I did not like his original partner, but really do like Wheeler. I think CI should be moved to another day/time slot, I watch House like mills of others, and if I didn't have DVR House would always win! As for L&O I was glad to see Farina go, he just didn't fit (perhaps I just couldn't see him as a replacement for Jerry ;p ). Of all of the new players they brought in over the years he was the worst. Wasn't sad to see Borgia go either, but I really like Connie (Loved her in CSI too). And Cassidy is a good mix with Green, puts him back in the days when he was the hot shot and Briscoe was the calmer head. All in all I think the the two shows that they aren't sure about are at their strongest now that they have been in at least a year... and the one that was a sure thing is the one I have trouble remembering to watch.moreless
I like all 3 shows..like CI better with Goren and Eames..
CI is only good when its Logan and Wheeler. So CI can stay and obviously so can SVU which in the big picture is the best one (But not recently, its newer episodes haven't been as good as CI). I don't watch the original but I still would hate to see it go. Then again I liked Trail By Jury so I must not see eye to eye with the public.
The original, Law & Order is still the best concept of the three. It may need something to freshen it up but the concept is still strong. Law & Order Special Victims Unit is just fine as long as the two main detectives remain as leads. Criminal Intent - lose it.
OK I'm a D'Onofrio fan so I'm prejudice. I like
Criminal Intent. I love Goren and Eames, even if I
i can only watch every other week.
NBC has to make some decisions and the reason a lot of problems have developed have to do with scheduling.L&O:TOS has moved from Wednesday night to Friday night. The only series which have survived that type of move to date are X-Files and JAG. They might as well be in Siberia. L&O:CI has moved from Sunday to Tuesday, against House. There a few choices: watch one, record the other; watch one, then wait for ten days to see the other one in syndication, hoping the second showing doesn't get screwed up, which could be a mistake from promising to show a particular 3rd-rate movie or some other shakeup. It might also be a case of missing it because you just don't get around to it and have to wait for it to show up in "real" syndication.If you start scrambling the scheduling, things happen. And they frequently aren't good.When Wolf, Noth, and Merkerson were on "Inside Actors Studio" -- nearly a year ago (May 7), the question re: how long L&O:TOS would remain on the air. Wolf said, "It should be possible to keep it on until the 21st season. Then it would outlast Gunsmoke in the longest-running scripted TV show."This is number of seasons, but nowhere near the number of episodes. Gunsmoke had 635 episodes + 5 specials. A lot of this is because there were many early seasons with thirty-nine episodes. That's unheard of today when there are 20-22 episodes, and if fans are lucky, 26.Right now, there are four "drama machines" right now which the networks would love to keep busy: Bruckheimer, Wolf, Bellisario, and Bochco. They can obviously create|produce shows on multiple networks at the same time.You'd like to have good relations with anyone who produces (as in creates, unless you like a pun) on a regular basis. Baseball players would love to hit .300 for a season. These folks are hitting much, much better than that, in terms of fan base, critics' raves, ad rates, personal satisfaction, and the networks. By the same token, these gentlemen would like a reciprocal relationship. Come to think of it, so would a lot of people who earn their paychecks from the shows and obviously work their collective posteriors off to be involved in such ventures. In the case of Wolf, the three L&O franchises employ a total of 600 people.In terms of what it will take to jumpstart any problems, L&O:CI committed two problems: 1) the addition of a second team only diluted the show. I have absolutely, positively no issues with Noth. After all, he was there, Episode #1. Afterwards, I turned to my wife and said, "This show will last a long, long time. It's well-developed, the story is more than plausible - which dwarfs the zenith of practically any other show. And the characters are crisp." (I have a good eye for certain things. In the twenty-one years we've been together, only one restaurant has managed to elude my pronouncement of death. Visit it in the first 7-10 days, and unless it meets the "it's gonna die soon!" criteria, go back in 3-4 weeks and make a judgment. You'd think restaurants would pay me to let them know this type of thing.)Anyway, Noth plays the character as though he has aged a few years, has suffered with being sent to Staten Island for several years, and being seen by the brass as a "mutt" during the downfall of Capt. Deakins. It's fine for L&O:CI to try & swap out some cast members, as L&O:TOS has done, and very successfully, but swapping out Sheridan and Vance for an ineffectual character played by Bogosian. Granted, the former two only had minor roles, but Eames & Goren might as well be running solo.Adding Noth has provided a reflection on Logan & the angst he's built up during his time which he might as well have been shipped to Siberia. Noth is also permitted to show Logan turning on his dark side at will, knowing when to open the door and let the lion out and shaking up the necessary targets. Meloni does this with Stabler, although you can tell he's trying to suppress a lot of deep-rooted anger, just aching to get out of the bottle. It is, however, obvious Noth was brought back as part of the team because he has been a fan favorite and the subject of many fan petitions filed online (once most people got online in '93+). The problem in all of this is Logan+whomever is on the Major Case squad, but the stories aren't anywhere close to what Goren & Eames solve. That should be seen as tailoring the script to the actors, but the plots are more like L&O:TOS, meaning there's 1 1/2 series of L&O:TOS right now, 1 L&O:SVU, and less than 1/2 L&O:CI, because of current characters.Erbe has said (supposedly) she would not have another partner if VD'O leaves. The departure of both would be the kiss of death for L&O:CI. I do see an opportunity, should Hargitay|Benson leave, Erbe would be an excellent replacement, having worked the streets in vice and being even more streetsmart than many of the current SVU characters.Finally, I've long thought a good spinoff could pair Munch & Fin, although I've not puzzled out all of the chemistry yet, but between the gov't spookiness of Munch's background and Fin's street smarts (and Ice-T's inner toughness as a US Army Ranger).I've been working on my own shows: 4 dramas -- 1 is a revival from 25 years ago, 3 original, based upon real-life circumstances, 1 reality show, and 1 game show. If the networks are tired of dealing with the "Gang of Four", they can always look me up: tv@70Bang.commoreless
I think unless these shows take a mjor face lift there is no point in keeping them Law and Order has had a long successful run and with 6 years of CI we have pretty much seen it all.. I think it is time to let them go.. or merge the 3 shows into one show and see how that runs. Then they can just call it Law and Order
I hope the original L&O will be renewed...it really deserves it !
