Ring in the New Year with "Law and Order"

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no New Year's Weekend is complete without a "Law and Order" marathon on television.

TNT will be showing a string of episodes of the classic criminal procedural on Sunday morning, so sit back, relax and watch Jerry Orbach solve crimes one wisecrack at a time. The "Best Week Ever" blog has a great post about the "3 Universal Truths of Law and Order" that should not be missed by any fan, including how to predict who will be responsible for the crime (hint: any pseudo recognizable guest star is the obvious guilty party and if they've arrested someone with 40 minutes still to go in the episode, it's always the wrong person).

Here are a few more universal truths about the long-running show, which is addictive in its predictability and yet always intriguing. This includes episodes I've previously seen.

1. If someone confesses to the crime, they're usually doing it to protect the real killer -- often the child or spouse of the person confessing.

2. Rich, powerful people are always crooks. This is especially true if they're the head of any corporation.

3. The person who is most helpful to the cops -- often the bartender/bystander/landlord/waitress -- always knows more than they're telling you. You'll probably talk to them again.

4. If there's a crook the cops have trouble arresting, it usually means that person is an undercover cop/federal marshall/FBI agent.

5. Jack McCoy will never turn down a chance to make a case about the Constitution. Never.

See you in 2010, everyone!

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

On vacation and on location: a Television Tour of the Big Apple

Chances are at least one of your favorite shows is either set or shot in New York, even if all you watch is TV Land. The Big Apple plays a significant role in any number of iconic shows because producers and writers love using it to represent the mythic "city." And, why not? After all, would "Seinfeld" be the same had it been set in Omaha? Would we glamorize the girls of "Sex and the City" if they lived in San Diego instead of Manhattan?

With a week to kill in New York -- yeah, I know, it's exhausting to be me -- I decided to go on the mission to find a few of the places I had only ever seen on my 20" TV. Given the depth of pointless information on the Interwebs, it wasn't hard to find locations and addresses, but I decided to one step further and rate my initial reaction on a scale of one to five. Was I wowed at seeing the famed Monk's Diner from "Seinfeld?" Would the hallowed steps of the New York Supreme Court, so often seen on "Law and Order," make me look over my shoulder for Jack McCoy? Read on and find out.

Tom's Restaurant, 112th and Broadway
You've Seen It In: "Seinfeld" as Monk's

Just a few blocks south of Columbia University, this was my first stop on my self-guided TV tour of New York. Only the exterior of Tom's was used on "Seinfeld" -- most of the interior shots of Monk's Cafe were done in a studio -- so there's no 70's-style diner decor when you peer in. As one of the few 24-hour joints in the area, Tom's is always hopping, but I didn't feel obliged to go in and order a big salad.

Rating: Three


160 Riverside Drive
You've Seen It In: "30 Rock" as Liz Lemon's apartment

I didn't get a chance to head up to Apartment 3B, where Tina Fey's semi-fictional Liz Lemon supposedly resides, but I'm pretty sure the grim looking dude I assumed was the doorman wasn't going to let me in even if I tried. Plus, they're apparently remodeling. Because of said doorman, I had to take this photo sneakily from the side, rather than from across the street as is most often the shot we see on "30 Rock." Either way, this is a great neighborhood to live in -- with vantages of Riverside Park and the Hudson River -- and I am inclined to feel less sorry for Lemon now that I've seen where she lives.


Rating: Two, but only because of aforementioned possible doorman and construction




232 E. Broadway
You've Seen It In: "Flight of the Conchords" as the New Zealand Consulate

Thanks to the folks at jaunted.com (an online travel guide), I was easily able to locate the center of the "Flight" universe -- the New Zealand consulate. Actually, this fine building is home to East Broadway Medical Associates, but I half expected an impromptu band meeting to occur. With the real Kiwi consulate in another part of town, this Lower East Side location took to me to a part of New York I had yet to explore and the possibility of getting my annual physical if I had some time. The building looks exactly as it does on the show, perhaps even a bit more rundown, and the folks in the neighborhood are almost exactly like those you see in the show. Minus the racist fruit vendor, sadly.

Rating: Four



New York Supreme Court, 60 Centre St.
You've Seen It In: "Law and Order," "Law and Order: SVU" and other members of the Dick Wolf family of shows

Maybe you just have to be an "Law and Order" fan, but I felt like I was stepping on hallowed ground as I ascended the steps of the Supreme Court. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon, lawyers and their clients poured out of the doors, many of them stopping on the columns to take phone calls or chat with other lawyers about motions (hopefully not bowel-related) and dismissals. I half expected Jack McCoy to come bursting through, followed of course by one of his female ADAs and perhaps Jerry Orbach's Det. Lennie Briscoe, fuming about a judge's decision to withold evidence. It was pure, unadulterated, dhung-dhung bliss.

Rating: Five

By no means is this an exhaustive list. I didn't make it to the Greenwich Village house that served as the Brooklyn residence of the Huxtables on "The Cosby Show." I didn't get a chance to stuff my face with cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery as Carrie and Miranda did on "Sex and the City." I didn't stop by the New York Palace Hotel for cocktails with the Van der Woodsens. And, no matter how hard I tried to get into every minivan-taxi between Harlem and Battery Park, I didn't get a chance to be on "Cash Cab." I did, however, get a brief glimpse of Leah Cohen of "Top Chef" fame in the kitchen of her West Village restaurant. Let's hope she wasn't serving fish.

Now it's your turn -- has anyone else seen places from any of their favorite TV shows? Did it live up to your expectation?

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot...

It's New Year's and that means one thing on television that's bigger than Ryan Seacrest's hair: lots and lots of marathons.

