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Thompson leaving Law & Order

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Thompson leaving Law & Order

Old 05-31-07, 09:29 AM
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Thompson leaving Law & Order

It seems the least surprising cast change has apparently gone through.

And as a bonus...rumors!

It has been rumored for months that Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy, played by "L&O" veteran Sam Waterston, might be bumped up to Branch's position in the show's upcoming 18th season.

A breakdown being floated has "L&O" potentially adding a D.A. and two detectives next season. There are two police detectives on the series, played by veteran Jesse Martin and Milena Govich. Sources indicated that Govich would not be coming back, while Martin might return for another season.
Old 05-31-07, 09:36 AM
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Considering showing episodes with Thompson would require "equal time", there goes 5 years worth of L&O repeats.
Old 05-31-07, 09:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Chew
Considering showing episodes with Thompson would require "equal time", there goes 5 years worth of L&O repeats.

That's the best part - TNT will be forced to show more of the classic episodes - when L&O was great.
Old 05-31-07, 09:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Red Dog
That's the best part - TNT will be forced to show more of the classic episodes - when L&O was great.
Can't get enough Dianne Wiest, huh?
Old 05-31-07, 09:47 AM
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Originally Posted by flagstone
Can't get enough Dianne Wiest, huh?

Yep.

The key is that this knocks out all but 1 of the Rohmbot seasons.
Old 05-31-07, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Red Dog
Yep.

The key is that this knocks out all but 1 of the Rohmbot seasons.
Huh? I don't get it. I'm all for repeats being older episodes without the horrible Rohm, but I don't get why those with her would now be excluded and what the previous post about equal time is referring to....
Old 05-31-07, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by GradVT06
Huh? I don't get it. I'm all for repeats being older episodes without the horrible Rohm, but I don't get why those with her would now be excluded and what the previous post about equal time is referring to....
The equal time provision is that if a network airs something (outside of news) featuring a candidate for political office, it must give equal time to that candidate's opponents.

This effectively means that TNT cannot air FT L&O episodes as long as he is a candidate.

Here's a good article about it in the WP from a couple months ago:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...802174_pf.html

Fred Thompson's Presidential Hopes Could Put 'Law' Reruns in Lockup

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 30, 2007; C07

If Fred Thompson, the onetime Tennessee senator better known to most Americans as District Attorney Arthur Branch on "Law & Order," runs for president, some fans may be in for a letdown. Television stations are expected to suspend reruns of the show if he makes a real-life bid for the White House.

Federal campaign law requires broadcasters to give all candidates equal time on the airwaves. That rule applies to entertainment programs like "Law & Order," meaning stations that run the show would be required to give other GOP candidates a like amount of prime-time exposure.

With as many as a dozen or more Republican candidates competing for the nomination, that would be prohibitively expensive.

"As a practical matter, [the television stations] would in all likelihood have to pull all of the Fred Thompson shows for the duration of his candidacy," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project.

Thompson, who remains a member of the "L&O" cast, would likely leave the show if he decides to run, observers said.

The equal-time provision, enforced by the Federal Communications Commission, has been a staple of political campaigning for decades. Its primary goal is to make sure that candidates cannot be frozen out of crucial television time for their campaign commercials.

Candidates' appearances on newscasts, interview programs and at news events are exempted from the rule. So are incidental appearances in documentaries.

But the rule has been applied to television and movie stars in the past.

During the 2003 gubernatorial race in California, television stations dropped all Arnold Schwarzenegger movies out of fear that showing them would require them to give countless hours of free airtime to all 134 other candidates for governor.

Stations also dropped "Bedtime for Bonzo" and other Ronald Reagan movies during his campaigns for governor of California and president.

"Yes, this is a kind of weird application of what is a very good law," Schwartzman said.

There is potential good news for "Law & Order" fans. The FCC rules have never been applied to cable channels, though several legal experts said cable often abides by an equal-time guideline in the hopes of avoiding a legal case that would set a precedent.

Thompson's situation could spark such a case, though a spokesman for NBC Universal, which syndicates "Law & Order," said the network had no comment.

The TNT cable network shows several hours of "Law & Order" reruns every day and often holds all-day marathons. If that continues while Thompson is running for office, one of his rivals could seek to apply the equal-time rule to cable TV.

To do that, the other candidates would have to monitor each of Thompson's appearances, count the minutes he appeared, and then request equal time within seven days of each episode.

Only the actual time that Thompson appears in each episode is counted, legal experts said.

But even if Thompson announces that he's getting in the race, the equal-time provisions -- and the blackout for the reruns -- would not immediately kick in. The law applies only to candidates whose names appear on official state ballots, a step that none of the candidates have yet taken.

