With end of the semester grading consuming most of my time these days, I haven’t blogged very much…of course, I haven’t watched very much to write about either.
Sometimes, at the end of the day, especially after hectic days like these, I don’t seek out something new. I just want to veg out in front of the TV and not have to think too much. At these times, I have been reading too much for work to want to read for pleasure, I’m too tired to watch something that demands my total attention – what I want is the visual equivalent of comfort food.
I think that’s why I decided to talk with Denise about the Law & Order franchise this week on Voices & Viewpoints.
I knew that we both watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit because we had talked recently about some of the high-profile guest appearances on the series – a recent episode with Ann Margaret and Jaclyn Smith in dramatic guest appearances and four new ones with Sharon Stone cast in a recurring role.
Why such high-profile appearances now? We’re into sweeps. Nielsen measures television ratings to set advertising rates all the time, but there are four times a year – in November, February, May, and July – when the company does more extensive sampling, and television networks try to be as appealing as they can during those periods. This year May sweeps runs April 29 to May 26.
Did you know that collectively over 900 hours of the Law & Order shows have been broadcast in first run? When you think about how often they’re in syndication (a lot!) and multiply that times 900, it’s an impressive sum!
Dick Wolf produces the shows. Law & Order has been on the air since 1990, SVU since 1999, and Criminal Intent since 2001. I like them all because the production values are good, the writing is usually good, and while the performances can feel a little by the numbers sometimes, but I’m willing to cut them a break because 900 hours is a lot of TV even for several teams to oversee!
Police procedurals are nothing new. I remember watching Dragnet in syndication, the 1967-70 remake (the radio drama ran from 1949-57, and original TV show ran from 1951-59). I thought it was shocking when I was a kid, especially the portrayals of hippies and communes, but I found Jack Webb’s steadfast detective character, Sergeant Joe Friday comforting in some way. I didn’t want to come up against him, but it felt good to think that he might be on my side if I needed him.
Kind of like Perry Mason, the main character in a courtroom drama instead of a police procedural (but Law & Order, especially the original series in the franchise, covers that territory, too). I used to come in from elementary school and do my homework so that I could watch episodes of Perry Mason when I was in one of the lower grades.
By then the clothes and cars were dated, and it was in black and white, but it still seemed pretty glamorous to me. At the time, I thought it would be exciting to grow up to be a lawyer and crusade for justice (and possibly marry a lawyer with nice suits and broad shoulders like Perry Mason).
I guess I’m just steeped in decades of television tradition. I much prefer more conventional police procedurals to flashier, higher-concept examples like the CSI franchise.
Although there are back-stories for the characters and some character arcs that develop over a number of episodes in the Law & Order series, the major storyline is generally self-contained. I can pick up the series like I do my knitting – or “watch” as I knit – and just relax. Put on my slippers, prop my feet, and set my needles to clicking as the stress of the day falls away.
For the Law & Order series, my expectations are moderate…not modest, but moderate…and they are often exceeded. I have a very comfortable relationship with these shows, but I’m glad they’re there and never take them for granted. I DVR new episodes but don’t feel compelled to watch until I’m looking for some comfortable shows that allow me to kick back with and click away.