Neverending Television
Law & Order, 1990
Dun. Dun. Hear that? It's the sound of justice. When that signature two-beat musical effect comes on, you know there's a plot point about to be revealed in one of the three series in the Law & Order family (Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). For struggling actors in New York City, the series have been some of the surest bets around — the shows film almost entirely in the confines of the five boroughs and each episode requires a new cast of criminals, witnesses, judges and juries. The hard-hitting stories of the hard-bitten cops, lawyers, judges and D.A.s who run New York's criminal justice system, Law & Order helped spawn the legion of modern legal dramas — from NYPD Blue to the CSI franchise — that make up a criminal amount of network television today.