- Network: NBC
- Series Premiere Date: Sep 13, 1990
Watch Now
Where To Watch
| Stream On |
|
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Wat’s perhaps more remarkable is how this latest season manages to encompass the decade-and-change of social and cultural shifts in American society, while seamlessly picking up right where the show left off as though no time has passed.
-
“Law & Order” is as clever as ever. But this narrative ingenuity can, at times, make certain of the show’s attempts to speak to issues feel hamhanded and clumsy. ... What is most novel about “Law & Order” 2.0 — the element that makes it clearest that we’re not simply picking up where we left off — is in its ability to turn the gaze towards how its cops operate.
-
It doesn’t help that the writing has all the subtlety of a cab ride down Ninth Avenue. Still, despite these shortcomings it’s a tidy hour with just enough strong performances and compelling scenes to keep things moving. The cops side of the hour is stronger than the courts side.
-
The revival feels as polished and familiar as if it had never left.
-
The original Law & Order is the TV comfort food we need right now. Whether the show will really go deep into examining the reality of policing in the post-George-Floyd era is still to be determined. But, judging by the first episode, it’s going in the right direction.
-
You will find that, except in the manner the series was always changing, swapping new characters in and out over its many years, the taste remains the same.
-
It’s a blah ending to a blah episode that only superficially resembles the series I love.
-
Law & Order fans looking for their usual fix will not be disappointed by this revival; the process of making these series appears to have been perfected to a science, and the formula clearly still works. Those looking for a little something more, however, might need to stay tuned for a few more dead bodies on the sidewalk to find out.
-
"L&O" is back, but it doesn't make a strong case for why it should be.
-
The resurrected "Law & Order" is influenced far more by its own spinoffs than its old fans would probably prefer. Neither the dialogue nor the acting is subtle. The points made are obvious, the tone leaden and the old wryness (I really miss Jerry Orbach ) is all but absent.
-
Nobody functions as an intriguing foil to anyone else because there’s no chemistry. Scenes play out like clunky Twitter exchanges rather than two people talking with human inflection. The unwavering paradigm of a white male lead prosecutor paired with an extraordinarily gorgeous female helpmate is played out.
-
The two-act structure, the “separate but equally important” intro, the Mike Post theme music and the dun-dun are still there. But the hallmarks of the show at its best — urgency, tricky plotting, bourbon-dry humor and, especially, powerful but economical acting — are missing. Maybe someone can subpoena them before the season’s over.