Law and Order...

I liked Adam Shiff as the DA best. Orbach and Noth. Its been the continuously highest quality show on TV. To my knowledge it has NOT "jumped the shark"

I don't think so either. It's great b/c it's episodic and not driven by overarching plot lines, so you can just watch it whenever.

Check out www.jumptheshark.com, it's a hilarious commentary on this and other shows.

I think Sam Waterson as Assistant DA Jack McCoy is the best and most accurate portrayal of a trial lawyer in any TV show, ever. I liked Jerry Orbach (RIP) and his last partner (I'm drawing a blank at the moment on his name, but he's a tremendous actor) best as partners. SVU is a close second but I miss the trial scenes depicted in the original version. CI is my least favorite (I loved Vincent D'Onofrio in his debut movie, "Full Metal Jacket", but his tics, idiosyncracies and scene-hogging on CI drives me to distraction.) I don't think L&O has "jumped the shark" either, even with Dennis Farina coming in to replace Jerry Orbach. I also liked Adam Schiff best as the DA but did you ever notice that both Schiff and Fred Thompson spend more time drinking than litigating?

I like the show, too, but I never understood why Fred Thompson was cast as the Manhattan DA. I know there's some sort of rationale for it, but c'mon. I grew up in NY, and there ain't now way a Southerner would be elected Manhattan DA (as unlikely as a NYer as a DA in Dallas).

Other than that jarring weirdness, I love the show...

Law & Order on Wednesdays is till my favorite, I make it a point to never miss it.

The other two I grab when I can.

Criminal Intent I like a bit more than SVU. You have to understand that Criminal Intent is basically an updating of Sherlock Holmes, set in NYC. Once that is established, the "scene-stealing" makes artistic sense. His partner was given an expanded role because, no doubt, of complaints that she was too passive and merely a tag-along. I rather like the actress and the portrayal now.

Though I still view SVU as the least of the three, in the past few years the most powerful drama seems to come from this one. I probably should revise my view of it as the "third best", considering some of the powerful episodes, but there is only so much Law & Order you can watch in a week, you have to rank them somehow.

I tend to stick with things once I like them, so the original gets the nod over the others.

I think I like Michael Moriarty's DA a little bette rthan Sam Waterston. Moriarty brought something to the show no other character does-a sense of seeking to do the moral thing.

Sam Waterston's character is still working out some personal aggressions-he is not the pure seeker after justice Moriarty's DA was.

Very true, but I think that Fred was chosen for the southern audiences.

Best cop show in TV history, and fortunately both L&O and SVU are shown every week night on the hallmark channel, so I get ten "fixes" a week.

What the writers were thinking with Criminal Intent only they and god know, it's a right duffer.

Orbach's last partner was Jesse Martin, who is now in Rent. Interesting that they were both acclaimed broadway actors - Orbach in everything and Martin in the original run of Rent.

I watched three hours on TNT last night, oy!

Yes, growing up I was not old enough to go to Broadway but even I knew that Jerry Ohrbach was the toast of Broadway at the time.

That is why I was somewhat surprised that Ohrbach had read for Law & Order and originally was passed over. I always thought Broadway actors were in demand in Hollywood, that is, producers offered them parts instead of making them hustle for them. By the time Law & Order came around, that was all ancient history, I guess.

At any rate, Ohrbach was always working.

Still a top notch show and enjoyable, though without Orbach some of the magic is gone.

I agree, Sturgis. I am one of those who might watch L&O, SUV and Criminal Intent on TNT & USA hour after hour.

My husband will walk in and say, "Are you watching that, AGAIN"? Yeah, I am. I find the shows so enjoyable, that I can watch them again and again.

I agree about Moriarity. He was a wonderful ADA. At first I did not like Waterston at all. I thought him too emotional, too histrionic. He has grown on me though.

I had a crush on Chris Noth for years. (Yes Virginia, old ladies can have crushes on young guys). I don't particularly like how he has aged, now that he in on C.I. Jerry Ohrbach was the best. He always said that he would be carried out on L&O, and his wish came true.

I did not care for Jesse Martin at first, but he has really grown on me.

My early difficulties with Waterston stemmed from my constant comparison of his Law and Order character to his role as a D.A. in the series I'll Fly Away. Then there were the 'let's make him seem real' moments where they had him lugging around the blasted motorcycle rider helmet. The big problem there was he was never seen ON a motorcycle in the series (at least not that I can recall). He got better with the part over time, I suppose the writers grew to know him and he grew into the character. Orbach never had to grow into it, he fit in perfectly from day one, as did Vincent D'Onofrio on Criminal Intent. My only difficulty with the SVU is that some of the shows are too emotional...when children are involved in crimes I do not take it very well, even if it is only fiction.

I still watch these programs repeatedly and have even been known to let the phone go unanswered...fuming while it rings before the machine picks up.

I agree with all of Sturgis' points. When they actually have plot development on the show (like when they had story line surrounding Jack's common adversary who eventually got shot and now walks with a cane) - you're like "Whoa, what is GOING ON?!!" haha.

TNT gets me with the roll right into the next show EVERY time. It takes a lot to peel me away once they get rolling!

Oh, and I'm watching L&O right now and woudl like to say that I HATE Elizabeth Rohm the blonde AD that just left. I'm pretty sure that I would be a better actress than her. I wish I could mute her or something!

I liked Elizabeth Rohm; she was so cool. I guess that can be interpreted as a flat affect and bad acting, but it worked for me...

lol, I guess you could go either way!! I always really liked the ADAs - Angie Harmon was good, I also liked the women before her. I haven't seen too many new ones, I tend to watch the reruns not the new ones on NBC...

My only problem with CI was that I always saw Vincent D'Onofrio as the "alien-ated" red neck in Men in Black, the head jerks, finger curls - all there!

I just cannot warm up to Dennis Farina, perhaps because I loved Jerry Orbach so much and just can't accept a replacement. Other than being well dressed, his character seems to lack dimension.

Diane Weist is a fine actress and I never understood why they didn't give her a little more to do during her stint as DA. She just seemed to fade into the background.

I also liked Michael Moriarty as the ADA because his character was so moral and idealistic. Waterston's character is much more ethically compromised (and probably closer to a real life trial attorney). Having been absolutely heartbroken when "I'll Fly Away" was canceled, I was very happy to see him replace Moriarty.

I adore L&O, and I've come to like SVU watching the reruns. I just can't get involved with Criminal Intent, it doesn't grab me emotionally or intellectually.