Law & Order:Season 14

Rating:
Summary: Anyone Remember High-Definition?
Review: I am a late-to-the-series Law & Order fan - have religiously watched every new episode since 2001, and every rerun I can catch on TNT and USA, have bought every DVD available. Was disappointed when Universal decided to skip the intervening years and release season 14 instead of season 3, but knew I'd buy it anyway. The biggest disappointment was this: NBC began showing Law & Order in High-Definition (16:9 aspect ratio) last year, only the DVD series doesn't have it. Will they produce a special 16:9 version? Can't tell. Was suckered in to this one when I'd much prefer widescreen. Lame bastids. Between that and the "we won't let you fast-forward the Universal intro and the FBI warning", this DVD set doesn't get 5 stars. Let's face it - the FBI/Interpol warning is going to stop absolutely NO ONE, and the Universal intro is boring. If I've bought the stupid thing, I DON'T CARE.

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for the Show, -5 Stars for Elisabeth Rohm
Review: I can understand why Elisabeth Rohm was hired in the first place: she looks good in her outfits. But why has her contract been renewed year after year? Critics call her acting "wooden," but that doesn't begin to describe it. She literally sounds as though she was taught her lines phonetically, without anybody explaining to her what they meant. Her monumentally dreadful performance eventually caused me to stop watching what had been one of my favorite shows. Do yourselves a favor, stick to the earlier seasons.

Rating:
Summary: Why Skip all the way to season 14
Review: I didn't start watching law and order til season 8. I Brought seasons 1 & 2 and I don't like missing what is in between with the characters.. I think they should not have jumped forward.
However saying that I am going to buy this season.. But who watches the beginning of a movie and then fastforward to the end. As said they should not have jumped forward.

Rating:
Summary: Where is Season 3?
Review: I logged onto Amazon for another title and this popped up because I have previously bought Seasons 1 and 2. Panicked because I thought that I had missed Seasons 3-13, I did a search for the missing Seasons and learned that they were not yet available. How mean! The wait between the releases of Seasons 1 and 2 was bad enough, now they do this? Argh! Since most of Season 14 is still on in reruns, I will pass on this item.

Rating:
Summary: Great Show And Great DVD
Review: I really love the show and really was excited for all the DVD's. I own all the seasons out and love to watch all the episodes. While I don't think the 14th season was the best and the DVD could be a little better, I would definetly recommend buying it for each member of the family.

Rating:
Summary: Law & Order
Review: I think Law & Order has really gone downhill after the first five seasons. After Benjamin Bratt came along it really got to boring for me. When Ed Green came finally I started to watch it again. Then last season Jerry Orbach left, he's going to be on Law & Order: Trial By Jury in 2005 though. The new guy can't replace the sarcastic Lenny. My favorite season was five and they still haven't released it yet! I wish they would be more like other shows and release their DVDs in correct order!

Rating:
Summary: Freedom from the Island of the Damned
Review: I'm happy to have this set out now. I find more people are behaving like myself & no longer watch television. I also avoid radio & spin only my own music. Rather then pay for repetitive, limited cable programming or give money to a Censor like Blockbuster, I only buy DVDs & videos & watch what & when I want.

So - I was DELIGHTED that L&O 14 came out so soon on DVD. KUDOS *****Stars. Every year has been predictably entertaining & at the upper limit of TV quality. This season is no exception. I was getting tired of the heavily rerun early years & am now seeing all these episodes for the first time. Think about THAT next time you're sitting through a commercial block & all that entails; like muting & missing part of the show.

Let the Moron Majority watch on the air & cable, I'm setting my own viewing schedule exclusively: It so nice never to hear network continuity & blather again.


Rating:
Summary: Sad to see Lenny go
Review: In looking over the previous reviews I felt the need to "add my two cents." First and foremost I am very disappointed at the decision to release the seasons out of order. 1, 2, 14?! Come on!! Stop the madness! Go back to chronological order. Anyone not seeing in these in order, who is a latecomer to the francise is missing valuable information and insight into the motivation of these characters. How do you understand Green's comment to Briscoe about having children if you haven't seen earlier episodes to know why that comment was significant?

Having dispensed with that issue I have to disagree with most of the previous comments about the characters. Without a doubt Briscoe is my favorite character. He has been since his arrival (I've watched from the beginning). I am so sorry to see him go and find it highly improbable that Dennis Farina will come close to filling the gap. I was not a Logan fan...he was written as way too much of a hot head from the beginning and came across as way too smug and short sighted. (Though I did like it when they brought him back for an episode later and would love to see them do that some more.) I am a Green fan. I like his low key approach and his dry humor. (Being a huge theatre fan I also just love the pairing of Orbach and Martin!!)

As far as the "Order" part of the franchise I MUCH prefer McCoy to Stone. Stone was so damn "holier than thou" that I wanted to reach into the TV and slap him!! I prefer the more realistic portrayal that I believe McCoy delivers. No one is as saintly as Stone was written, especially in a job like that. Angie Harmon's Carmicheal is by far my favorite ADA. Please bring her back!!! Southerland was way too mouthy and condescending from the very first episode. Sorry...no one would behave that way day one in a new job. It's gotten worse from there. (Maybe it's the writers' perceptions of blondes?!) I kind of like DA Branch because it does reflect the political realities of the times. (Little too close for comfort that it reflects Thompson's recently finished US Senate tenure but...)

So all in all I liked Season 14 as reflected here...but please let's go back to season 3 and work our way back up from there!!

Rating:
Summary: Why they release this before season 3
Review: It's quite simple why the latest season was released before continuing with the old ones. It's easier for them to release this now than 1/5/10 years later when the rest of the seasons are finally out. They can get interviews and commentary that is actually fresh on the heels of each episode/season rather than going back a decade later and trying to conjure up some old footage or try and get some of the actors to remember what was going on.

As someone who plans on purchasing the whole collection as it comes out, this DVD is a quality edition to the current collection and gives you a fresh change of pace from the 2 older seasons and the seperate set of actors from that time period of the show.

Rating:
Summary: padded decliner
Review: This series rose to a peak, then slowly dissolved and descended. By this season's advent, most of the show's original energy and import had dulled into a bland formula with limited emotional appeal. Dialogue frequently seems read from a teleprompter.

Since I doubt that excessive clamoring for earlier seasons' releases will prove effectual, I protest their delay by way of dismissing this season's mediocrity and lost charm. Though year 14 is not completely without merit--hence two stars and not one--I cannot recommend this season in comparison with past efforts by better ensembles.