3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss M E N U (L to R) Law & Order stars Jerr y Orbach, Angie Harmon, Sam Waterston, and Jesse L. Martin pictured in 1999. UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL TELE VISION/HULTON A RCHIVE /GET T Y IMAGES E N T E R TA I N M E N T 20 Arresting Facts About Law & Order BY RANDEE DAWN MARCH 23, 2021 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 1/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss At more than years old8 the Law & Order universe seems to have always been with us7 Revolutionary when the mothership show also known as original recipe premiered in %%8 Law & Order debuted in an era when cable was still a baby and streaming wasnt even invented yet7 NBC called it quits on the original series in 8 but Law & Order still goes on in endless reruns7 Considered the "th best show of all time by Rolling Stone8 its probably playing somewhere on your TV right now7 But how much do you really know about Law & Order? Here are historical bits about the series and its stars—plus how it had a large hand in helping revitalize New York Citys TV industry7 1. LAW & ORDER CREATOR DICK WOLF GOT HIS START WRITING AD COPY. Franchise creator Dick Wolf made his screenwriting bones writing films like School Ties and episodes for series like Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues8 but he actually came from an advertising background7 Before he left the ad world in the mid%#s8 Wolf had penned such legendary ad lines as You cant beat Crest for fighting cavities and National Airliness controversial Im Cheryl: Fly Me7 I turned and realized I didnt want https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 2/18 3/23/2021 tu 20ed Arresting a d Facts ea Abouted 'Law d d & Order't wa | tMental Floss to sell toothpaste for the rest of my life8 Wolf said in Law & Order9 The Unofficial Companion7 2. LAW & ORDER STAR S. EPATHA MERKERSON SET A TV RECORD FOR A BLACK ACTOR. S. Epatha Merkerson attends SCAD aTVfest 2020. VIVIEN KILLILEA/GETT Y IMAGES FOR SCAD ATVFEST 2020 S7 Epatha Merkerson first appeared on Law & Order as a guest star in season more on that below8 then was hired fulltime in %% to play Lieutenant Anita Van Buren8 who bossed around every homicide detective in the #th Precinct until the series concluded in 7 She appeared in %! episodes over # consecutive seasons—and today holds the record as TVs longest running Black female character in primetime7 Until #8 she held the record for TVs longestrunning Black character in primetime—until Law & Order9 SVU star IceT began his $th season on the spinoff7 3. CHRIS NOTH WAS NOT A SHOO-IN FOR THE PART OF DETECTIVE MIKE LOGAN. Though the actors who ultimately got https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 3/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss hired in the key original roles will forever live in our memories as the only true possibilities8 it turns out that future ER hunk Eriq La Salle was up for the role of ADA Paul Robinette the part eventually went to Richard Brooks8 and future Pulp Fiction star Michael Madsen was being considered for Detective Mike Logan which ultimately went to Chris Noth7 According to Inside Television Producing8 which features a detailed look at the early production process for the show8 Madsen was seen to have great sex appeal8 but was not considered a good combination with George Dzundza8 who played Sergeant Max Greevey during Law & Orders first season7 Noth was8 by contrast8 a more compatible choice7 4. LAW & ORDER’S ORIGINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY ONLY APPEARED IN ONE EPISODE. Roy Thinnes was cast as Alfred Wentworth8 the shows original district attorney8 who appeared in Law & Orders pilot episode which ultimately was aired as its sixth episode7 But there was such a lag between when the pilot was shot and when the show was ultimately picked up that Thinnes had already been contracted to another series and couldnt reprise the role7 With Thinnes out8 original Mission9 Impossible cast member Steven Hill was hired as DA Adam Schiff: he remained with the show for $ episodes plus https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 4/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss one episode of SVU8 departing in 7 Hill8 who died in " at age % 8 was an Orthodox Jew who would not film on the Sabbath8 so his scenes had to be worked around that schedule7 5. NBC WASN'T THE FIRST—OR EVEN THE SECOND—NETWORK LAW & ORDER’S CREATORS PITCHED. The shows first episode was originally shot in %$$8 with CBS as the intended airing network7 Fox had been considered at one point8 then discarded when thennetwork head Barry Diller declared it wasnt a Fox show8 according to the Unofficial Companion7 That pilot episode8 written by Dick Wolf and titled8 Everybodys Favorite Bagman8 was meant to look documentarystyle gritty8 and so was shot on "mm film8 then blown up to !mm8 which made it look like nothing else on TV7 But there were ongoing technical and audio issues8 and in the end CBS didnt pick the pilot up7 Wolf was liked at NBC thanks to his work on Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues8 so then network president Brandon Tartikoff ordered episodes of Law & Order for their fall %% schedule—two years after the pilot was shot7 6. LAW & ORDER HAD TONS OF CROSSOVER APPEAL. