Wolf vs. Bruckheimer
In the ongoing battle between TV production giants Dick Wolf and Jerry Bruckheimer, Wolf has raised the ante with his newest permutation of the Law and Order format, “Law and Order: Trial by Jury.”
Premiering Thursday night, Wolf’s latest effort once again displayed the kind of tight scripting that has built the franchise into such a solid force. In the production wars, Bruckheimer, creator of the CSI franchise, may win for snazzy production-value, but Wolf takes the scripting prize hands down.
I’ve heard that Wolf’s group of writers is the only writing team in Hollywood whose average age is over 40. It shows, and I mean that in the good sense. Of course, my opinion on this is immediately suspect, seeing as how I’m well north of forty.
But, discounting my bias, there’s something to be said for writing that’s forged out of some longevity of life experience. The perpetually clueless television executives, who lust after the coveted youth audience (because these are the people whose buying habits are still in a state of flux), have all concluded (Wolf excepted) that they have to employ writers who aren’t dry behind the ears in order to be relevant to the desired audience.
Suffering one flop after another, they’ve now figured out that they can dispense with the writers altogether by going for the “reality” format.
Despite Wolf's capabilites, I do have a couple of minor quibbles with the new show: what is a guy with a slow southern drawl (Fred Thompson) doing as the New York District Attorney? Everybody knows that real-life NY DA’s are rapid-tongued Italians or Jews, spitting out words at the rate of an AK-47.
And, as always with all the Law and Orders, the assistant (Amy Carlson) to the assistant DA (nicely played by the talented Bebe Neuwirth ) is eye candy. Not to disparage Carlson’s abilities (the jury is out on that—pardon the pun), but can’t they come up with a normal-looking person? The men aren’t hunks. So why do the women always have to be so fetching?
Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
Now that I've finished my rant, I'll back up and say good post to you. I think all the Law & Order series are pretty good, if I am in front of the TV during hteir timeslots I usually watch them w/o feeling like I am wasting my time. In a way, they illustrate the many facets and challenges of criminal justice against some fine acting and human drama, hard to find anyhitng that actually educates or provokes thought without hysterical bias or boring us to death.
I think the Discovery Channel provides more more riveting reality TV with shows like "American Chopper". Sure, it's a small cast and the theme is building bikes, but the interaction between the cast and the tensions and trials of completing something with a deadline has hardly been boring. Not only that, the cast actually works together and produces something useful, lasting, and in its own way, beautiful. What do the rats-in-a-cage on reality TV ever do that means a damn thing?
"Overhaulin'" IIRC , opn the Learning Channel is also pretty good, a less hyped version of "Pimp My Ride", I find it intereresting that the vehicles nominated for overhaul are usually owned by someone other than the nominator, a chance to do something good for someone they care about. Contrast this with the "fuck you, Iam going to get mine" mentality of a lot of the other shows, I know which I am more likely to spend an hour of my limited TV time on.