Law & Order: the First Year, DVD

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The creation of Law & Order; Preview of the new Law & Order

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Editorial Reviews

For more than a decade, Law & Order has been delighting fans with its realistic portrayal of both the investigative and legal elements of crime. There have been spin-offs (L&O: Special Victims Unit, L&O: Criminal Intent) and crossovers (notably with Homicide: Life on the Street), and still audiences can't get enough. By incorporating everyday issues into episode plotlines, Law & Order creator Dick Wolf has maintained a degree of cultural currency that few series have equaled. The show launched the careers of such actors as Benjamin Bratt (Piñero) and Chris Noth (Sex and the City) and has established itself as one of the most consistently creative, provocative dramas on television. This six-DVD set compiles all 22 episodes from the first season, including the pilot episode, "Everybody's Favorite Bagman." Noth's Detective Mike Logan is partnered with George Dzundza as Sgt. Max Greevey on the Law side in year one, both working under future L&O: Special Victims Unit Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek). On the Order end of things, Michael Moriarty takes the lead as Executive ADA Ben Stone, working with ADA Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks) for District Attorney Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). These days it seems as if Law & Order is on virtually every channel; there's only one way to view the show commercial-free, however, and this is it.

"Prescription for Death" -- When a young girl with bronchitis dies in the hospital, her father charges criminal negligence. The next step is finding another doctor to testify against the chief of medicine.

"Subterranean Homeboy Blues" -- A white woman shoots two black teens on the subway, and the question of whether it was self-defense threatens to divide the city.

"The Reaper's Helper" -- The murder of a young gay man with AIDS is linked to murders in San Francisco and L.A., and the question arises: Were they hate crimes or mercy killings?

"Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die" -- Evidence in the murder of a young woman links the victim to both her ex-boyfriend and her current one on the night of the killing.

"Happily Ever After" -- After a woman is wounded and her husband killed in an attack, the detectives find her account of the event too well rehearsed to be believed.

"Everybody's Favorite Bagman" (Pilot Episode) -- The mugging of a councilman leads to the arrest of a mobster who's willing to make a deal and expose a corrupt politician.

"By Hooker, by Crook" -- The murder of an architect in Central Park exposes a high-class prostitution ring.

"Poison Ivy" -- A routine drug bust goes bad and an Ivy League honors student is gunned down by a cop, leading to escalating racial tension.

"Indifference" -- When an abused child dies, the investigation reveals a crack-addicted mother being abused by her husband.

"Prisoner of Love" -- The murder of a notorious artist makes the head of New York's Cultural Affairs Department a potential suspect.

"Out of the Half-Light" -- A 16-year-old black girl claims she was raped by two white cops, and the city becomes a racial powder-keg.

"Life Choice" -- A case involving the bombing of an abortion clinic leaves one woman dead and the detectives on opposite sides of the issue.

"A Death in the Family" -- A citywide manhunt for a cop killer leads to the arrest of a suspect whose attorney tries to cut a deal.

"The Violence of Summer" -- A local TV news reporter is gang-raped, and while the three suspects soon turn on each other, the detectives search for a fourth suspect.

"Torrents of Greed, Part 1" -- When three members of the Masucci crime family are charged with assault, Stone wants to bring down the entire organization.

"Torrents of Greed, Part 2" -- While Stone and Robinette try to bring crime boss Frank Masucci to justice, the crime family dispenses some justice of its own.

"Mushrooms" -- An investigation into the shooting of a 12-year-old boy and his brother lead detectives to a teen drug ring.

"The Secret Sharers" -- A known felon is gunned down in front of a church congregation, but all the witnesses attempt to protect the shooter.

"The Serpent's Tooth" -- When a wealthy couple is killed by their sons, the D.A.'s office doesn't accept the fact that the suspects were abused as justification.

"The Troubles" -- When a Lebanese gunrunner is murdered and the prime suspect is an IRA soldier, Logan must set aside his sympathy for the Irish cause.

"Sonata for Solo Organ" -- After a kidney transplant, charges are brought against the physician and the patient's father because the organ was taken against the donor's will. Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

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Smart, Heartfelt, and a very good start.by Deevra

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April 05, 2009: Smart, clever, never repetitive. The First Year starts off with a bang and keeps going. With excellent writing and talented actors, the stories feel real, as though the camera was dropping in documentary style on the work lives of these dedicated blue collar lawmen. It was smart to leave their personal lives out for the most part, allowing you to know thm yet never really KNOWING them.

I Also Recommend: The Practice - Season 1, Shark - Season 1, NYPD Blue - The Complete First Season, Homicide Life on the Street - Seasons 1 & 2.

DESPITE LACK LUSTER PICTURE QUALITY - Law & Order shines!by Anonymous

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August 09, 2004: 'Law and Order' is the ground-breaking, record-breaking police/lawyer television drama that in recent years has spawned several television spin offs. Despite, or perhaps because of the spin off successes, Universal has at last decided to start releasing the original television episodes on DVD. At last we get the original series (Season One) as it premiered back in the mid-eighties with its original cast. The box set is rather impressive from Universal. ? All 24 episodes from season one are represented. Some of the best and most disturbing moments in the entire series came during season one, including the child molestation and wife battery episode - considered so emotionally disturbing that after its initial broadcast it was never aired in network prime time again. How times have changed. Over all, the image quality on these discs is fairly good. Some episodes have a considerable amount of film grain present. However, I suspect this is more the fault of the original tape elements used to record the series and also lesser quality of equipment used in television productions nearly thirteen years ago. Colors are muted and dated but they are well balanced. Flesh tones are accurately presented. Black levels are solid. Contrast levels are generally good, though a few episodes seem to have considerably lower levels than the norm. Edge enhancement and pixelization are generally kept to a minimum, though they are present throughout the series. The audio is remastered and well presented, only occasionally sounding strident. Extras include a brief mini-documentary from Dick Wolf, the producer and some trailer junkets. If you're a fan of this great television series you should seriously consider adding this box set to your collection.

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