Law & Order: Los Angeles
Encyclopedia
Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural
and legal drama
television series set in Los Angeles
, where it was produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf
and developed by Blake Masters
, it premiered on NBC
on September 29, 2010, as a spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama Law & Order
.
The show received a full season pickup on October 18, 2010. On January 18, 2011, however, NBC announced that it was putting the series on hold indefinitely. According to a representative of the show, the scheduling change was not caused entirely by the recent cast shake-up. The network later announced a return date for the series, April 11, 2011; and the final episode scheduled for July 11, 2011.
Law & Order: LA was canceled by NBC on May 13, 2011.
Reports in early May suggested that NBC had made the decision to pick up Law & Order: Los Angeles with a 13-episode order for fall 2010, having brought Brotherhood creator Blake Masters
on board to co-create the new series set in Los Angeles
with Wolf. NBC confirmed the new series order on May 14, 2010. René Balcer
serves as showrunner and head writer on the series and executive produces alongside the pilot’s writer Blake Masters, Wolf, Peter Jankowski and Christopher Misiano, previously of The West Wing.
The show received a full season pickup on October 18, 2010. It underwent a cast shake-up for a creative overhaul in January 2011; Skeet Ulrich
, Regina Hall
, and Megan Boone
departed the cast. The show jumped to the episodes with the new cast airing first. The remaining episodes with the original cast began airing on May 30, 2011 with the episode "Plummer Park".
on NBC. Following the hiatus, the series moved to Monday nights at 10:00 p.m.
canceled Law & Order: LA on May 13, 2011, almost one year after NBC canceled the original Law & Order
series. NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt
gave creator Dick Wolf credit for reinventing the show and said, "We tried but we didn’t have the time period to bring it back if it isn’t going to show signs of growth."
Greenblatt also said to TV Guide
when they asked about LOLA's cancellation, "We moved it around, took it off the schedule and tried to revamp it. It improved significantly creatively, and it didn't have a great lead-in on Mondays. It was one of those tough decisions: do we stick with it or was it time to move on?" Before the upfronts Greenblatt added, "Law & Order: LA, I think we just didn't get it off the ground right. It was put on the schedule without a pilot last fall before I arrived. There was all kinds of chaos going on: the show did well then it was taken off. In a different scenario that might have worked better but we just thought it wasn't a strong enough player to continue into next season." Show runner René Balcer
released a video shortly after its cancellation was announced, urging fans to call NBC
to renew the series, and stating that the season would end with a cliff-hanger. (However, due to the episodes being aired out of sequence, the episode he referred to, "Hayden Tract", was in fact not the final episode to be aired.)
Law & Order: LA makes the second Law & Order series to be cancelled by NBC only after the first season, Law & Order: Trial by Jury
—cancelled in 2005—being the first.
The first casting was announced in June 2010 when Skeet Ulrich
was cast, he portrayed LAPD Detective Rex Winters; as the result of a creative overhaul, Ulrich's character was killed in the line of duty by a drug cartel. Corey Stoll
, portrays LAPD Detective Tomas "TJ" Jaruszalski, originally partnered to Rex Winters, later Ricardo Morales. Wanda De Jesus
originally portrayed Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales on July 31, 2010, but left in September after filming only the first two episodes. Rachel Ticotin
later joined the cast as Gonzales replacing De Jesus, re-shooting her scenes after the pilot episode
.
Alfred Molina
was cast as Deputy District Attorney Ricardo Morales; later, his character resigns from the District Attorney's office out of frustration with the justice system and the prosecutorial politics. Molina is now portraying a police detective, replacing Skeet Ulrich's Detective Winters.
Regina Hall
who played DDA Morales' partner, Deputy District Attorney Evelyn Price. Her character resigns from the district attorney's office shortly after Molina's DDA Morales does. Hall was written out during the show's creative overhaul.
Terrence Howard
joined the cast as Deputy District Attorney Jonah "Joe" Dekker whose character was set to work alongside Deputy D.A. Morales; Howard and Molina splitting the workload, each appearing roughly in half the episodes thus allowing the show to star feature film actors and the actors to stay active in movies. When Morales decides to go back to being a detective, Dekker becomes the sole DA, another effect of the creative overhaul. Megan Boone
was featured as Junior Deputy District Attorney Lauren Stanton; Dekker's assistant. Boone was written out during the creative overhaul, with the explanation that her character moved to D.C. when her boyfriend got a job there.
Following the show's revamp, Law & Order
actress Alana de la Garza
reprised her role as Connie Rubirosa
, now Dekker's new partner. Rubirosa moves from New York City to Los Angeles to be close to her ailing mother.
