# The return of Law and Order Mothership **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [February 25, 2022, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091 "2022-02-25T06:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/21 "2022-02-26T14:52:25Z")
Exactly! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/22 "2022-02-26T15:00:42Z")
Rick Eid was the credited writer. He wrote 6 previous episodes of Law and Order plus other episodes of “Law & Order” family. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/23 "2022-02-27T00:09:40Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I’m still discombubulated by do-gooder liberal McCoy complaining that “they want to defund the police”. Does he even understand what is meant by that statement? Does he think his office will be obsolete because the police will disappear? I’m finally watching the episode and I’m not at all surprised that McCoy was hostile to the “defund the police” sentiment. This is a career district attorney who worked with police for decades. Despite his liberal leanings, he doesn’t recognize the problems. I think this is supposed to demonstrate just how entrenched the system is. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/24 "2022-02-27T07:06:24Z")
Aw, man. This is definitely not what I, a longtime _Burn Notice_ fan, was hoping to hear about Jeffrey Donovan’s character. He was my reason to be excited about the reboot in the first place. The other additions to the cast were pretty much “fine” and/or “we’ll see” in my book, but he was the hook. He was going to be sly and witty and, you know, be Michael Westen who lived in New York now and didn’t seem to blow up as many things as he used to. But first episodes are first episodes, and they can always make a course correction. Maybe they need duct tape. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/25 "2022-02-27T23:00:28Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Maybe they need duct tape. When in doubt - C4. “Tonight’s episode: New detective Pressly (played by Brice Campbell) investigates the mysterious death of det Frank Cosgrove.” There is still time. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/26 "2022-02-27T23:21:59Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I own the whole boxed DVD set. Not any more. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I will say, if they filmed a new spinoff of Law and Order set on a generation ship traveling to a new solar system, I would watch the shit out of that. You might want to check out a BBC show from the '80s called _Star Cops_. I caught the last few minutes of _L&O_; plan to see the whole thing when I can. It was always kind of interesting when the show brought back regular characters after they had left; I’m a little surprised they did it with Jamie in the first revival episode. I like the little hints of the characters lives. Was there any explanation of what became of Lt. Van Buren? ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/27 "2022-02-27T23:40:44Z")
I watched it last night. Frankly I was somewhat underwhelmed, but I’ll watch another couple of episodes before I give up on it. I thought at times it was overly melodramatic. But most important – where the hell was Leslie Hendrix? Rodgers better be in her lab in further episodes! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/28 "2022-02-27T23:44:03Z")
Why did McCoy allow one of his staff to get away with that pleading the 5th thing? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/29 "2022-02-28T01:12:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’m finally watching the episode and I’m not at all surprised that McCoy was hostile to the “defund the police” sentiment. This is a career district attorney who worked with police for decades. Despite his liberal leanings, he doesn’t recognize the problems. I think this is supposed to demonstrate just how entrenched the system is. Not to mention that McCoy was frequently willing to “bend the rules” to get a conviction. It’s not just that he doesn’t recognize the problems, he often is part of the problem. He may be an old hippy who has fond memories of Woodstock, but as a prosecutor he’s always been very pro-police. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/30 "2022-02-28T01:53:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why did McCoy allow one of his staff to get away with that pleading the 5th thing? I don’t want to spoil anything, but IMDB doesn’t list her in the cast for the next two episodes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/31 "2022-02-28T03:35:27Z")
Hmmm, veddy interestink. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/32 "2022-02-28T06:20:31Z")
But, to be fair…when she came back as a defense attorney, it was for one episode only. Robinette had two guest appearances. By itself, it means nothing, The DAs office is a deep ocean of secrets. No one ever heard of McCoy’s best buddy Daniel Tenofskie before he was murdered. 🙂 I fear the final scene of the last episode of season 20 was cut off before it was revealed that Van Buren’s phone call said the cancer was terminal. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/33 "2022-03-01T16:19:25Z")
I thought Sam Waterston looked and acted like he had had a stroke. He seemed barely able to speak and certainly had little emotion to his face. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/34 "2022-03-01T17:11:59Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Watching the old episodes in syndication and then watching this new episode–they changed the way they filmed the show didn’t they? There were definitely some setups that didn’t feel vintage _Law & Order._ In the opening when the cops discover the body, they’re shot from below with the police flashers playing across their faces, a much more “arty” shot than the original series tended to go for. Beyond that, the sets are all new and they feel airier and more open than the original sets did. The police bullpen in particular looks cavernous and surprisingly empty. Beyond that, color me underwhelmed alongside everyone else. Cosgrove’s raging assholery and the tenor of the investigation overall reminded me unpleasantly of the _CSI_ franchise, in which the cops/investigators are much more combative and basically treat their witnesses with barely disguised contempt whether they’re suspects or not. I really hope L&O does not go any further down this path. I’m chalking this up to first-(reboot) episode kinks and am optimistic the show will right itself. If not, there’s always reruns on BBC or WETV. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/35 "2022-03-01T17:18:21Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Jamie Ross returns, back working for the DAs office. I just watched the episode and at first thought, damn, they couldn’t get Carey Lowell to play Jamie Ross. Yes, I understand people age, but she looked like a different person to me. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/36 "2022-03-01T17:20:25Z")
I was a little disappointed in the Jamie Ross angle. I always liked her character but the actions ascribed to her in this story seem more like something Carmichael would’ve done. Is Angie Harmon busy these days? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/37 "2022-03-01T18:13:58Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > There were definitely some setups that didn’t feel vintage _Law & Order._ In the opening when the cops discover the body, they’re shot from below with the police flashers playing across their faces, a much more “arty” shot than the original series tended to go for. Beyond that, the sets are all new and they feel airier and more open than the original sets did. The police bullpen in particular looks cavernous and surprisingly empty. They also redid the theme music. And in the opening credits, when they did the shot of the main cast walking toward the camera, it was in slow-motion; never used to be. It did seem like they were trying to use a more dramatic style. > [@kayaker](#): > > I just watched the episode and at first thought, damn, they couldn’t get Carey Lowell to play Jamie Ross. Yes, I understand people age, but she looked like a different person to me. I thought so too, when I first saw the end of the episode. I watched the whole thing on Sunday and found Lowell a little more recognizable; mostly her voice. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/38 "2022-03-01T22:42:37Z")
Carey Lowell looked awful. More than just older. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > They also redid the theme music… Although the melody has stayed the same, the arrangement of the music has varied slightly over the years, and among the different L&Os. Trust me, I’ve watched and continued to watch **lots** of these episodes. _Note to self: get a life._ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/39 "2022-03-01T23:50:01Z")
I know that all the spinoffs use variations of the theme, but this is the first time I’ve noticed a different version on the original show. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Carey Lowell looked awful. More than just older. I didn’t think she looked bad for 61. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091/40 "2022-03-02T00:11:10Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I didn’t think she looked bad for 61. 61? That’s impossible! If she’s 61, that would make me… Oh my god!! 😱 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-law-and-order-mothership/960091.md?page=3)