Shady Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Led to Benjamin Stone Leaving Law & Order
How the potential for censorship led to the change of an ADA.
Law & Order was first broadcast in 1990 and had a long run of 20 full seasons, ending in 2010. But it didn't stop there: after a long hiatus of 11 years, it was announced that the show would be revived for a 21st season, set to premiere on February 24, 2022.
Today, Law & Order seems like a show with a power that makes it almost untouchable. However, this was not always the case.
Back in 1993, when the show was just beginning to gain popularity with the general public, it was not welcomed by all. Some argued that the violent nature of the cases on which the episodes were based was harmful to viewers.
Law & Order was accused of promoting, rather than discouraging, criminal behavior.
The situation revolved around a number of different shows, but it was Law & Order that stood to lose the most in this battle with the government.
In 1993, then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno began pushing legislation to limit violence on television. Michael Moriarty, who played one of the main characters, ADA Benjamin Stone, decided to openly criticize this movement.
He accused Reno of censoring the show. Unsupported by the cast and crew, Moriarty also criticized executive producer Dick Wolf and other network executives for not taking his concerns seriously.
"I wasn't built in the corporate system. I went in there as an artist. And, suddenly, I felt fear and I heard lies and I began to feel as if I was dealing with the KGB in the Soviet Union," the actor said in his interview with Los Angeles Times back in 1994, explaining how the network tried to negotiate with him.
All allegations of firing Moriarty because of his claims against Janet Reno were denied by NBC representatives along with Dick Wolf.
According to their claims, the contract with Michael Moriarty has been terminated due to his "erratic behavior" on the set.
As unfortunate as the situation has been for both Michael Moriarty and the Law & Order production team, they seem to be moving on from it and building success on their own.
You can see Michael Moriarty's onscreen performance in Broken Silence, Shiloh, and James Dean.
Law & Order, with some new cast members as well as some very well-known personalities, is currently airing on the NBC network.