I like svu the best it is great
L&O should be kept and the spin-offs cancelled; it was great when it was what it was.
Never was a fan of Law & Order (so I could care less what NBC does with it) but I do like both CI and SVU. I am not happy with the way the show was re-tooled this year but the changes have started to grow on me.
I just find all of them o be boring as of late.
SVU isnt going anywhere. Its like always winning its hour. NBC would have to be real stupid to let go of SVU, real stupid.
CI's gotten better this year and L&O is almost better this year than years past, and NBC's head morons bungled it with their inane time-slot changing last year, but they can make it right. I really hope both shows come back.
If either is going to end they'd need definitive ends; I was actually amazed that L&O didn't end last season because last year's finale was such a perfect way to end it, but I'm glad it kept going and I hope it continues.
Just keep SVU
Cancel them both. They're BORING!!!
CI should be canned, not the regular 1.. law and order does good for what it is on friday nights, CI posts about the same viewers on thuesday nights.
Seriously, how can the audience endure much more catch the thief and process it tale? That series needs a facelift and a major creative makeover fast, or it really should be cancelled otherwise.
They really shouldn't cancel it.
Wasn't that show Kidnapped the one that forced L&O to move to Friday's? Never agreed with NBC's decision to move it to Friday night...of course it was gonna lose viewers. And look what happened to the show that NBC moved it for-nowhere to be seen. Makes you wonder why they didn't decide to move it back to Wednesdays.
NBC has got to hire someone who knows what they are doing.
Law & Order is a good show it should get another season.
Pssh, like I keep saying, CI has been sold into syndication with all FOX affiliates for this fall! Not only that, but NBC doesn't care if CI does bad against House, because House is an NBC Universal Studios show (they stupidly sold the first-airing rights to FOX), so they make money if people watch/DVR House and/or CI. :)The mothership, if Dick Wolf smartens up and lowers the licensing fees, will continue to air on TV, as it does so well in syndication. :)SVU, of course, is the most popular Law & Order because it's the simplest (I love it as much as the other two Law & Orders, but let's be realistic, anyone can understand the simpler plots of SVU).NBC also needs three powerhouses to compete with CBS' lame ripoffs, the three CSIs, so they're not going to cancel their biggest revenue-bringers.We're safe, fellow L&O nerds!moreless
They should get someone from Homicide on. That'd be sick. I'm not too fond of the writing as of recent, either.
I use to be a fan of Law & Order Law & Order SVU and Law & Order CI but I don't watch them anymore and haven't seen since god knows when and Law & Order NY I have not been able to watch because none of the cast interest me or any of the story's so. I guess Im not a big L&O fan.
They can't take off Law & Order. It is one of the best shows on TV. They need to get rid of Govich. She is awful. Bring back Angie Harmon and Benjamin Bratt. CI and SVU need to be on different nights. Don't take this great show off the air.
hope it gets renewed
I think they moved it becuase it was doing great on Tuesdays unsitl competion of CSI: NY. The other probelem is the cast, its very boring cast.
Cancel Law & Order? I sure hope not! It's not the show's fault that ratings have plummeted -- Friday nights at 10:00 is not the place for this show!! Put it back on Wednesdays where it belongs -- and don't pair CI & SVU -- each should have their own night.
Cancel Law & Order? I sure hope not! It's not the show's fault that ratings have plummeted -- Friday nights at 10:00 is not the place for this show!! Put it back on Wednesdays where it belongs -- and don't pair CI & SVU -- each should have their own night.
I agree with Wolf475, if Law and Order were cancelled, it deserves a proper final season, if anything... but personally, just lose Govitch and perhaps Thompson and bring back Bratt or Farina or something. Viewers will tune in. I already do.
Yeah... I would hate to see L&O leave, too. I mean, it's the show that made the word perp dinner conversation...
I think it is inevitable that Law and Order will go but I would like to see it given a final season as a mark of respect for this great show. The move to Friday night was a mistake, the format of the show means it has kept up with changes in TV over its 17 year run, so I don't believe the ratings drop is down to people tiring of the show. The loss of Jerry Orbach a few years ago was, to me anyway, the beginning of the end of the show. For a series which had a rotating door, his stabling presence and superb acting was - along with Sam Waterston - what made the show such a success. Its best days are behind it, but it still has a place for at least another season.
Fingers crossed.moreless
I hope that they won't interrupt it, L&O is a good show
Hard to imagine not having Law and Order on tv. Although the show really isn't doing that well in the ratings, the writing is better than ever. I think the ratings really started going downhill afer the death of Jerry Orbach. The character of Lenny Briscoe was irreplacable. Dennis Farina, while a decent actor, just wasn't able to fill Jerry's shoes. Law and Order: CI seemed to seal it's fate when they rotated detectives. I liked the character of Mike Logan when he was on Law and Order but I just didn't enjoy seeing him on Law and Order:CI. For some reason, the character of Mike Logan lost its luster.
Law & Order Specail Victums Unit is the L&O I usually watch. The original is boring and CI is going downhill since Goren and Eams arent on much.
Can there really be a TV landscape without a Law & Order show on the air? It is something that I really hope doesn't happen.