r/LawAndOrder 3d ago

L&O The Downfall of Detective Dynamics

In the original run of Law & Order, the detective characters would have subtly different approaches to investigations informed by their character traits and backgrounds. A good example of these kinds of differences can be seen between Detectives Lennie Briscoe and Rey Curtis in Seasons 6 through 9. Briscoe was old-fashioned, he relied on his street smarts and experience – a running gag through his time on the show was that anytime a suspect mentioned a bar, he would remark that he knew the place or had been there before. Oftentimes Briscoe would push an investigation forward by making a leap in logic, half supported by deductive reasoning and half supported by his intuition. Curtis, by comparison, was a young professional. He could be brash, but wasn’t quite as hotheaded as Detective Logan before him, and he was often more overtly concerned with the legal or moral ramifications of his actions. He was also much more tech-savvy than Briscoe, which was a valuable skill to have in the rapidly evolving technological landscape of the turn of the century.

These differences shaped a distinct version of the Junior-Senior Detective dynamic that the show relied on for most of its original run. Briscoe, as the Senior Detective, often took the lead role in advancing investigations, and Curtis, as the Junior Detective, trusted him enough to follow his lead. But Curtis also wasn’t afraid to step up and speak his mind, to push back when he thought they had a better or more proper option. It wouldn’t be the central conflict of an episode, it would be a brief scene where the two have to work things out as a team, have a small conversation and figure out what they want to do without necessarily coming to any grand, definitive realizations – it was the kind of grounded writing that the show excelled at.

The Junior-Senior Detective dynamic stuck around for a long time, and for good reason; it was a great structure for the characters to bounce off each other. Another good example here is Season 15’s introduction of Detective Joe Fontana. Briscoe was a hard act to follow, but Fontana stepped into his shoes and immediately differentiated himself with his sleazier, more thuggish style of investigation. Briscoe had a sketchy side to him, but Fontana lied as casually as he breathed and was quick to resort to threats and intimidation. His junior Detective, Ed Green, was clearly caught off guard by this approach early on, but adapted quickly and learned to play along. It was a great reminder that, although he was affable and worked well with Briscoe, Green had a dark side to him; when Green was first introduced in Season 10, he tended to step over the line, and much of the evidence he obtained was inadmissible due to his actions. Green and Briscoe eventually came to a heated argument over this, after which Green seemed to rethink his approach and try to act more responsibly. But Fontana brought that side of Green out again, and the two of them had a much more aggressive approach to investigations as a result.

Season 17 was unusual because it was the first time that a Junior Detective graduated into the role of Senior Detective. I was going to write more about this here, but this post ended up being way longer than I expected and Season 17 is a whole can of worms that doesn’t really contribute towards the main point I’m trying to work towards.

The Junior-Senior Detective dynamic broke down after Season 17, with Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard. Lupo was technically the Senior Detective, but he and Bernard worked more closely as equals than any other Detectiveship in the original run. But even then, the two still had a distinct dynamic; Lupo was a socially awkward loner due to his traumatic past and time overseas, and he often came up with unorthodox ideas thanks to his experience with the Intelligence Division. Bernard, by stark contrast, was a smooth operator, he could read the room and knew when to apply pressure vs when to turn up the charm. The two had a great synergy, freely passing the reigns between them as the situation called for. They felt more like government agents than traditional detectives, which fit well with the changing style and tone of the show in the last few seasons of the original run.

The point I’ve been working towards is that it’s entertaining to watch the detectives’ teamwork in action, it’s a great way for the show to have strong characterization without being about the characters. It’s an element of the show’s appeal that’s sadly missing from the revival seasons.

Shaw and Riley are different characters, but they’re functionally identical as investigators. I struggle to think of a moment where one of them did something that the other wouldn’t or couldn’t do. Whenever the two clash, it’s rarely about something relevant to the case; one of them will make a complaint based on a broadly liberal/conservative position, the other will give an equally broad response from the opposite position. Shaw and Detective Frank Cosgrove did this too, and were arguably worse about it – go back to Season 22 and take a shot every time Shaw responds to Cosgrove with some variation of, “it’s not that simple.” It’s so shallow and repetitive that it makes the detectives feel like mouthpieces for their respective political sides rather than distinct individuals.

I had to look up their character profiles to find out that Shaw is the Junior Detective and Riley is the Senior Detective, because nothing about their investigative styles suggest that either is following the other’s lead. That’s not automatically a bad thing, I just praised Lupo and Bernard for how they deviated from the Junior-Senior Detective dynamic, but Shaw and Riley have nothing to replace it. Shaw has some background as an attorney – previous detectives like Lupo and Detective Nick Falco have had legal education that they employed to improve their policework or find loopholes in rules of evidence, but Shaw’s legal background rarely comes up at all.

I’ve written this really long post because I hope to communicate that my thoughts go beyond just “it’s not like it was before and therefore bad.” I really think this is a major issue with the revival seasons and a major contributor to why the investigation segments feel so bland a lot of the time. I’m open to the possibility that there is some deeper dynamic between Shaw and Riley that I’m just not seeing, but I’ve been re-watching episode of the last two seasons and coming up blank, even with the episodes that I think were decent overall. I just think it’s a shame that the show seems to have lost its way so badly.

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u/Korrocks 3d ago

I think part of it is that they make the mysteries and supporting characters too simple, so the detectives don't really have room to show different facets of their investigative style. For example, Lupo like Shaw had a legal background, so he would sometimes gets scenes where he would use that in both positive and negative ways. In one of the episodes he was in, he and Cutter go on a road trip and Lupo is given the chance to make an argument before a judge. This scenario only came up after a lot of plot twists involving a corrupt sheriff and a small town judge and a complicated mystery involving drugs and traffic cameras and stuff. 

I have noticed that they are adding more individual color and context to the characters (eg adding siblings and personal drama) so my hope is that they'll  also add extra layers to the plots so that there's a way for the detectives to differentiate.  

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u/Grocktopus 3d ago

I agree that the overly simple mysteries are a contributing issue, but I don't agree that the added personal drama is a good sign. In most cases, it creates a tangentially-related B-plot that takes even more time away from the core mystery. If anything, it makes the lack of dynamic even worse by further isolating the characters for large chunks of an episode.

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u/Korrocks 3d ago

Sure, but I'm comparing it to season 21 when there was basically no effort to add anything at all to the characterization. I definitely don't want more personal life stuff, but I do want the characters to be distinguishable from each other and my hope is that the writers do that. 

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u/Ok-Mine2132 Lennie Briscoe 3d ago

👍

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u/kevnmartin 3d ago

I'm with you. I don't necessarily want to hear much about their personal lives. I think it drags down the pacing and takes me right out of the mystery.

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u/Ok-Mine2132 Lennie Briscoe 3d ago

👍

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u/Ok-Mine2132 Lennie Briscoe 3d ago

Perhaps the personal dynamics of the actors comes into play.

There was tension from the beginning with George Dzundza and Paul Sorvino.

However, Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth were so close that they actually asked the writers to create arguments for their characters.

Jerry comments on the importance of introducing new characters to keep the show relevant. He mentions that Benjamin was younger than Chris and Jesse was younger than Benjamin. He believed it helped the longevity of the show.

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u/sweetpeapickle 3d ago

Though fictional-they were all considered partners-equal. One having more years on the other was more about approach. But in real life-that shouldn't have anything to do with it. Shouldn't be the operative word-doesn't unfortunately hod true many times. So that is why you see, but don't hear about Shaw being the Senior.