"All they've done is filed papers," said Jack Goodman, the former general counsel for the National Association of Broadcasters and now a Washington attorney. That doesn't trigger the rule, he said.
Old 05-31-07, 10:39 AM
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There go the 'Die Hard 2' reruns!!
Old 05-31-07, 10:49 AM
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They could bring back Michael Imperioli as a detective... but not sure who they could add as a the D.A. unless they were to give a call out to Stephanie March to reprise her Cabot role (and get her out of the witness protection again).
Old 05-31-07, 10:58 AM
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They probably can't afford Imperioli.
Old 05-31-07, 11:11 AM
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Even though I don't buy Jack McCoy as the D.A. (far too political a position for his taste), I could deal with it if March came back.
Old 05-31-07, 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Red Dog
Even though I don't buy Jack McCoy as the D.A. (far too political a position for his taste), I could deal with it if March came back.
I think she's too busy making guest appearances on her husband's Food Network show
Old 05-31-07, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by MrX
They probably can't afford Imperioli.

It is not like he has anything else to do.
Old 05-31-07, 02:56 PM
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I hope Govich is gone. She no ability to convey emotion.
Old 05-31-07, 03:18 PM
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I thought Imperioli sucked on L&O
Old 05-31-07, 05:52 PM
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I think it would be good to force the McCoy character into the DA role, kicking and screaming. It saves the show money to downgrade his screen time in all probability, and it forces his character into a situation that will allow for growth if they write it well.

As far as new officers go, Kenny Johnson and Katie Finneran would make an interesting (and very blonde) duo. Of course, I'm not sure Kenny would want to play a cop again.
Old 06-01-07, 08:18 AM
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Personally this is the best thing to get L&O out of a rut, I never liked Fred Thompson on L&O i found him to just creppy and Milena Govich has the acting ability of a tree branch.
Althrough Jesse L. Martin is alright if he decides to not come back for some reason i wouldn't lose any sleep.
If they move McCoy up the DA role i would be happy because i wouldn't have to think of those damn TD waterhouse commericals everytime i watch new episodes of L&O.
Personally no one was better than Michael Moriarty as Benjamin Stone, he played the role perfectly and in my opinion has a very unique acting style that helped make the show just that much more intresting.
If L&O: CI fails as a first-run show on the USA network and the show offically gets cancelled I say bring Noth back to wear he belongs.
Whatever happens i just hope they can bring the OR L&O out of its worst season and even through it will never be the show it once was i hope they can at least make it a more intresting, excellent acted program as it once was-Thank god for DVD's!
Old 06-01-07, 09:52 AM
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OKAY - move Munch and Finn over - or just add them to this one and SVU.
Old 06-01-07, 10:03 AM
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From tvguide

After guesting as a lawyer in the season finale of Law & Order, Six Feet Under alum Jeremy Sisto is returning to the series this fall as a regular, but this time as a new character, a detective who it's speculated will replace Milena Govich.
I like Sisto so I think it's a good hire.
Old 06-01-07, 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Cusm
OKAY - move Munch and Finn over - or just add them to this one and SVU.
I like that idea or perhaps just L&O:M&F
Old 06-01-07, 12:13 PM
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A couple things.

I dig the idea of moving McCoy kicking and screaming into the big chair... That would fit... he lives for the court room, this would be like moving kirk off the bridge and into an admiral's office.... oh wait...

Sisto's a good actor and I'm cool with him partnering up with Green, but ever since CUSM mentioned Munch, I'm in love with the idea. My biggest complaint with SVU (aside from giving everyone their own "emmy" episode every week) is that Munch has been criminally underutilized this season.

Law & Order: Munch and Fin? I would so watch that show.

As for the equal time rule - this was dealt with hysterically on Conan when after Ahnold was elected, he just let loose a torrent of embarassing clips from movies like Kindergarten Cop and Total Recall... FT has a lot of less-than-fondly-remembered roles that could be just as humorous (After Obama flattens him, that is).


Doc
Old 06-01-07, 01:04 PM
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... and with Adam Beach being added to the SVU team, that just means less screen time for everyone else... but I have a sneaking suspicion that Ice-T isn't going to be around much longer.
Old 06-01-07, 01:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Goldberg74
... and with Adam Beach being added to the SVU team, that just means less screen time for everyone else... but I have a sneaking suspicion that Ice-T isn't going to be around much longer.
Don't even get me started on making Chief Talk-like-Cliche-Wompam a regular cast member. Every time he speaks through his teeth and says something "deep and insightful", I feel like he's going to grasp his ubiquitas native american pendant, turn into a wolf and go hunt down bad-medicine-that-poisons-stream.


Doc

Last edited by Doc MacGyver; 06-01-07 at 02:01 PM.
Old 06-02-07, 08:58 AM
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Don't even get me started on making Chief Talk-like-Cliche-Wompam a regular cast member. Every time he speaks through his teeth and says something "deep and insightful", I feel like he's going to grasp his ubiquitas native american pendant, turn into a wolf and go hunt down bad-medicine-that-poisons-stream.


Doc
Don't talk about my fellow Manitoban like that. I don't care.

I agree that Munch has been extremly underused this season to the point were he is in some of the episodes for a total of 1 minute if that. Ice T has been underused as well but not nearly as much as Munch.
I'd watch Law & Order: M & T hell it would be better than that L&O: TBJ with Lilith.
Old 06-02-07, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by GuessWho
There go the 'Die Hard 2' reruns!!
That stupid, arrogant, son of a bitch!

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