It's not all great. In fact, we question some of the choices — for example, Bravo's marathon of "The Biggest Loser" and the obvious lack of a "Law and Order" marathon on any station — but what better hangover cure than a day spent on the couch, flipping between "Looney Tunes" and "The Brady Bunch?" (Unless you have Time Warner in which case you may neither get to watch "Brady" nor "South Park," but pardon our collective bitterness). Channel Surfing bloggers Malavika Jagannathan, Adam Reinhard and Sara Boyd will give you some tips and hints on how to ring in the New Year with the best of, well, just the most of one show.

Travel Channel: "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations"

"Top Chef" fans may recall Anthony Bourdain's appearance as the guest judge on the infamous episode from last season that sent Dale home over the she-devil Lisa. Bourdain's Emmy-nominated show is a must-see for anyone who likes traveling or food. From 2 p.m. onward on New Year's Day, travel with the one-time chef to Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Laos and other exotic locations as he samples the local cuisine (some of it downright frightening) and the local culture. Bourdain is a cantankerous bastard, but he's entertaining and adventurous with an ability to find fascinating people around the world. The Saudi Arabia episode is a must-see.

—Malavika

Discovery Channel: "Mythbusters"

What better way to ring in the new year than with the endless series of stunts, experiments, gunshots and explosions from the Mythbusters gang. Mindless television at its smartest, "Mythbusters" tests inquiries from viewers — such as "Can you build a cannon out of a tree trunk?", or "What's the best way to sneak past a guard dog?" — often with liberal doses of gun powder. It's one of those shows where you learn stuff without trying, and I imagine a whole day's worth of episodes would fly by.

—Adam

E!: "Keeping Up with the Kardashians"

If for no other reason, watch it for the fascination of Kim Kardashian's huge ba-donk-a-donk. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is truly a guilty pleasure show to the T. No one watches the show because it's good but because we have the Hollywood sickness, that of nosiness and curiosity into the lives of these D-List (at best) celebrities. It's the show you pop on when there's nothing better to watch and so you think "I'll just watch a little bit." But then, by the second consecutive episode — you're hooked and there's no escaping. It's the perfect solution to the New Year's Day hang over — mindless television and a good amount of T and A but beware — keep one finger on the mute button if the Kardashian sisters start their bickering.

—Sara

Cartoon Network: Looney Tunes

Say th-th-th-th-th-that's all, folks, to 2008 the right way — by dropping an anvil on its head. Or maybe by tying a knot in its shotgun barrel and letting it blow its own face off. I guess what I'm saying is 2008 stunk, and watching a bunch of classic cartoons with Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Tweety and Wile E. Coyote for hour upon hour sounds like a great stress reliever.

—Adam

For more marathons, check out Entertainment Weekly's list by clicking here. Happy New Year everyone! See you in 2009.

— Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com ; Sara Boyd, sboyd2@greenbaypressgazette.com ; Adam Reinhard, areinhard@greenbaypressgazette.com

Last episode for Jesse Martin on "Law and Order" airs tonight

The exits of major characters on "Law and Order" happen in one of two ways: they die or they quit.

It doesn't look like the former is true for Jesse Martin's Det. Ed Green on his final episode tonight, but let's hope they give the man a decent farewell. For whatever reason, L&O -- so understated when it comes to most other dramatic elements -- tends to heap it on when characters leave. Jill Hennessy's Asst. District Attorney Claire Kincaid died in a fiery car crash caused by a drunken driver. Elizabeth Rohm's A.D.A Serena Southerlyn made a bizarre confession of her homosexuality in her final seconds in the L&O universe. More recently, another A.D.A ended up dead in the trunk of a car. If it turns out Green was on the Grassy Knoll, shame on you, Dick Wolf.

But I've got hope.

Since its 18th season debuted in January with a few new faces in A.D.A. Michael Cutter (Linus Roache) and Jeremy Sisto's Det. Cyrus Lupo, the show feels invigorated. Martin will be replaced by Anthony Anderson (of the short-lived "K-Ville") as Det. Kevin Bernard, an ex-Internal Affairs detective.

"Law and Order" airs on NBC on Wednesday at 9 p.m.

-- Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

New episodes of "Law and Order" - how else will TNT survive?

Well, folks, NBC has confirmed my worst fears.

The midseason line-up announced yesterday - one that takes into account the ongoing writers strike - indicates that a delightful dose of sub-par television awaits us at the end of the winter hiatus.

Returning shows include "Deal or No Deal," "American Gladiators," "Medium" with newcomer "Baby Borrowers" thrown in for good measure once Gladiators ends its run. The latter is a take on a British show in which teenagers are shown the pitfalls and pleasures of parenthood by taking care of babies. Here's a more comprehensive look from Variety.

The only silver lining in all this is the return of "Law and Order" in its longtime Wednesday slot at 9 p.m. Not that it matters, considering rarely an hour goes by on cable TV without an episode of Dick Wolf's beloved franchise. Still, for loyal viewers, it'll be a nice change to see Sam Waterston's ADA Jack McCoy finally taking the big chair as Manhattan's District Attorney now that Fred Thompson is making a bid for President in the real world. At least Waterston's native Bostonian brogue won't seem as far-fetched as Thompson's Tennessee drawl.

In its 18th season - yes, you read that correctly - "Law and Order" is one of the few shows that has managed to retain fairly consistent ratings, thanks to endless syndication and successful spin-offs such as "Law and Order: SVU." The success of CSI - and other criminal procedurals - owes a lot to the L&O formula of "one episode, one story" that's perfect for the non-ritual TV watchers among us (not sure who those people are, but I understand they exist).

With its infamous "dun dun" sound to its "ripped from the headlines" plots, it's a show that, despite its long run on television, doesn't seem to get old. Doubtful anyone will be talking about "Borrowers" in 18 years, for sure.

Thoughts? Are you a fan or foe of the L&O format?

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com