. From the tony Beverly Hills to the seedy side of Hollywood, LAPD
's elite Robbery Homicide Division is on the case. Fusing classic ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling with the backdrop of LA, the series delves into the high-profile crimes of the West Coast." The format is similar to the other Law & Order shows, though adapted to the Los Angeles criminal justice system: each episode starts by depicting a crime, then presents the LAPD investigation, the prosecution by the L.A. County District Attorney, and the trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court
. The crimes prosecuted are codified in the California Penal Code
. As in other L.A. police procedural shows, crimes are sometimes referred to by their Penal Code section numbers.
Law & Order: LA is the only American Law & Order series set outside of New York City
.
An opening narration was not used for the first two episodes. Starting with the third episode, the Steven Zirnkilton
narration for the original Law & Order is used. The narration was modified after the hiatus to explicitly mention Los Angeles.
Originally, the series was the first in the franchise not to use a full-length theme showcasing each of the cast members. Instead, this variant utilized a short opening that only displayed the show's title and "Created by Dick Wolf". Starting with the sixth episode, this short opening was dropped completely; the series' cast is presented during the show's first act, before the episode's list of guest stars and crew.
With the cast changes after the hiatus, a full title sequence similar to the other series in the franchise was introduced. The show opens with a night view of the city skyline in gold. As the narration is spoken, labels of areas in and around the city appear as if floating above; from those letters float together to form the series title. After the opening scene in which the crime is established, a credits sequence shows the series' principals in slow motion while a faint arrangement of the traditional Law & Order theme plays.
The show continues to use the iconic Friz Quadrata
typeface that is used throughout the Law & Order franchise for its credits.
), was introduced in a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
episode (which aired on September 29, 2010) before the premiere episode of Law & Order: Los Angeles aired. The episode focuses on an investigation involving a rape kit, which takes Detective Olivia Benson
(Mariska Hargitay
) from New York City
to Los Angeles
.
Jonah Dekker (Terrence Howard
) appeared in the Law & Order: SVU episode titled "Reparations
", stepping out of his Los Angeles role as Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney to defend his cousin. This episode aired on April 6, 2011.
The debut of Law & Order: LA did fairly well, bringing in 10.6 million viewers and averaging a 3.2 rating with viewers ages 18-49. That was enough to dominate the 10 p.m. slot, and give NBC
its biggest show of the week so far, and improve the network's time slot average by 63 percent versus last season. Although when it returned revamped on Monday night on April 11, 2011 back-to-back, the episodes together averaged 6.10 million viewers with a 1.5/4% rating with viewers ages 18-49.
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
and legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
television series set in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where it was produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony "Dick" Wolf is an American producer, specializing in crime dramas such as Miami Vice and the Law & Order franchise. Throughout his career he has won several awards including an Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Early life:Wolf was born in New York City, the son...
and developed by Blake Masters
Blake Masters
Blake Masters is an American writer, director, and producer of films and television series. He is the creator of the Showtime television series Brotherhood, and developer of Law & Order: LA.Masters grew up in New England....
, it premiered on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on September 29, 2010, as a spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
.
The show received a full season pickup on October 18, 2010. On January 18, 2011, however, NBC announced that it was putting the series on hold indefinitely. According to a representative of the show, the scheduling change was not caused entirely by the recent cast shake-up. The network later announced a return date for the series, April 11, 2011; and the final episode scheduled for July 11, 2011.
Law & Order: LA was canceled by NBC on May 13, 2011.
History and development
On January 10, 2010, NBC programming chief Angela Bromstad announced at the winter TCA Press Tour that the network was in talks with Dick Wolf about producing a new series, titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, and indicated that NBC was seeking to hire writers for a pilot.Reports in early May suggested that NBC had made the decision to pick up Law & Order: Los Angeles with a 13-episode order for fall 2010, having brought Brotherhood creator Blake Masters
Blake Masters
Blake Masters is an American writer, director, and producer of films and television series. He is the creator of the Showtime television series Brotherhood, and developer of Law & Order: LA.Masters grew up in New England....
on board to co-create the new series set in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with Wolf. NBC confirmed the new series order on May 14, 2010. René Balcer
René Balcer
René Balcer is a Canadian television writer, director and producer.-Early life:He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and attended Lower Canada College in Montreal. He earned his B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Communication Studies from Concordia University in 1978. He began his career as a journalist,...
serves as showrunner and head writer on the series and executive produces alongside the pilot’s writer Blake Masters, Wolf, Peter Jankowski and Christopher Misiano, previously of The West Wing.
