Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Law & Order’ Season 21 On NBC, Where The Original Returns With Sam Waterson, Anthony Anderson And New Faces

We always wondered why the original Law & Order never got a proper finale after NBC canceled it in 2010. After all, the show was a stalwart of the schedule for 20 seasons; even though it was a procedural series, some closure would have been great for the fans. Now we know NBC’s real plan: Wait 12 years, start a new franchise with Dick Wolf (the Chicago shows), develop a new L&O series, scrap it, then bring the original back for that 21st season. If that was their plan, they executed it brilliantly. But is the return something people want to see?

LAW & ORDER SEASON 21: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.” DUN-DUN!

The Gist: Twelve years after the original Law & Order was unceremoniously canceled by NBC after 20 seasons, the procedural classic is finally debuting its 21st season, with a case that, of course, is “ripped from the headlines” (though, as the usual disclaimer states, is completely fictional and not based on any person or entity. Sure).

A previously beloved entertainer, accused by dozens of women of sexual assault (again, this is fiction), has just been released from prison due to prosecutorial misconduct (remember: this isn’t based on anyone in real life) goes on TV to profess his innocence. Later that night, he’s found shot and killed outside the basement entrance to his brownstone.

NYPD detectives Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson) and Kevin Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan), who have only been partners for a couple of months and still have a little tension between them, investigate the case. They talk to the entertainer’s wife, who at first defends her predator husband.

When they approach a gang member who might have seen or heard about the shooting, Cosgrove gets too aggressive with him after being cursed at; Bernard, ever aware that the NYPD has to do better when it comes to dealing with the African-American population, tells Cosgrove that everyone videoing the confrontation on their phones is “to hold us accountable.” Cosgrove begrudgingly agrees with him, but tells Bernard that he speaks his mind.

That comes out when he outright tells the ADA that prosecuted the entertainer’s case (another familiar face to franchise devotees that we won’t spoil here) that she’s a suspect, earning Cosgrove a dressing down from his boss, Lt. Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim). They eventually narrow on the victim whose case landed the entertainer in prison; Cosgrove manages to get a confession out of her by telling her that nothing will happen, then saying he lied when he arrests her.

EADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) and ADA Samantha Maroun (Odelya Halevi) get the high-profile case. Price, who was brought on by District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson) to examine not only the legality of how cases are prospected but the morality of them, lobbies McCoy to grant the defense’s motion to disallow the confession on the grounds that Cosgrove lied to the suspect. While the confession is perfectly legal, Price’s view is that this case is so touchy to begin with that he’d have a better chance to get a conviction if the jury doesn’t hear about Cosgrove’s somewhat unconventional interrogation method.

A self-defense claim is made during the trial, and the entertainer’s wife outright lies on the stand in support of the defendant. Price knows that he’s in an unpopular position, and figures out a good way to get the jury on their side.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Uh, the first 20 seasons of Law & Order, don’t you think?

Our Take: The short version of this review is basically that, well, this is Law & Order. Dick Wolf and his showrunner Rick Eid don’t mess with a formula that was successful for two decades. The cops come in, seemingly float easily from witness to witness as they zero in on a person of interest, and then the prosecutors use their skills to get that person convicted. It’s half a cop show, half a court show. It doesn’t really matter who the stars are, as the ever-changing cast of the original run proved; the format is what keeps people watching.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t make a few observations. First, never believe the producers with their “this is not based on any real person” disclaimer. The first case is almost identical to the Bill Cosby case, and whenever the story hews that close to a real news story, it makes us roll our eyes. Can’t the writers change at least some of the details?

Second, we’re having a hard time remembering how Anderson played Det. Bernard during those final seasons of L&O‘s original run, but it does feel like he’s infused Bernard with a little bit of Andre Johnson, the character he just finished playing on the long-running sitcom black-ish (whose final season is still airing). Not that it’s a big problem, but when Anderson addresses Cosgrove about “being held accountable,” we saw less of Det. Bernard and more of Dre.

Bringing in familiar faces to play the new characters — Donovan, Manheim and Dancy — certainly continues the familiar feel of Season 21. You have to check yourself to remember if that trio played those characters on the show before. Plus, they work in the format pretty seamlessly. It seems like Donovan’s character, Det. Cosgrove, will have some intense, Elliot Stabler-style moments during this brief season; at least Donovan is capable of that intensity.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: After telling Maroun that doing the right thing, even if it doesn’t feel good, is the only way he can do his job and sleep at night, he looks up and sees the inscription on the courthouse: “The True Administration of Justice is the Firmest Pillar of Good.” At least that’s what we think the entire inscription says.

Sleeper Star: Halevi does a nice job when Maroun is given the closing, bringing in her own experience of sexual assault to the narrative.

Most Pilot-y Line: When Price confronts Cosgrove about bringing up the confession when he was on the stand, Cosgrove says, “Stop trying to change the world; do your damn job!” and walks away.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The original Law & Order is the TV comfort food we need right now. Whether the show will really go deep into examining the reality of policing in the post-George-Floyd era is still to be determined. But, judging by the first episode, it’s going in the right direction.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

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