As I’ve said before in this space, I’m a “Law & Order Leftist” – a fan and follower of the TV shows created by Dick Wolf, starting with the original “Law & Order” in 1990. I’ve enjoyed most all of the iterations on that very successful franchise – I suspect it’s TV’s top one – and in recent years have as well been a regular viewer of Wolf’s other new franchises.
There are many reasons for a politically progressive TV addict like myself to have such high regard for those shows and Wolf’s other creations. But two stand out. First, though genuine justice may not always prevail, in the Wolf universe it largely has a positive purpose. And its featured law enforcement stars represent well what that pursuit should be at its best. In this era of the much maligned and misunderstood notion of “Defund The Police” – my take on that is “Revise The Police” – the Wolf shows underscore why, of course, every civil society needs law enforcement, and also present a rather idealized notion, if still warts and all, of how that can be a largely positive force in our culture and civic existence.
(Plus, hey, the episodes of everything he’s associated with are damn fine TV dramas.)
The other aspect I find so appealing in Wolf’s shows is how at the core of every one of them is the accidental and somewhat random non-genetic family units that can form in our workplaces. Again, in the Wolf-a-verse they are a bit idealized yet do still come with the dysfunction that may be endemic to anything that resembles a family in human communities.
I’ve followed “Law & Order” near religiously through its New York City iterations as well as to Los Angeles and London and liked them all. Nice thing about the modern streaming TV world is that if you have any tendency toward binging on series from the past you can likely find most all of them on some service or other. Truly good TV rarely if ever goes stale.
I happily kept on the Wolf trail to arrive in the Windy City starting in 2012, and am now, quite happily, invested emotionally since in “Chicago Fire,” as well as “P.D.” and “Med” – gobble up the new episodes as soon as they appear. In 2018, Wolf launched “FBI,” opening up another seam to mine. It’s notable that one of the lead agents, Omar Adom “O.A.” Zidan,” is a Muslim of Egyptian descent, like its actor, Zeeko Zaki, in his real life. The character is also a West Point grad and former Army Ranger. It’s a nice touch in a time when too many Americans knee-jerk Muslims as always an enemy. The show is always a zesty fast-paced ride to solve a crime, with TV veteran Jeremy Sisto leading the efforts in a high-tech boiler room at FBI HQ in Manhattan.
The show was followed two years later by a spin-off, “FBI: Most Wanted.” It happens to lean rather largely into the family theme with Fugitive Task Force leader Jess LaCroix’s home life being a frequent subplot. This year it was joined by “FBI: International,” a rather delightful variation on the theme with an overseas team of Feds based in Budapest and jetting off around Europe to investigate crimes that involve American citizens. The show is naturally quite scenic and has provided me with at least a TV European vacation during my fairly strict lockdown.
Meanwhile, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” carries on through cast replacements and other changes to reign as TV’s longest-running prime-time live-action series. That is no small accomplishment. This year saw the return of “SVU” lynchpin Olivia Benson’s former longtime partner Elliot Stabler in the latest franchise entry, “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” Alas, as much as I like actor Christopher Meloni and his Stabler character, for the first time it feels like maybe Wolf has jumped the shark. The show breaks “L&O” form with a season-long storyline. I can’t quite fully articulate why – and as with all Wolf series, it of course has its merits – but for the first time a Wolf creation doesn’t ring quite true with with me.
No matter; we shall see how that plays out. But with all the Wolf world shows drawing characters from across the racial and gender spectrums and often addressing the pressing issues and matters of the day, they’ve always been somewhat “woke.” Let’s just not tell that to the right wingers lest they start their dumb and irksome whining and kvetching.
Musical Album Set: “20th Century” by Peter Stampfel – An ideal Christmas present for anyone into the great pop songbook, as well as outsider music. Former Holy Modal Rounder Stampfel covers one song per year over all the 100 that made up the last century. His quivering voice may be a bit of an acquired taste, but it brings charm to every number here.
TV Documentary: “Seeing Allred” – Interesting look at the fierce feminist attorney, Gloria Allred.
Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email orca@prismnet.com.
From The Progressive Populist, December 15, 2021
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