The show received a full season pickup on October 18, 2010. It underwent a cast shake-up for a creative overhaul in January 2011; Skeet Ulrich
Skeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
, Regina Hall
Regina Hall
Regina Hall is an American film and television actress known for her lead role of Brenda Meeks in the Scary Movie films and as Corretta Lipp in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal.-Personal life:...
, and Megan Boone
Megan Boone
Megan Boone is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Junior Deputy District Attorney Lauren Stanton on the NBC television series Law & Order: Los Angeles. Boone left the series in 2011 due to a creative overhaul....
departed the cast. The show jumped to the episodes with the new cast airing first. The remaining episodes with the original cast began airing on May 30, 2011 with the episode "Plummer Park".
Broadcast history
The show was originally broadcast in the Wednesday 10:00 p.m. timeslot after Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
on NBC. Following the hiatus, the series moved to Monday nights at 10:00 p.m.
Cancellation
NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
canceled Law & Order: LA on May 13, 2011, almost one year after NBC canceled the original Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
series. NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt
Robert Greenblatt
Robert Greenblatt is an American television executive and currently the chairman of NBC Entertainment.-Career:Greenblatt began his television career at the Fox Broadcasting Company where he ran prime-time programming and developed such shows as the original Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place,...
gave creator Dick Wolf credit for reinventing the show and said, "We tried but we didn’t have the time period to bring it back if it isn’t going to show signs of growth."
Greenblatt also said to TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
when they asked about LOLA's cancellation, "We moved it around, took it off the schedule and tried to revamp it. It improved significantly creatively, and it didn't have a great lead-in on Mondays. It was one of those tough decisions: do we stick with it or was it time to move on?" Before the upfronts Greenblatt added, "Law & Order: LA, I think we just didn't get it off the ground right. It was put on the schedule without a pilot last fall before I arrived. There was all kinds of chaos going on: the show did well then it was taken off. In a different scenario that might have worked better but we just thought it wasn't a strong enough player to continue into next season." Show runner René Balcer
René Balcer
René Balcer is a Canadian television writer, director and producer.-Early life:He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and attended Lower Canada College in Montreal. He earned his B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Communication Studies from Concordia University in 1978. He began his career as a journalist,...
released a video shortly after its cancellation was announced, urging fans to call NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
to renew the series, and stating that the season would end with a cliff-hanger. (However, due to the episodes being aired out of sequence, the episode he referred to, "Hayden Tract", was in fact not the final episode to be aired.)
Law & Order: LA makes the second Law & Order series to be cancelled by NBC only after the first season, Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
—cancelled in 2005—being the first.
Casting and characters
| Actor | Role | Occupation | Status | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Molina Alfred Molina Alfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears... |
Ricardo Morales Ricardo Morales (Law & Order: LA) Det. Ricardo "Rick" Morales is a fictional character featured in the NBC legal drama series Law & Order: LA, portrayed by Alfred Molina.-Fictional character biography:... |
Deputy District Attorney Detective |
Regular | 2010–2011 |
| Corey Stoll Corey Stoll Corey Daniel Stoll is an American stage and screen actor. He received a Drama Desk Award nomination as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for Intimate Apparel, opposite Tony winner and Oscar nominee Viola Davis. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1998... |
Tomas "TJ" Jaruszalski | Detective | Regular | 2010–2011 |
| Rachel Ticotin Rachel Ticotin Rachel Ticotin is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Ticotin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Iris Torres, a Puerto Rican educator, and Abe Ticotin, a Russian Jewish used car salesman. Her brother, Sahaj, is a musician and the lead singer for his rock group, Ra... |
Arleen Gonzales | Lieutenant | Regular | 2010–2011 |
| Alana de la Garza Alana de la Garza Alana de la Garza is an American actress. She is most famous for her role as A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa on the television series Law & Order and its short-lived spin-off, Law & Order: LA.-Biography:... |
Connie Rubirosa Connie Rubirosa Assistant District Attorney / Deputy District Attorney Consuela "Connie" Rubirosa is a fictional character, portrayed by Alana de la Garza, who joined the cast of long-running NBC drama series Law & Order during the 17th season premiere episode "Fame". She is the only second-chair ADA of Law &... |
DDA | Regular | 2011 |
| Terrence Howard Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television... |
Jonah "Joe" Dekker | DDA | Regular | 2010–2011 |
| Skeet Ulrich Skeet Ulrich Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream... |
Rex Winters | Detective (Murdered) |
Regular | 2010–2011 |
| Regina Hall Regina Hall Regina Hall is an American film and television actress known for her lead role of Brenda Meeks in the Scary Movie films and as Corretta Lipp in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal.-Personal life:... |
Evelyn Price | DDA (Resigned) |
Regular | 2010–2011 |
| Megan Boone Megan Boone Megan Boone is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Junior Deputy District Attorney Lauren Stanton on the NBC television series Law & Order: Los Angeles. Boone left the series in 2011 due to a creative overhaul.... |
Lauren Stanton | DDA (Resigned) |
Regular | 2010–2011 |
The first casting was announced in June 2010 when Skeet Ulrich
Skeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
was cast, he portrayed LAPD Detective Rex Winters; as the result of a creative overhaul, Ulrich's character was killed in the line of duty by a drug cartel. Corey Stoll
Corey Stoll
Corey Daniel Stoll is an American stage and screen actor. He received a Drama Desk Award nomination as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for Intimate Apparel, opposite Tony winner and Oscar nominee Viola Davis. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1998...
