Law & Order: UK

It's different.  Most of the episodes of Season 1 are from the first three seasons of L&O.  Just redone with a twist.  Some good stuff, actually.  I really enjoyed it.  Note: if you've seen the first three seasons of L&O *(US)* then most of these episodes are the same scripts, only slightly redone to more modernize them and change the setting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bretmaverick2 

Has anyone purchased this set from Target??

I purchased it from the UK, not from Target, but I think my opinion's still valid. ;)

As mattCR said, the scripts are all rewritten/updated versions of US scripts. The amount of difference depends on the script; there's at least one where the the first ten or fifteen minutes is similar, then they completely junked the original script in favor of new material. (Wish I could remember which right now...) Others don't differ much at all.

I think that which you like better is going to depend on the characters you like better. The UK versions are probably all better on a technical level, but there's something to be said for Sam Waterston and Jerry Orbach... :)

Personally, I'm glad I bought the set (well, sets in the UK), and am looking forward to the next season.

I bought it when it came out and enjoyed it a lot. Their older cop is done in sort of a Jerry Orbach mold, but not totally. I  like how he plays it; apparently he was somewhat surprise casting as he is more known for stand-up comedy and sitcom work. The deputy prosecutor is a lot more Waterston than the cop is Orbach. He's still good, though.

I'm hoping more of these are done and put out on DVD. They're quite good.

I will say: the courtroom scenes are a blast, and are re-written for the UK rules, and as such are a lot of fun for this American ;)  I loved the donning of the wigs and garb, and that they can't approach the witness, etc..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson 

I'm hoping more of these are done and put out on DVD. They're quite good.

ITV has commissioned another 13 episode season, though if they have another extensive mid-season break it may not be until 2012 that it's done airing & there's enough episodes for a US release. (The first half of season 1 aired February/March 2009, and the second half January/February 2010. I wouldn't expect to see season 2 begin airing until early 2011 at best.)

Glad to see it being said that the two series ITV1 showed last year and earlier this year, were in fact the first series spilt up. The TV Times magazine would have you believe they're filming a third series of Law & Order: UK, when it's really the second series.

I enjoyed the first series. The only episode I haven't seen in full yet (I missed the repeat at the time of the premiere showing as well) is the seventh episode "Alesha". Was that episode a rewrite of a Law & Order episode?

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaveCrest 

Glad to see it being said that the two series ITV1 showed last year and earlier this year, were in fact the first series spilt up. The TV Times magazine would have you believe they're filming a third series of Law & Order: UK, when it's really the second series.

Even the writers were taken by surprise per the commentaries - they were expecting 108 to air right after "Alesha", rather than viewers having 10 months to forget about that happened!

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaveCrest 

I enjoyed the first series. The only episode I haven't seen in full yet (I missed the repeat at the time of the premiere showing as well) is the seventh episode "Alesha". Was that episode a rewrite of a Law & Order episode?

Yes (all 13 of the first season were), though Dr. Olivet was the character in Alesha's shoes, not Claire Kincaid (the female ADA at the time).

I remember there being an episode of Law & Order which had a similar storyline regarding Dr. Elizabeth Olivet and thought that might have been the episode rewritten as the Law & Order: UK episode "Alesha".

I don't know if anything will happen of it now, being as Law & Order has been cancelled, but I had read on or off the web that there may have been a crossover between Law & Order: UK and Law & Order.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaveCrest 

I don't know if anything will happen of it now, being as Law & Order has been cancelled, but I had read on or off the web that there may have been a crossover between Law & Order: UK and Law & Order.

I hadn't heard anything about a crossover with the original being mooted, though that would've been nice to see. But it would've more likely been an SVU crossover - something about using Munch at some point being a contractual obligation. ;)

(I wish it was an obligation - Richard Belzer needs to show up on CI at some point, to complete his quadfecta. Same with Sam Waterston.)

A crossover between L&O: UK and L&O: Pervert of the Week? Say it ain't so!
 

Belzer has already appeared in the French L&O:CI.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATimson 

(I wish it was an obligation - Richard Belzer needs to show up on CI at some point, to complete his quadfecta. Same with Sam Waterston.)

If Richard Belzer guest starred on Criminal Intent as Munch, I would have liked to see him in scenes with Goren.

I'm hoping Benson, Stabler and Munch guest star on the new Law & Order: Los Angeles in the autumn. I'd like to see a two-part crossover with SVU.

Good to see all 13 first series episodes of Law & Order: UK being released in one boxset, even though there are only three discs (compared to the Region 2 UK DVDs of the first series, which consisted of two volumes with two discs in each).

Looking forward to the start of the SECOND series of Law & Order: UK in two weeks' time on ITV1 (Thursday 9th September). I just wish the episode guides on the web would show that this new series is NOT the third series. I thought the second series was going to consist of original stories, but based on reading the episode synopsis for the first episode of series two "Broken"  (it is a rewrite of the tenth season Law & Order episode "Killerz"), they will be rewrites of Law & Order episodes again.

I'm glad that the new series of New Tricks (series seven) on BBC1 won't clash with the start of Law & Order: UK's second series. New Tricks begins the night after (Friday 10th September).

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaveCrest 

Looking forward to the start of the SECOND series of Law & Order: UK in two weeks' time on ITV1 (Thursday 9th September). I just wish the episode guides on the web would show that this new series is NOT the third series.

It's only the second block of episodes produced, but it's still the third series to air. I believe - though I could be mistaken at several weeks remove - that even the producers were referring to them as two separate series in the commentaries.

(Do you refer to David Tennant's outgoing specials of Doctor Who as the last five episodes of series four?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATimson 

 

It's only the second block of episodes produced, but it's still the third series to air. I believe - though I could be mistaken at several weeks remove - that even the producers were referring to them as two separate series in the commentaries.

 

The first series did consist of 13 episodes, and I'm pretty certain it was the same for the second series when it was ordered by ITV. That's what I'm sticking with. So ITV1 are showing at the moment the 19th series of Heartbeat (it's the 18th series) at the moment? They have a fascination with splitting series up into two lots, instead of showing them all in one go (which they used to do).

And how come all 13 episodes of the first series of Law & Order: UK are being/have been released on Region 1 in one set?

TVShowsOnDVD posted a news article on their website yesterday about "Season 2" of Law & Order: UK (which should be "Series 3" and "Series 4" as shown on ITV1) on DVD:

Law & Order: UK: Season Two - TVShowsOnDVD.com news article

Final 3D front cover artwork for Universal Playback's Region 2 release of Law & Order: UK's sixth series (aka Series 3 - Volume 2), being released on Monday 2nd April (source: Play.com):