Law & Order’ rewrote television history

AUSTIN, Texas — During the course of 20 years, familiarity might have lulled the casual viewer into forgetting that “Law & Order” broke ground on several television fronts.



— Split procedural: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by separate yet equally important groups,” intones the introduction to “Law & Order.” Few procedural shows so elegantly balanced the portrayal of “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”

Even producer Dick Wolf’s other franchise hits, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” didn’t match this balancing act, sticking instead almost exclusively to the more sensational detective work.

— Prosecutors as heroes: Stretching as far back as “Perry Mason,” TV’s fictional lawyers usually argued for the defense. “Law & Order” was born during a conservative era, and even borrowed its title from a familiar Republican campaign theme.

It could be argued that the show neutralized criminal prosecution as a political billy club by showing that Manhattan-based liberals could fight crime just as honorably and enthusiastically as conservatives. The show also reminded us that prosecutors represented “the people” — that’s the rest of us, folks.

— Rapid episodic narrative: Procedurals from the 1980s — “Hill Street Blues,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “Miami Vice,” — often interrupted storytelling with car-chase action, charismatic scenery or painfully slow character development.

“Law & Order” moves at such a rapid, clipped rate, one can’t leave the room without missing a key clue. Some scenes last mere seconds.



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