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 5/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss Law & Order creator Dick Wolf and Chris Noth celebrate the 100th episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in New York City in 2006. SCOTT GRIES/GETT Y IMAGES Naturally the shows cast crossed over with other series in the L&O franchise8 but Wolfs close friendship with Homicide9 Life on the Street showrunner Tom Fontana led to three extra franchise crossovers of cast and story9 Charm City/For God and Country %%": Baby Its You %%#: and Sideshow %%%7 In addition8 L&Os Detective Logan Noth put in a cameo on Homicides Law & Disorder %%! episode8 escorting a fugitive back to Baltimore7 That scofflaw? Legendary director and Baltimore native John Waters7 7. DICK WOLF'S UNION DEALS BROUGHT PRODUCTION IN NEW YORK CITY BACK TO LIFE. To Wolf8 there was no question that Law & Order would shoot on location in New York City7 But in %$$ and to some extent in %%8 when production truly began8 the Big Apple had almost no television production going on7 Unions had longstanding rules in place that made sense for feature films to shoot there8 but werent practical or affordable for television series7 So Wolf went to the union heads and had what he described to me in %%# as a major meeting 777 I think the phrase I used https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 6/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss was8 Hey guys8 % percent of the wealth is better than no bread at all7 The unions agreed to some work rule concessions the show wasnt charged a location fee for the first four seasons8 for example8 which made shooting in New York still a bit of a premium8 but affordable enough that the shows budget could handle it7 By %%#8 Wolf estimated that Law & Order alone had dropped about & million back into the city7 The concessions led to a renaissance in television production in and around the city that continues to this day7 8. GUEST ROLES ON LAW & ORDER SOMETIMES TURNED INTO PERMANENT GIGS. Going from guesting on the show to returning as a regular8 new character happened more than once9 S7 Epatha Merkerson guested in Mushrooms in %%8 then returned in %% as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren: Jerry Orbach first appeared as an attorney in %%s The Wages of Love8 then signed on as Detective Lennie Briscoe in %%: and Jeremy Sisto appeared in #s The Family Hour and came back the following year as Detective Cyrus Lupo7 9. SOME LAW & ORDER GUEST STARS RETURNED SO FREQUENTLY THEY WERE CALLED "REPEAT OFFENDERS." Since Law & Order drew on a New York https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 7/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss based casting pool8 it was inevitable that actors would show up on multiple episodes as entirely different characters7 Fans created a Repeat Offenders website8 attempting to list every actors name and appearance8 which still exists online today though it hasnt been updated since 7 10. LAW & ORDER WASN'T A CRITICAL DARLING. Law & Order stars Sam Waterston and Jerr y Orbach arrive at the 52nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2000. KEVIN WINTER/IMAGEDIRECT/HULTON ARCHIVE VIA GETT Y IMAGES Though the show aired from %% to 8 it wasnt exactly Emmy catnip7 L & Order won six Emmys in its lifetime8 four of which were for technical categories like cinematography and sound editing7 Only one performer won an acting Emmy9 Elaine Stritch for %%s Point of View7 The series only earned the Outstanding Drama Series award once8 in %%#7 Consolation prize9 It did win five Golden Globes for Best TV Series drama8 and stars Michael Moriarty Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Stone and Sam Waterston Executive Assistant District Attorney https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641853/law-and-order-tv-show-facts 8/18 3/23/2021 20 Arresting Facts About 'Law & Order' | Mental Floss Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy won Globes for their performances in %% and %%!8 respectively7 11.