Law & Order – The Fourteenth Year Review Score: 10/10 | Date Posted: September 20th 2004 In: DVD Reviews Law & Order – The Fourteenth Year 2003-2004 Season Review by Vince D’Amato Starring: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Sam Waterston, Elisabeth Rohm. Released by: Universal. The Show: This is the original series – and I almost can’t believe that it’s going into its fifteenth season! I doubt there are too many television watchers that wouldn’t at least know about this series, but just in case, the quick rundown: The show is essentially split into two halves. The first half is a crime story, usually a detective mystery, usually revolving around a homicide. The lead characters are two homicide detectives (partners) played by Jerry Orbach – who’s been with the show for at least nine seasons – and relative newcomer Jesse Martin. The second half is a courtroom story, where the suspects are then prosecuted by the New York District Attorney’s office – and Sam Waterston and Elisabeth Rohm play the prosecuting lawyers from the NY DA’s office. This fourteenth season may have a completely different cast from when Law & Order first aired fourteen years ago, but the winning formula is exactly the same. The shows are extremely well-written, and contain more narrative in one 43-minute episode than many feature films. The stories are always contemporary, usually taken from current events – which prompt the double-disclaimer at the beginning as well as the end of each episode, declaring it a work of fiction. Sure, it’s fiction, but any Law & Order fan knows they use current crime news as inspiration. As an example of season 14, it shows us a homicidal twist on the SARS outbreak in Toronto and a story variation based on the murder of music producer Phil Spector’s wife – where he was arrested as the key suspect. Long-time fans of the series may find newest cast member Elisabeth Rohm not quite on par with previous cast members that have filled the female DA prosecutor’s shoes – including Angie Harmon, Jill Hennessey and ex-Bond girl Carey Lowell (all powerful talents). However, these same fans may want to keep this particular season in their collection as it’s most notable for being long-time cast member Jerry Orbach’s final season with Law & Order. Man, this show is seriously not going to be the same next season. The DVD supplements: Profiles on series actors Jesse L. Martin and Fred Dalton Thompson (the D.A.), a Set Tour with Jerry Orbach and an interview with Park Dietz. This is a 3-disc double-sided set; 17 hrs. & 25 min.

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