Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I began watching Law and Order when I was in eighth grade and have been a loyal viewer ever since. I have seen nearly every episode and at one point could name every actor who ever starred in the show and their character's name. I think that, although the show is heavily story-driven, it is the chemistry between the leads that makes the show so memorable, as well as the great storytelling and the intriguing look at morality and politics.The show's chemistry wasn't what it was in later seasons. The show would hit its stride once Jerry Orbach came on as Lenny Briscoe in the show's third season. Nevertheless, it was not due to bad acting. George Dzundza has always been great and he is definitely believable, if not incredible, as Detective Max Greevey. Chris Noth was very memorable (especially with Orbach) as Mike Logan, a hotheaded cop who would eventually be outed for assaulting a man in public. Dann Florek played Captain Cragen, a perfect CO that supported his people but was also tough enough so that they would get the job done. On the Order side, we have Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, and Stephen Hill. Moriarty was great in his years as ADA Ben Stone, especially in his confrontations with frequent defense attourney Green. That relationship always dripped with conflict. Brooks played Paul Robinette, Stone's partner. He would occasionally give performances of great power, such as the episode in which he is forced to come to terms with one of his African-American heroes being a corrupt swindler (Subterranean Homeboy Blues). Stephen Hill was the heart of the series for many years, always bringing the legal matters into perspective, often with a bit of wry humor. One of the show's most beloved characters of all time, he is at his best here as DA Adam Schiff, helping Stone appropriate justice fairly and responsibly. The show's first season occasionally produced some truly fantastic episodes. Indifference, for one, is unforgettable. It has been a favorite of mine ever since I bought the VHS collection a few years ago. It is a truly haunting, disturbing look at a very depraved and irresponsible man. The aforementioned Subterranean Homeboy Blues, also, is fantastic.
The Reaper's Helper is a painfully provocative episode about AIDS and euthanasia. By Hooker, By Crook is also an interesting look at a call-girl ring. All in all, Law and Order not only rips from the headlines, it also precedes them. I remember watching a show on pedophile priests from the early nineties that I couldn't help but remember when the scandal broke last year. This show deserves to be in your DVD library.
Rating:
Summary: Probably my favorite show.
Review: I don't watch much TV at all anymore, but I'm a bit of a sucker for this show. I'd sacrifice nearly anything to see the new episodes as they air. I remember the holiday marathons A&E would run of syndicated Law & Order episodes and watching eight shows straight. Even after seeing most episodes multiple times, I tuned into the reruns whenever possible (which were once shown daily on A&E). So, I'm obviously ecstatic that Law & Order has finally begun to make its move to DVD. While the first few episodes can be a bit dry and the production values are low, it remains praiseworthy for its realism, unique storytelling, amazing writing, intense performance, and fair exploration of moral conflicts. The stories are typically influenced by real-life headlines, and maybe you'll recognize some. Contrary to the typical drama, the personal lives of the characters are peripheral rather than primary. The personal side of the characters does manifest, of course, but the scripts do not directly pursue this. They appear adjunctively to the stories, and once one grows to understand the dynamic personalities, the show attains deeper impact. It's also a bit weird to watch these episodes with all the changes in the series (now in season 13, no one remains from the original cast). The show accomplishes much with its formula. To quote the voice intro for every episode: "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." That's exactly what it is. The first half of the show sets the exposition of the crime and follows Sgt. Greevey and Detective Logan (George Dzundza and Chris Noth, respectively) and as they hunt down the criminal with the guidance of Captain Cragen (Dann Florek). Once the suspect is apprehended, the show follows the prosecution of the alleged criminal at the hands of ADAs Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks). The pragmatic and politically minded DA Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) offers dry wit and candid advice. Personally, I'm a little more drawn to the prosecution side of things because it tends to be the most climactic. Here, the ADAs must administer plea bargains, prepare their cases, and of course face-off with the defendants at trial. Cases are rarely straightforward - suspicions switch around, new evidence appears, and so on. The show also evenhandedly looks at different moral and social issues, but perhaps more so in later seasons. Some issues dealt with in the first season are abortion, assisted suicide for the terminally ill, racial equality, and others. Later seasons would explore technicalities of the New York legal system in greater detail, and diversify the legal matters explored. Here are some cheap, quick episode descriptions - spoiler free and superficially uninteresting: "Prescription for Death" - A young girl dies during a chaotic night in a hospital, despite the lack of a serious ailment. "Subterranean Homeboy Blues" - The shooting of two black teenagers in a subway car leads to serious racial tensions. "The Reaper's Helper" - It would appear that a serial killer is targeting gay men, but... "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die" - A young woman is found badly beaten in her bed. The prosecutors may need questionable tactics to convict their man. "Happily Ever After" - A wealthy couple is shot in their parking garage. "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" - A councilman is mugged, a simple crime which leads the district attorney's office to something big. "By Hooker, By Crook" - A wealthy man is found unconscious in a park after a night with a prostitute. "Poison Ivy" - Greevey and Logan investigate the shooting of an apparent drug dealer by a fellow police officer. "Indifference" - A very disturbing episode where detectives look for the culprit responsible for bludgeoning an abused little girl on the skull. "Prisoner of Love" - A sadomasochist is found murdered, and his killers are discovered to have a peculiar relationship. "Out of the Half-Light" - A black congressman uses the alleged rape of a young girl to further his political career. "Life Choice" - The police investigate the bombing of an abortion clinic. "A Death in the Family" - The detectives aggressively hunt the man suspected of killing a cop. "The Violence of Summer" - A backward episode that puts the legal stuff first and the cop stuff second. Stone and Robinette struggle to rebuild a fractured case against three boys accused of raping a reporter. "The Torrents of Greed" - This is a two-parter, and it follows ADA Stone's obsessive drive to nail a mob boss. "Mushrooms" - Two children are shot in their own home, and the killer is not what anyone expects. "The Secret Sharers" - The murder of a drug dealer winds up pitting Stone against a hotshot Texas lawyer who defends the suspect pro bono. "The Serpent's Tooth" - This one has echoes of the Menendez brothers as two boys are suspected of killing their parents. "The Troubles" - Who killed the Lebanese weapon smuggler - a Cuban drug dealer or an accused Irish terrorist? "Sonata for a Solo Organ" - A man is found in Central Park missing one of his kidneys. "The Blue Wall" - Captain Cragen is under suspicion for tampering with evidence. Anyway...assuming you're still reading along this far, now is a good time to jump into the series. Law & Order is an epochal television series that deserves all its acclaim.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent- but it gets better
Review: I first saw an episode of L&O on Irish television about nine years ago. For some reason I had the impression it was a soap opera, so hadn't started viewing it properly. I was particularly impressed by the depth, complexity and intelligence of the episode, but had assumed that this was just a fluke, and nothing could be that consistently good.
