# Now many friggin networks can "Law and Order" support? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 6, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962 "2003-10-06T23:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/1 "2003-10-06T23:55:52Z")
Don’t get me wrong… _Law and Order_ is great. _Law and Order: Special Vicims Unit_ is a fine program. _Law and Order: Criminal Intent_ is terrific. Actually, I’m not sure what the deal with last one is. All the criminals in the other shows have criminal intent by definition. But WTF? It’s pretty much the entirety of TNT’s prime time programming. It’s taking over prime time USA, not to mention NBC, the originating network. It just ticks me off that there are so many channels on cable, and so few actual choices. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/2 "2003-10-06T23:59:05Z")
> [@](#): > > It just ticks me off that there are so many channels on cable, and so few actual choices. Who was it said, yeah 500 channels and not a thing to watch.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/3 "2003-10-07T00:03:09Z")
Aren’t they coming out with Law and Order: Jury Duty soon? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/4 "2003-10-07T00:26:19Z")
Not to mention Law and Order: Parking Patrol, and Law and Order: Personnel Division ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/5 "2003-10-07T00:29:54Z")
There was an article in the NY Times magazine a couple of weeks ago that discussed Law & Order. It said that the show was designed to maximize its success in syndication. Thus: no story arcs, very little background info on the characters (which also makes them easily replacable), and a consistent format. You know, CSI seems like it’s in the same vein (it’s just 9 seasons younger than Law & Order). ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/6 "2003-10-07T00:33:39Z")
Don’t forget Law and Order: Elevator Inspection Unit ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/7 "2003-10-07T00:37:32Z")
So long as L&O beats the living snot out of 99% of commercial network broadcast television, I really don’t have a problem with it. I regard the show as a law-based version of the Simpsons, as (I’m sure) the programming executives do as well. Mind you, I’ve not seen an episode of it in over two years, so it might have degraded. I just tend to think that there hasn’t been much competition yet, or it would have been dethroned by now. Next on Law and Order: _How we make all those pretty badges!_ PS: CSI (Cud Swallowed Indefinitely) doesn’t hold a candle to L&O. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/8 "2003-10-07T01:00:07Z")
Law and Order: Drunk Tank. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/9 "2003-10-07T01:00:43Z")
The funny thing is that I would rather watch a _Law & Order_ re-run on TNT than a brand-new episode of some of those shows now on the networks. ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/10 "2003-10-07T01:24:14Z")
Law and Order succeeds for the same reason McDonalds succeeds. I say this being a consumer of both products. L&O is comforting in its predictability. You get to know the format so well you can watch an episode for 45 minutes without realizing you’ve seen it five times before. L&O has to be considered the most profitable television show in history. I don’t know what the record for the longest running hour long drama is as well, but I suspect they are getting close. ---
**Author:** ![G-RAY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@G-RAY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-RAY)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/11 "2003-10-07T01:40:47Z")
I think there is some F.C.C. rule that it must be playing on at least one channel at all times. I only watch it if it is an episode with Angie Harmon. After my wife told me she would “change teams” for her I watch it just because it brings forth all sorts of mental pictures for me. But those are for a different post. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/12 "2003-10-07T01:48:20Z")
_Law & Order: Taxi and Limousine Inspector Unit_ Coming this fall. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/13 "2003-10-07T03:27:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*Not to mention Law and Order: Parking Patrol \*\* [Already done!](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/01/01blawandorder.phtml) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/14 "2003-10-07T07:30:26Z")
I likes L&O… I also likes C.S.I., and… and… okay, there’s nothing else on that I like. All the sit-coms on TV are piss-poor rip-offs from overseas (Men Behaving Badly and Coupling were two of the most gut-splitting shows ever… when shown on the BBC), the two Bs have been slowly twisting the knife in Star Trek’s gut ever since the end of DS9, and I don’t wanna watch the contestants of FearFactorSurvivorSurprisePunkWedding eat bugs. So, I guess I’m hoping it ends up supporting them all. 😃 Oh wait, I like TLC… eh, I hit submit already too late. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/15 "2003-10-07T08:18:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\* _Law and Order: Criminal Intent_ is terrific. > > \*\* _Law and Order_ is terrific. _Criminal Intent_ is a steaming load of crap. D’Onofrio, usually a fine actor, overacts all over the frakin place. And I can’t stand a character in a police drama that knows _everything!!!_ Who spots the important clue right off the bat and makes horrendous leaps of logic to come up with the correct conclusion. Who knows the bad guy just by looking at him. I love _Law and Order_ because it doesn’t have that (usually). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/16 "2003-10-07T11:40:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Don’t forget Law and Order: Elevator Inspection Unit “See, here’s the thing, the light for #5 is burned out.” “I think i’m gonna be _sick_.” ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/17 "2003-10-07T11:57:35Z")
And coming this fall, Law and Order: Bureau of Weights and Measures the spin-off from the critically acclaimed Law and order: Park Poop Patrol. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/18 "2003-10-07T12:19:17Z")
Now, if they would combine _Law and Order_ with _Taxicab Confessions_… ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/19 "2003-10-07T12:35:33Z")
Law and Order: Tree-bourne Felines Unit ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962/20 "2003-10-07T13:48:50Z")
_Law & Order: Officer Milk Carton Unit_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-many-friggin-networks-can-law-and-order-support/205962.md?page=2)