THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 7, 1996 TAG: 9602060046
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
ON ``LAW & ORDER'' on NBC, you've never seen the eminently cool Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid flirting. Or heard crusty ol' Detective Lenny Briscoe talking about the women who have shared his bed.
Until now.
Viewers will experience a definite change of pace on ``Law & Order'' tonight at 10 when the cast of that show loosens up after merging with the actors on the NBC cop drama ``Homicide: Life on the Street'' to solve bombings that claim 22 victims in two cities.
For the first time, we peek into the private lives of the cops and lawyers on ``Law & Order.'' You'll watch Kincaid (played by Jill Hennessy) be a bit of a coquette as she dines with Detective Tim Bayliss of ``Homicide,'' who's come north to Manhattan from Baltimore to grill a suspect in a five-year-old church bombing. A similar explosion rocks a subway train as ``Law & Order'' opens.
``You seeing anybody, or what?'' Bayliss (played by Kyle Secor) asks Kincaid, who as usual is in a silk blouse, smart suit and pearls. Their flirtation continues in Part 2 of this marriage of cop shows on Friday at 10.
There's a nicely played scene down in Baltimore when detectives and prosecutors from both shows sit together in a tavern where Jerry Orbach as Briscoe raises a toast:
``Here's to wearing a badge, carrying a high-powered sidearm and, hopefully, being right most of the time.''
Said Orbach when he met with TV writers in Los Angeles recently, ``Doing their show was a lot of fun for us.''
However briefly, Briscoe and his partners on ``Law & Order'' get a life.
The writers put in a little tension between Orbach's character and Baltimore Detective John Munch, played by Richard Belzer. Seems that Briscoe has been dating Munch's ex-wife and sleeping with her.
Munch is crushed. Briscoe is amused.
Briscoe wins $500 from Munch shooting pool.
Munch is crushed. Briscoe is amused.
It's great fun.
Both shows are universally excellent but have different styles. ``Law & Order'' is a tightly constructed conventional TV drama. ``Homicide'' is a show that invites improvising.
See how the actors from one show adjust to being part of the other.
Writers from both series collaborated on the scripts. One director (Ed Sherin) was used. ``There was no difficulty whatsoever in making the transition,'' said Benjamin Bratt, who plays Briscoe's partner, Detective Reynaldo Curtis.
Devotees of both shows will welcome the scenes in which the ever-intense Detective Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) of the Baltimore homicide division clashes with the equally intense Curtis character. I got a kick out of Lt. Van Buren (played by S. Epatha Merkerson) in Manhattan welcoming a visit by Pembleton and Bayliss to check out the subway bombing, but at the same time telling them to keep their noses out of the New York investigation.
They don't.
They want the suspect in Manhattan bound over to them and sent to Baltimore.
The matter goes to a judge.
Pembleton goes nose to nose with Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston). Two great TV actors in one scene!
Although the interaction between the ``Law & Order'' and ``Homicide'' casts is welcome, I am weary of NBC setting up these sweeps' crossovers. One of the friends on ``Friends'' visits ``Hope & Gloria.'' Jay Leno pops up on ``Wings.'' NBC digs up some of the cast of ``Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' for ``Mad About You.''
Let's hope that this is the end of it. by CNB