On Law & Order

Few things can end a long weekday on a great note like a quality episode of Law and Order. I won't name what the others are.

That's why I was so glad to see James Wolcott take on this important topic with one of his latest.

There never was a better head of the office than Adam Schiff, and while I disagree with Wolcott (like he gives a shit) about his views on Jack McCoy, he's right on the money when it comes to Jerry Orbach. The quintessential New York cop, there will be no replacing Lenny. I was actually sad when Orbach passed away.

The most obvious weakness on the show is in the 'assistant' role. Since Angie Harmon left, it's been kind of downhill, and their current place-holder is not making much of a dent.

The worst touch was to add actual right-winger Fred Thompson into the cast as the latest head of the department, where he weekly (and weakly) spouts awful lines that remind me why I dislike the conservative approach to dealing with real problems. His lines are hokey, they're too simple, and too often they're patently cynical and self-serving.