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Opening Up the Law & Order Case Files

Dick Wolf had a history of hit cop shows, such as Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues, under his belt when he created Law & Order in the late 1980s. After CBS passed on the show, NBC picked it up for the fall 1990 season and its ratings steadily rose until it became one of the most popular shows on television. Unlike other cop shows, Law & Order is broken into two distinct halves, one that follows the police as they investigate a crime and one that follows the DA’s office as they prosecute it, sometimes without success (on occasion, the viewer never learns what really happened to the victim). Sometimes recurring characters from one half of the show will appear in the other half, but the basic formula has remained the same ever since the show’s premiere.

The cast has rotated frequently over the years, but Orbach, who started in his role in 1992, and Merkerson (1993) are the cast members with the longest tenure at this time. Röhm is a recent addition. Fans can expect the show to run through at least 2005, thanks to a recent deal between Wolf and NBC, which will make it the longest-running police drama in television history.

Law & Order’s popularity has led to two spin-offs: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which premiered in 1999, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).

Law & Order at the crime scene.

Law & Order in the court.

Characters

The Investigative Team

Senior Homicide Detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach)

Your partner during the murder investigation, Briscoe is a twice-divorced ex-alcoholic veteran detective who is jaded but still eager to solve crimes. He wants to help you navigate the tough New York City streets and get the information you need from anyone who knew the victim.

“He doesn’t shy away from calling it was he thinks,” says Langley. “Especially in situations where you’re barking up a completely wrong tree by picking up an old straw in a search scene, he says things like ‘Come on, the clock’s ticking here.’ A lot of his comments are quite comical and mildly sarcastic, which is completely in the spirit of his character on the show.”

Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson)

Van Buren worked in narcotics before moving to the homicide division, which gives her an advantage when navigating the criminal justice system. She’ll let you know if your arrest warrant has enough evidence behind it.

Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm)
Southerlyn is new to the DA’s office, but she’s an aggressive lawyer who hopes to be the head District Attorney someday. Look to her for assistance as you prepare your court case, which she hopes will help her move up the ranks in the DA’s office.

Kathleen McDonnell

She’s the medical examiner, and her autopsy of Jenny Russ will yield valuable clues.

The Suspects

Bart Corchran

A stereotypical type A personality, Corchran is Russ’s ex-boyfriend. He once bought her an apartment because he thought they’d marry, but now he says she’s hounding him.

Laurie Russ
Yes, even Russ’s daughter is a suspect. Laurie hasn’t spoken to her mother in four years, but she doesn’t have an alibi for her whereabouts the morning of the crime, and some say that she once dated Corchran. Was this a case of a daughter scorned?

Lucy Traine
Russ’s best friend, Traine was at her house the night before the murder, but she has an alibi to cover her actions the next morning. Despite that, she’s still an important person to speak with because she was one of the last people to see Russ alive.

System Requirements

	Mac OS X version 10.2.6 or higher
	500MHz PowerPC G3 processor or higher
	8MB of VRAM or more
	700MB of hard disk space
	Java Runtime Environment 1.4.1 (Java 1.4.1 Update 1 installed) or higher

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