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The Movie: Dick Wolf's "Law and Order" has been one of NBC's most successful television franchises in many years, with a few spin-offs that have been almost as popular as the original, including "Special Victims Unit", "Crime & Punishment" and "Trial By Jury". There's also been video games and a TV movie. There's also the occasional parody, such as on "The Simpsons" and, more recently, "Family Guy". The original series combines police and courtroom drama, and does so quite well. Within each hour-long episode, the detectives try and solve a case, while we also watch it be prosecuted. With strong editing, the series moves smoothly between these two venues. The performances and direction also remain first rate. In terms of acting, the third year of the season offered a big change for the series, as actor Jerry Orbach (who, sadly, passed away last year from cancer) became a regular on the show, portraying Detective Lennie Briscoe. Orbach's exceptionally strong delivery and timing really brought the series to another level. Orbach essentially replaced Paul Sorvino, whose Phil Cerretta character was injured in the line of duty. Also providing fine performances in this third year are: Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty (who left after this season) and Steven Hill. This season also sees two enjoyable new additions to the cast: S. Epatha Merkerson and Jill Hennessy. Although the franchise shows some signs of strain (the recent "Trial By Jury" was cancelled, surprisingly), the original "Law and Order" still remains successful due to what it's offered since early on: characters that are well-realized and memorable, as well as strong, intelligent writing. Season 4 67. 4- 1 69009 15 Sep 93 Sweeps - A talk-show host stages the murder of a child molester and therapist on-air. 68. 4- 2 69017 29 Sep 93 Volunteers - A homeless man is found dead, and Stone tries to prosecute one of the residents of the neighborhood for the crime. 69. 4- 3 69012 6 Oct 93 Discord - A college student charges a musician with rape, but he claims the act was consensual. 70. 4- 4 69010 13 Oct 93 Profile - Stone finds himself up against an ambitious black lawyer defending an admitted racist charged with several murders. 71. 4- 5 69004 20 Oct 93 Black Tie - A wealthy woman tries to cover up the murder of her husband, having his body embalmed and buried. 72. 4- 6 69006 27 Oct 93 Pride and Joy - A 17-year-old boy is charged with the murder of his father, resulting in questions about self-defense. 73. 4- 7 69013 3 Nov 93 Apocrypha - Stone and Kincaid try to prove that a woman who planted a bomb in a parking garage was brainwashed by a cult leader. 74. 4- 8 69018 9 Nov 93 American Dream - A skeleton found on a building site brings one of Stone's old cases back and results in him once again facing the criminal, who's looking for a new trial. 75. 4- 9 69021 16 Nov 93 Born Bad - A lawyer decides to defend her teenage client charged with murder as an adult with the claim that he's violent because due to an extra Y chromosome. 76. 4-10 69005 1 Dec 93 The Pursuit of Happiness - A "green card" bride is accused of murdering her husband, who was going to divorce her shortly before she'd qualify to stay. 77. 4-11 69008 5 Jan 94 Golden Years - An 82-year-old is found dead in her apartment, after what appears to be a break-in. 78. 4-12 69024 12 Jan 94 Snatched - A millionaire friend of Schiff's won't cooperate with the police after his son is kidnapped. 79. 4-13 69023 19 Jan 94 Breeder - While investigating a woman's claim that she passed out and woke up to find her newborn gone, Briscoe and Logan uncover an adoption scam. 80. 4-14 69026 2 Feb 94 Censure - A phone call threatening a woman's daughter leads to a case that causes Kinkaid 81. 4-15 69028 9 Feb 94 Kids - A 14-year-old's shooting death involves the son of a former officer, who happens to be a friend of Briscoe's. 82. 4-16 69027 2 Mar 94 Big Bang - A scientist becomes the chief suspect when his estranged wife is killed by a letter bomb. 83. 4-17 69029 9 Mar 94 Mayhem - Briscoe and Logan face a long day, as the next 24 hours has several cases in front of the two. 84. 4-18 69002 30 Mar 94 Wager - Briscoe and Logan believe that the killing of a star athlete's father is due to gambling debts. 85. 4-19 69030 13 Apr 94 Sanctuary - A black minister fans the flames of racial intolerance after a hit-and-run occurs and the Jewish driver isn't indicted. 86. 4-20 69011 4 May 94 Nurture - Briscoe and Logan investigate the disappearance of a child from a foster home and the clues lead to a disturbed woman who says she took the child for their own good. 87. 4-21 69001 18 May 94 Doubles - An assailant breaks the wrists of a tennis star, and a competitor stands as a suspect. 88. 4-22 69031 25 May 94 Old Friends - A pedestrian is hit by a truck, and the investigation leads to a baby food company with a partner that has mob connections. The DVD VIDEO: "Law and Order"'s fourth season set once again offers the series in its original aspect ratio, 1.33:1 full-frame. The presentation from Universal is generally first-rate, with sharpness and detail that are not exceptional, but remain generally very good for a television series presentation. There are some faults present, though: the presentation does show some minor-to-mild grain, and some slight shimmering and traces of pixelation also appear. Colors remained natural and without issue, as no smearing or other concerns presented themselves. SOUND: The stereo soundtrack remains crisp and clear, with well-recorded music, dialogue and effects. EXTRAS: Deleted scenes. Final Thoughts: "Law and Order" continues in top form in the fourth season, as it offers several highlight episodes and quite a few good ones. The acting remains strong, and the addition of a couple of new cast members has a positive result. Universal's DVD set offers a few minor supplements, as well as fine audio/video quality. Recommended for fans. |