, portrays LAPD Detective Tomas "TJ" Jaruszalski, originally partnered to Rex Winters, later Ricardo Morales. Wanda De Jesus
Wanda De Jesus
Wanda De Jesus is a Puerto Rican-American actress. She is most notably recognized for her role as the fourth actress to portray Santana Andrade in NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara...
originally portrayed Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales on July 31, 2010, but left in September after filming only the first two episodes. Rachel Ticotin
Rachel Ticotin
Rachel Ticotin is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Ticotin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Iris Torres, a Puerto Rican educator, and Abe Ticotin, a Russian Jewish used car salesman. Her brother, Sahaj, is a musician and the lead singer for his rock group, Ra...
later joined the cast as Gonzales replacing De Jesus, re-shooting her scenes after the pilot episode
Hollywood (Law & Order: Los Angeles)
"Hollywood" is the first episode of the fifth Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: Los Angeles. The episode originally aired on September 29, 2010 on NBC...
.
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...
was cast as Deputy District Attorney Ricardo Morales; later, his character resigns from the District Attorney's office out of frustration with the justice system and the prosecutorial politics. Molina is now portraying a police detective, replacing Skeet Ulrich's Detective Winters.
Regina Hall
Regina Hall
Regina Hall is an American film and television actress known for her lead role of Brenda Meeks in the Scary Movie films and as Corretta Lipp in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal.-Personal life:...
who played DDA Morales' partner, Deputy District Attorney Evelyn Price. Her character resigns from the district attorney's office shortly after Molina's DDA Morales does. Hall was written out during the show's creative overhaul.
Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
joined the cast as Deputy District Attorney Jonah "Joe" Dekker whose character was set to work alongside Deputy D.A. Morales; Howard and Molina splitting the workload, each appearing roughly in half the episodes thus allowing the show to star feature film actors and the actors to stay active in movies. When Morales decides to go back to being a detective, Dekker becomes the sole DA, another effect of the creative overhaul. Megan Boone
Megan Boone
Megan Boone is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Junior Deputy District Attorney Lauren Stanton on the NBC television series Law & Order: Los Angeles. Boone left the series in 2011 due to a creative overhaul....
was featured as Junior Deputy District Attorney Lauren Stanton; Dekker's assistant. Boone was written out during the creative overhaul, with the explanation that her character moved to D.C. when her boyfriend got a job there.
Following the show's revamp, Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
actress Alana de la Garza
Alana de la Garza
Alana de la Garza is an American actress. She is most famous for her role as A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa on the television series Law & Order and its short-lived spin-off, Law & Order: LA.-Biography:...
reprised her role as Connie Rubirosa
Connie Rubirosa
Assistant District Attorney / Deputy District Attorney Consuela "Connie" Rubirosa is a fictional character, portrayed by Alana de la Garza, who joined the cast of long-running NBC drama series Law & Order during the 17th season premiere episode "Fame". She is the only second-chair ADA of Law &...
, now Dekker's new partner. Rubirosa moves from New York City to Los Angeles to be close to her ailing mother.
Format
According to the description of the series, posted on NBC's official website, reads, "From Dick Wolf, comes a foray into the glitz, glamour and guilt of Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. From the tony Beverly Hills to the seedy side of Hollywood, LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
's elite Robbery Homicide Division is on the case. Fusing classic ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling with the backdrop of LA, the series delves into the high-profile crimes of the West Coast." The format is similar to the other Law & Order shows, though adapted to the Los Angeles criminal justice system: each episode starts by depicting a crime, then presents the LAPD investigation, the prosecution by the L.A. County District Attorney, and the trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the Superior Court located in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States....
