Hack

Uncharacteristically, this episode contains a plug for "Law & Order", a crime show which airs on NBC -- CBS's most bitter rival in the network ratings battle. It's uncertain if this is a testimony that the stature of "Law & Order" as the longest running drama currently on television has turned it into an institution, or a comment on the nearly ubiquitous presence of the "Law & Order" franchise as reruns on the TNT and USA cable networks, in addition to first-run airings on NBC. (Insert your own "The Dick Wolf Network -- All 'Law & Order', All The Time" joke here.) Of course, it could also be a sly homage to George Dzundza, who starred in the first seasons of both "Hack" (as Grizz Grzelak) and "Law & Order" (as Max Greevey). Five of the fifteen actors who appeared in this episode -- Andre Braugher, Cindy Katz, Michael Gaston, Jerold Goldstein, and Tom McCarthy -- have also made an appearance within the "Law & Order" universe.