Law & Order: Los Angeles

I just finished the 1st episode and it is fresh and intriguing! All new actors that I never seen before! It is Hollywood based not the gloomy NYC atmosphere. I like the Hollywood & LA plot too. It straight, no side subplot in the episode. All the law enforcement are dressed up proper and the guests are in design t-shirts, nice rides and lots of fashion dress. The court room is in light color wood like birch, oak and modern lighting, big windows.

In some way this is better then Law & Order, the original! It more understated like real detectives are. I look forward to the future season one episodes!

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."

...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.

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!

I have to admit, the 1st episode left something to be desired, but I have stuck with it and now enjoy the show -- give it a few episodes, get to know the characters, and it will be another L&O you will enjoy. The detectives have their own quirkiness that is enjoyable. I did like the episode where the one detective's wife was the arresting officer on a case that involved a woman that lost her kids to a fire -- where she said the woman admitted it -- and it was not true. I do like the setting of Los Angeles, because it does leave open many ideas for shows. Furthermore, the L&O seems to get back to the basics, where you see the police part, as well as the court room part -- whereas some recent L&O focus more on the police work nowadays.