Nick Falco
Encyclopedia
Det. Nick Falco is a fictional character
on the NBC
crime drama Law & Order
, portrayed by Michael Imperioli
. Falco appears as the junior partner of Det. Joe Fontana
at the end of season 15 after Fontana's partner, Ed Green
(Jesse L. Martin
), was shot in the line of duty. He first appeared as Joe Fontana
's partner in the last four episodes of the show's 15th season while Martin took time off to film the movie Rent
. Falco would later be the focus of the season 16 episode "Hindsight" when he is accused of murdering a woman.
As has often taken place in the Law & Order franchise, Imperioli first appeared on the original Law & Order series in an episode of season six Atonement, playing limo driver Johnny Stivers.
, Falco tends to know more about the "fine print" of the law that could sink otherwise good-faith arrests.
On playing Falco, Imperioli said, "I think what I find interesting is that the character of Nick Falco probably comes from a similar background as my character
on The Sopranos
; economically and geographically and kind of culturally. The differences: they're both Italian-American; they're both New Yorkers; they come from middle class backgrounds....The character I'm playing on Law & Order, has a real passion for making the world safe and making the city safe for people. He wants to make sure that the bad guys go to jail and that justice wins out and I think he grew up with that reverence and lives with it."
. The leader of the gang, the wife of an incarcerated criminal, had asked the woman to go home with Falco and put Rohypnol
in his drink to knock him out. The woman was later murdered (by the girlfriend of another gang member) and left in Falco's apartment in an attempt to incriminate him. Her son was in on the sting to get her only to prove to the police and Falco that she did not do it.
's Nina Cassady
...can be placed on the same trash heap as Michael Imperioli's temp job as Detective Nick Falco."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the 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...
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,...
, portrayed by Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli
James Michael Imperioli , commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an American actor and television writer. He is perhaps best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He also...
. Falco appears as the junior partner of Det. Joe Fontana
Joseph Fontana
Det. Joe Fontana is a fictional character portrayed by Dennis Farina on NBC's long running drama series Law & Order.-Character overiew:...
at the end of season 15 after Fontana's partner, Ed Green
Ed Green
Edward "Ed" Green is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order, created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by Jesse L. Martin.-Character overview:...
(Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for originating the role of Tom Collins in the Broadway theatrical production of Rent, and for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Ed Green on the NBC drama television series Law & Order.-Early life:Martin, the third of...
), was shot in the line of duty. He first appeared as Joe Fontana
Joseph Fontana
Det. Joe Fontana is a fictional character portrayed by Dennis Farina on NBC's long running drama series Law & Order.-Character overiew:...
's partner in the last four episodes of the show's 15th season while Martin took time off to film the movie Rent
Rent (film)
Rent is a 2005 American musical drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, in turn based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème. The film depicts the lives of several Bohemians and their struggles with sexuality, cross-dressing, drugs, life...
. Falco would later be the focus of the season 16 episode "Hindsight" when he is accused of murdering a woman.
As has often taken place in the Law & Order franchise, Imperioli first appeared on the original Law & Order series in an episode of season six Atonement, playing limo driver Johnny Stivers.
Characterization and production
Imperioli was brought in to play Falco after Ed Green was shot. While Falco can appear to be a "loose cannon" type, he has been known to take extra precautions when interrogating suspects or executing warrants that sometimes annoy other detectives. A part-time law studentLaw school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
, Falco tends to know more about the "fine print" of the law that could sink otherwise good-faith arrests.
On playing Falco, Imperioli said, "I think what I find interesting is that the character of Nick Falco probably comes from a similar background as my character
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
on The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
; economically and geographically and kind of culturally. The differences: they're both Italian-American; they're both New Yorkers; they come from middle class backgrounds....The character I'm playing on Law & Order, has a real passion for making the world safe and making the city safe for people. He wants to make sure that the bad guys go to jail and that justice wins out and I think he grew up with that reverence and lives with it."
Fictional biography
Falco appeared again near the end of the 16th season, when a woman he brought home was found dead in his apartment's bathroom. Falco, in an effort to clear his name, tried to investigate the murder on his own, which taints the investigation Fontana and Green were conducting. Falco's name was later cleared; detectives learned that the murdered woman was part of a criminal gang which routinely committed robberyRobbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. The leader of the gang, the wife of an incarcerated criminal, had asked the woman to go home with Falco and put Rohypnol
Flunitrazepam
Flunitrazepam is marketed as a potent hypnotic, sedative, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, amnestic, and skeletal muscle relaxant drug most commonly known as Rohypnol...
in his drink to knock him out. The woman was later murdered (by the girlfriend of another gang member) and left in Falco's apartment in an attempt to incriminate him. Her son was in on the sting to get her only to prove to the police and Falco that she did not do it.
Reception
Brian Holcomb of Slant Magazine did not regard the character in a positive light, noting that "Milena GovichMilena Govich
-Biography:She was born in Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Both of her parents, Dr. Bruce Michael Govich and Dr. Marilyn Green Govich, are professors of music: Bruce worked at University of Oklahoma and Marilyn currently works at the University of Central Oklahoma...
's Nina Cassady
Nina Cassady
Det. Nina Cassady is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order, portrayed by Milena Govich. Cassady, the first, and only, female detective in the original Law & Order series, appeared in the first episode of the seventeenth season. Cassady worked alongside Det. Ed Green Det. Nina...
...can be placed on the same trash heap as Michael Imperioli's temp job as Detective Nick Falco."
External links
- "Nick Falco," Law & Order Wiki
- "Detective Nick Falco (Character) from "Law & Order" (1990)," the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...