I was completely mistaken.
L&O does not concentrate on the personal lives of characters, but has marvellous acting, ingenious, dense plots and excellent direction.
Why not 5 stars? Well, this first series is slightly dated (unsurprising for episodes recorded 13 years ago). For example there is little use made of forensics, DNA testing, and obviously the computer references seem archaic. Also the cases which give inspiration are quite old (for example there is an episode which seems to be based on the 1984 Bernard Goetz case).
And in one or two cases the episode scripts simply do not come up to scratch (By Hooker By Crook is particularly weak, and it is not clear what the defendant is being charged with).
Apart from the occasional Ted Post power chords, and some of the women's fashions (The men, wearing suits for the most part get off more lightly), the presentation stands up very well. And the performances and direction are excellent.
All in all, exceptional TV.
Rating:
Summary: Finally on DVD!
Review: I had never watched L&O until a couple of years ago, and I became hooked and am a certifiable L&O junkie!! Now that reruns only run on TNT, and they don't play it as often as A&E did, I was very happy to see the series coming out on DVD, and received it for Christmas. Can't wait for season 2!! I am pleased with the quality of the DVD's (as some other series' DVD releases compressed too much onto a DVD, resulting in poor quality), and am happy to finally see the first season in its proper order -- and WITHOUT commercials! It's cool to see how many "regular guests" have been with the series from the first season, as well as two future L&O series members (S. Epatha Merkerson (L&O) and Courtney B. Vance (L&O:CI)). It's too bad that George Dzundza choose not to stay with the series -- his Max Greevy character is one of my favorites! The only complaint I do have is at the end of each episode, when the Universal logo/theme is displayed, it is cut off too soon, and sometimes makes a weird bleep -- just a little annoying, that's all. A great series that has been long overdue on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Are they ever....
Review: I have the first season and it is great entertainment..Are they ever coming out with any other seasons? It has taken forever...
Rating: 
Summary: Skip the First Four Seasons--Best Cast Yet to Come
Review: I love Law & Order. I watch it on TNT. I used to watch it on A&E. And, of course, I watch it on NBC in prime time. But if I see it's from Seasons 1-4, I don't watch. I can't stand the cast in the early seasons. Michael Moriarty pales in comparison to the amazing Sam Waterston; neither George Dzunda nor Paul Sorvino can hold a candle to Jerry Orbach; and, of course, it's good to see some women (S. Epatha Merkerson, Jill Hennesey, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm) in the cast. Yes, Steven Hill is a better D.A. than Dianne Weist, but he's around for a few of these years, and this year former Senator Fred Dalton Thompson has taken over as Jack McCoy's boss. The other male policemen (Benjamin Bratt, followed by Jesse L. Martin) are worthy successors to Chris Noth. I strongly urge waiting for the fifth season with the far better casts.
Rating:
Summary: I Love This Show!
Review: I love this and was waiting a long time for all the DVD's. The first few seasons had the best storylines and best crimes so I would definetly get this. Although the only good main character is Mike Logan played be Chris Noth, the others come off as so so. I own all the DVD's and watch this show religiously so I bought the DVD. It is Great and the extras are wonderful as well. Definetly buy this DVD for all the holidays or just to pamper the people around you and for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Must own!
Review: I received this DVD set for Christmas and I have been hooked ever since. I love the extras they have included. I cannot wait for the next set to come out. I had one problem with it though. I went to play the 2nd DVD, episodes 3-6 and it would not play either in our DVD player or on my computer. I emailed Universal Studios and they asked me to mail the DVD back to them and they will replace it for me. Minor glitch. I highly recommend buying this set if you like the series.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD set for Law & Order junkies, and others!
Review: I'm a Law & Order junkie. I watch the new shows as well as the reruns, and with so many episodes out there, I thought I had seen them all. I hadn't. Some really good episodes are on this first set of DVD's -- some I had never seen, even with the "marathon" days, as well as the story behind the creation of Law & Order. There aren't an exceptional amount of "Special Features", but the episodes don't really need it. They stand on their own merit.
Rating:
Summary: DUNH DUNH
Review: In the criminal justice system there are two separate but equal dudes: the detectives who investigate crimes and people, and the district attorneys who send them away to jail. These are their stories. DUNH DUNH!!!! Yeah! Whooooo!!
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