La ley y el orden: Los Ángeles

I'vde noticed most reviews here are not kind. They whine about no theme song or opening credits. They complain about bad chemistry & story and say its just another Hollywood show. They say that this is not real L&O. I say shame on them. Yes, the opening dialouge is gone and I miss it but it doesn't ruin the show. Yes..., the theme is gone, but I actually love how they play the most recognizable notes of the song in a ghostly manner as the new logo comes onto screen. As for the stories, there's only one to judge so far but I liked it. Ya, it had the Hopllywood to it, but the producers have said not every episode will be Hollywood focused like this weeks. As for the actors, they are great! The detectives have great chemistry and the same is said for the DA's. To sum this up: The show is well written, acted, and laid out. I hope that this show does run for many years and doesn't suffer the fate of the equally good Law & Order: Trial By Jury. Yes, it's never going to replace the mother ship that NBC shouldn't of canceled (I cried when they did), but I feel as time goes on the show which has started out great will get better and better. I hope everyone else will give the show a chance. From just one episode I have to agree with USA Today's assessment when they said "What you get from LA is a show that's as solid and reliable as a well-built sedan. You know, the kind that keeps running for 20 years."

At first I was sad to see Skeet Ulrich go, but the new lineup is working much better. It's grittier, more suspenseful, more like real L&O should be. I like the switchup of Alfred Molina's character, it adds some depth to the story. The UK Version is still my favorite now that the original is off the air, but I plan on hanging in there with this one. They took the ratings and feedback seriously and made changes. I'm not sure why Skeet was apparently part of the problem, I thought he was good and there was good chemistry with his partner, but the new mix works also. We don't see much of the Lieutenant anymore either. But I'll take any chance to look at Terrence Howard on a weekly basis!

Skeet Ulrich and Alfred Molina achieved a rather potent premier in "Law and Order: Los Angeles". The first episode provided young, hot, Hollywood actors, burglaries of the rich and famous, murders and betrayal. There was bright sunlight in the daytime and night-lights after dark. Its a new "Law and Order" and I like it. Alfred Molina and Terrance Howard will take turns as Asst. D.A.s in different episodes. While I'm not sure how that will flow, I enjoy both actors and look forward to seeing how this plays out. Ulrich does his character justice and, so far, is not a carbon copy of other "Law and Order" copsters. I hope, he maintains his own distinct persona, as D'Onofrio certainly did. It never hurts to be exclusive, especially in a herd. I believe "Law and Order: Los Angeles" has the potential to be extra-Order-nary. Sorry, couldn't help myself. Watch it, you could like it! 10/07/2010

...and from the reviews, not a welcome one.

I looked through the reviews - I am currently watching the show on DVD. Some mention the opening dialogue not there - on the DVD, it is. Some mention the different music - it's the same music on the DVD.

Because the show is based in Los Angeles, the look is glossier, as opposed to the grittier L&O, SVU, CI, and even the UK version, which was marvelous. Later on, they attempt to make it grittier, which is partially successful. The main problem for me is that I can't relate to the police detectives of this series as I could in other franchises.

And of course, the big faux pas - I'm not sure if this is on the televised series or just the DVD, but a dead male character comes back to life in later episodes, and Alfred Molina, moved to one job, is suddenly back at his old job. Obviously on the DVDs the episodes are out of order. I am wondering if it was the same on television. If so, it just shows how much attention was paid.

One other thing: Most of the women in the smaller roles look like models, which makes the casting uninteresting. Hudson Leick, whom I know, was an extremely gorgeous top model who landed a role in Xena: Warrior Princess. She had a minuscule part in one of the episodes as a store clerk. So even the store clerks are knockouts!

I'm not sure what there is about it - I enjoy it, but somehow it doesn't draw me in as other L&Os.

Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stoll, two relatively unknown actors, make an intriguingly contrasting pair--one a handsome young family man with a quick mind and a nose for the hidden truth, the other older, single (possibly gay?), completely bald and endlessly patient, and bringing a profound knowledge of human nature to crime solving.

Here is a wealth of original ideas such as subtitling each episode with an area of Greater LA, which Dick Wolf knows intimately. The whole idea is to spotlight the differences between Los Angeles, a new city shaped by and built to suit the automobile, and centuries-old New York, a product of the age of sail.

There are some lyrical camera shots, almost elegiac, of the canyons and vistas of Los Angeles, of its suburbs-in-search-of-a-city lifestyle, of its public beaches, its palatial beachfront homes and its slums. Best of all is its exploration of human types, so varied yet so...well, so LA.

Alfred Molina in a recurring role as a trial prosecutor, is part Englishman, part Spaniard, he has no non-European ancestry at all. Yet he is believable as a boy of humble Latino origins who has risen high in public service. There are exciting guest stars, original yet believable plots with the "ripped from the headlines" aspect remaining an L&O trademark.

If this show fails it will be because of its harshly realistic view of gender. The first two episodes feature women who have killed without legal justification. There are other repugnant acts committed by women. L&O - SVU, this ain't!

What it is is a crime show with scripts that other great chronicler of Los Angeles Raymond Chandler might have written.