. The crimes prosecuted are codified in the California Penal Code
California Penal Code
The Penal Code of California forms the basis for the application of criminal law in the American state of California. It was originally enacted in 1872 as one of the original four California Codes, and has been substantially amended and revised since then....
. As in other L.A. police procedural shows, crimes are sometimes referred to by their Penal Code section numbers.
Law & Order: LA is the only American Law & Order series set outside of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
An opening narration was not used for the first two episodes. Starting with the third episode, the Steven Zirnkilton
Steven Zirnkilton
Steven Zirnkilton is an American voice-over actor, known for providing the opening narration of all shows in the Law & Order franchise. He received the job after he was originally hired by series creator Dick Wolf for a small part on Law & Order....
narration for the original Law & Order is used. The narration was modified after the hiatus to explicitly mention Los Angeles.
Originally, the series was the first in the franchise not to use a full-length theme showcasing each of the cast members. Instead, this variant utilized a short opening that only displayed the show's title and "Created by Dick Wolf". Starting with the sixth episode, this short opening was dropped completely; the series' cast is presented during the show's first act, before the episode's list of guest stars and crew.
With the cast changes after the hiatus, a full title sequence similar to the other series in the franchise was introduced. The show opens with a night view of the city skyline in gold. As the narration is spoken, labels of areas in and around the city appear as if floating above; from those letters float together to form the series title. After the opening scene in which the crime is established, a credits sequence shows the series' principals in slow motion while a faint arrangement of the traditional Law & Order theme plays.
The show continues to use the iconic Friz Quadrata
Friz Quadrata
Friz Quadrata is a glyphic serif typeface designed by Ernst Friz and Victor Caruso in 1973. It is currently available from the ITC and Linotype foundries.-Usage:...
typeface that is used throughout the Law & Order franchise for its credits.
Crossovers
The series's original main character, Detective Rex Winters (Skeet UlrichSkeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
), was introduced in a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
episode (which aired on September 29, 2010) before the premiere episode of Law & Order: Los Angeles aired. The episode focuses on an investigation involving a rape kit, which takes Detective Olivia Benson
Olivia Benson
Det. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro...
(Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe.The daughter of actress...
) from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Jonah Dekker (Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
) appeared in the Law & Order: SVU episode titled "Reparations
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 12)
The 12th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered on September 22, 2010 on NBC and concluded on May 18, 2011. The timeslot was moved from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the NBC broadcast in 2010...
", stepping out of his Los Angeles role as Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney to defend his cousin. This episode aired on April 6, 2011.
DVD Release
On September 20, 2011 Law & Order: Los Angeles: The Complete Series was released on DVD as a five-disc set. All 22 episodes are included, as well as Bonus Features.U.S. television ratings
Law & Order: LA aired on Monday nights, following The Event.The debut of Law & Order: LA did fairly well, bringing in 10.6 million viewers and averaging a 3.2 rating with viewers ages 18-49. That was enough to dominate the 10 p.m. slot, and give NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
its biggest show of the week so far, and improve the network's time slot average by 63 percent versus last season. Although when it returned revamped on Monday night on April 11, 2011 back-to-back, the episodes together averaged 6.10 million viewers with a 1.5/4% rating with viewers ages 18-49.
| Season | Episodes | Timeslot (EST) | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | Wednesday 10:00 p.m. (2010) Monday 10:00 p.m. (2011) |
2010–2011 | #59 | 7.74 |
Awards and honors
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | NAACP Image Award NAACP Image Award An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.... |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Won | Terrence Howard Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television... |
| 2011 | Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... |
Best Performance in a TV Series Guest Starring, Young Actor 18-21 |
Nominated | Hutch Dano Hutch Dano Hutchings Royal "Hutch" Dano is an American actor, known for his role as Zeke Falcone in Zeke & Luther. He also played Henry, in Ramona and Beezus, and Bailey Pickett's ex-boyfriend, Moose, in The Suite Life on Deck. He was on the Blue Team, in Disney's Friends for Change Games.Hutch was born in... "Playa Vista" |
| 2011 | Imagen Award | Best Primetime Television Program | Won | |
| 2011 | Imagen Award | Best Actress/Television | Nominated | Alana de la Garza Alana de la Garza Alana de la Garza is an American actress. She is most famous for her role as A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa on the television series Law & Order and its short-lived spin-off, Law & Order: LA.-Biography:... |
External links
on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
- Law & Order: Los Angeles on the Law & Order Wiki