Law & Order’s Biggest Issue Is The Lack Of Law Itself

Summary:

• Law & Order is an NBC crime procedural drama that was expanded into a television franchise.
• In 2022, the show has been revived after a 12-year hiatus, but viewers don't think the comeback is successful.
• According to fans, ever since the revival Law & Order started to lack realism and could use a real legal advisor on set.

When it comes to any type of television series, the creative team is allowed to shape the universe in which the characters exist as they see fit. If there are some details that wouldn't make sense in real life but play into the show's narrative, viewers are likely to turn a blind eye and enjoy the story anyway.

However, when it comes to procedural dramas, the audience tends to hold the creators to a higher standard. Of course, there are some examples of shows that twist the professional element any way they want, like Grey's Anatomy does with medicine, but that only pushes the show further away from procedural and closer to the soap opera genre.

The success of NBC's Law & Order has always been based on quality writing and brilliant acting. These were the factors that made the show so popular and allowed it to grow into a franchise that now consists of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime. The original show, however, is dangerously lacking in both.

Is Law & Order Based On Real Life?

One tradition the show still manages to maintain is the episodes based on real events. However, a good half of them are still scripted, and that's where fans see the biggest problem. The more stories the writers have to come up with, the less believable they become, especially in terms of legal practice.

With all kinds of crimes and all kinds of nuances, you wouldn't expect the writers to know all the details of the law. However, in order to keep the show at least somewhat true to current practice, the viewers would want Law & Order to have a legal advisor on set to control the way the cases are handled.

Whether or not one is employed is unknown. However, according to fans of the show who are involved in legal work in one way or another, as the show progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to watch without being annoyed by all the misconduct.

Redditor ctdca shared their frustration on the r/LawAndOrder subreddit:

“It feels juvenile and unserious. The old show may have taken some liberties but it still felt like you were watching professionals work through complex issues within the framework of the law. This current version makes the law seem like some vague thing that exists in the background <...> It’s not believable, entertaining, or worth watching at this point.”

Without the "law" part, it's unlikely there's any "order" left, so if the team behind Law & Order doesn't start changing the way they approach cases in court, the show might as well get a whole new title.

If you still have hope that the revival can be saved, you can tune in for new episodes of Law & Order season 23 on Thursdays on NBC.

Source: Reddit