TV.com

Law & Order

Everybody's Favorite Bagman

Season 1, Episode 6, Aired Oct 30, 1990

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

Episode Summary

EDIT

8.3

EPISODE RATING: Great

62 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate Now!

After local councilman and former bagman Charles Halsey is mugged and his throat slashed, Logan and Greevey investigate the case and the two young black male suspects. Their suspicion turns to organized crime when they link him to Masucci soldier Tony Scalisi. As Stone and Robinette continue their investigation, they realize the case is linked to a corruption scandal including a dirty councilman. Wentworth won't allow Stone to offer Scalisi immunity to avoid the appearance of impropriety, but in order to get what they want, their only option might be to make a deal with the mobster. Unable to utilize the police because of suspected corruption within the department, Stone goes to Assistant U.S. Attorney John McCormack for help.moreless

WRITE A REVIEW

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

GUEST STAR
Paul Guilfoyle

Anthony Scalisi
GUEST STAR
Trey Wilson

Eddie Cosmatos
GUEST STAR
Roy Thinnes

District Attorney Alfred Wentworth

George Dzundza

Det. Sgt. Max Greevey
Dann Florek

Capt. Don Cragen
Chris Noth

Det. Mike Logan
Richard Brooks

A.D.A. Paul Robinette
Michael Moriarty

Exec. A.D.A. Ben Stone

Watch Online

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

See All

Great Pilot for a great series.

9.0

"Superb"

By Munising1, Apr 09, 2011

"Everybody's Favorite Bagman" is a wonderful pilot. When I first started getting involved in the series, I assumed that "Prescription for Death" was the pilot as this is the way it was aired on television. I loved the story and the cast. I wish that D.A. Alfred Wentworth would have stayed with the series. I am not saying that I dislike Adam Schiff in any way, however, I would have liked to have had the chance to get to know Alfred Wentworth a little more as he seemed to fit the role very well. Max Greevey is also a character I like very much. Max and Mike Logan have a good working relationship. I highly recommend this episode. If you buy this series, I recommend watching this episode (no. 6) before "Prescription for Death" (no.1) as this was the original pilot that was made 2 years earlier.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
2 0

Flag
Share Hide
When a murdered public official is revealed to be a bagman, Greevey and Logan must investigate carefully.

10

"Perfect"

By AJB8487, Sep 04, 2010

The pilot episode of Law & Order has always been one of my more favorite episodes. I believe this was shot in 1988, and the quality of the shot really reflects this. The picture is very spotty and grainy, which gives the episode a very gritty feel. This is a quintessential episode regarding the early season style of L&O, especially in the music department.

While the episode didn't have Steven Hill as Adam Schiff, we are still introduced to some wonderful characters. Chris Noth is very youthful as Mike Logan and is given some helplessly corny lines, i.e, "This really frosts my cookies!" His acting, while not horrendous, definitely isn't as tuned as it is in the later seasons. George Dzundza plays Max Greevey, who's character reminds me a lot of Harvey Bullock from the Batman series. Dann Florek is always solid as the stressed out captain Don Cragen. The "Order" side is even better. As I side earlier, Steven Hill isn't in this episode, despite being included in the credits. Despite his absence, Richard Brooks and Michael Moriarty fill up for it, as they portray Paul Robinette and Ben Stone respectively. You can tell that they weren't sure what they wanted to do with Stone's character early on, as he comes off more like Jack McCoy in this episode. Even still, it was entertaining to see a different side of his character. Paul is comes off as conflicted throughout the whole episode as he doesn't know whether to trust his boss or his childhood hero, who is under investigation.

There were two great guest stars in this episode as well. William H. Macy plays an Assistant U.S. Attorney who helps Stone bring down the bad guys. Paul Guilfoyle, who usually plays a cop type character, is actually casted as an Italian mobster. All in all, the pilot episode, which took more than two years to finally air, represents the greatness of the early seasons of Law and Order.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
3 0

Flag
Share Hide

WRITE A REVIEW

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (7)
ADD TRIVIA
- In this pilot filmed two years before the first season, Paul Robinette is sporting a natural hair style instead of his trademark high top fade he wore throughout his three-year tenure as ADA.
  EDIT SHARE
- Max Greevey is obviously about 10 pounds lighter than in any other episode because this pilot was filmed two years before the first season.
  EDIT SHARE
- Captain Cragen has a poster of The Lone Ranger on the window of his office door.
  EDIT SHARE
- Robinette has been with Stone for eight months, the longest of any assistant in quite some time. He credited William Jefferson, his former little league coach, with being the reason he went to law school and had a hard time believing Stone's assertation that Jefferson was dirty.
  EDIT SHARE
- Stone has a copy of the 1968 Presidential campaign poster for Bobby Kennedy in his office.
  EDIT SHARE
- Logan is involved with a fellow police officer named Maggie. This is the only episode of the series that she is seen in, although she is mentioned in another episode.
  EDIT SHARE
- This episode is the first mention of the Masucci crime family, mobsters that appear from time to time through all incarnations of the series.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (2)
ADD QUOTES
- Little Girl: Are you The Man? Max Greevey:We sure are, honey.
  EDIT SHARE
- Simonize Jackson: You ain't got nothing on me, except what he said. And that's just heresy. Max Greevey: The word's 'hearsay', Simonize.
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (5)
ADD NOTES
- International Episode Titles: Germany: Ehrenwerte Killer (Honorable Killers) Czech Republic: Nejoblíbenější výběrčí (The Most Favorite Collector)
  EDIT SHARE
- William H. Macy was credited as W.H. Macy in this episode.
  EDIT SHARE
- Special billing was given to Roy Thinnes (Special Guest Star) in this episode. He was the only member of the original cast not to return once the series was picked up.
  EDIT SHARE
- Although Everybody's Favorite Bagman is the pilot episode of the series, it is shown out of order. The pilot was initially picked up by FOX, which ordered thirteen episodes before passing because they didn't feel it was the type of show they were looking for. CBS was next, but they also turned down the option because there were no break-out stars attached to the role. In syndication and on the first season DVD, this episode appears in the order in which it was originally aired in the season. This episode was originally filmed for CBS in 1988, and if you have a taped copy from when A & E aired this episode in the past, you will notice a different style of credits and graphics used on the episode from when TNT got it.
  EDIT SHARE
- Although listed in the opening credits, Steven Hill does not appear as D.A. Adam Schiff in this episode because Schiff joined after the pilot was filmed. Hill was not actually a member of the original cast. In the original opening credits for this episode, Steven Hill was not mentioned at all since he did not join the cast until after the series was picked up by NBC in August 1989 (in one of the last moves of then-NBC Entertainment Head Brandon Tartikoff). If you have a tape from when this episode aired on A & E, you will notice this.
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (1)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- This episode appears to be ripped from the headlines of the 1986 New York Parking Violations Bureau Corruption scandal. It was alleged that Queens borough president Donald Manes had used political appointments and favors as the source of large kickback schemes involving personal bureaucratic fiefdoms such as the NYC Parking Violations Bureau. Zoning franchises and cable TV franchises were being investigated, and some of Manes' appointees and associates were indicted or forced to resign. Manes committed suicide when his crimes came to light and Stanley Friedman, Michael Lazar and Lester Shafran received convictions for racketeering.
  EDIT SHARE