Brian Damage
04-25-2007, 11:08 PM
Wolf, sources say, is in a huge-cost cutting move at the moment to keep classic "L&O" and "Criminal Intent" on the air.
For the former show, he has already fired a producer and is thinking of axing the actors who play the cops. He would replace them with younger, cheaper people.
For "Criminal Intent," it's a different story. There is talk that Wolf has suggested eliminating long time "L&O" player Chris Noth from "CI." Noth came on in 2006 to alternate episodes with Vincent D'Onofrio. The latter actor had become very difficult and the company required a soothing change.
But D'Onofrio, they say, has calmed down. He is also less expensive than Noth, who is such a bona-fide star that he could easily carry his own show.
On top of that, Noth has already gone through one co-star, Annabella Sciorra. Now I'm told that Julianne Nicholson, who replaced Sciorra, is already not coming back, thanks to her pregnancy.
Here's an interesting theory about why "CI" might survive while classic "L&O" might not. Apparently, "CI" is a hit in France, where the scripts are refilmed with French actors. The French production company pays a high fee for this.
"They don't like the original 'Law & Order' because their judicial system doesn't allow for the way the show is divided between the cops and lawyers," an observer said. "'CI' is much easier for them to replicate."
Stay tuned. ...
For the former show, he has already fired a producer and is thinking of axing the actors who play the cops. He would replace them with younger, cheaper people.
For "Criminal Intent," it's a different story. There is talk that Wolf has suggested eliminating long time "L&O" player Chris Noth from "CI." Noth came on in 2006 to alternate episodes with Vincent D'Onofrio. The latter actor had become very difficult and the company required a soothing change.
But D'Onofrio, they say, has calmed down. He is also less expensive than Noth, who is such a bona-fide star that he could easily carry his own show.
On top of that, Noth has already gone through one co-star, Annabella Sciorra. Now I'm told that Julianne Nicholson, who replaced Sciorra, is already not coming back, thanks to her pregnancy.
Here's an interesting theory about why "CI" might survive while classic "L&O" might not. Apparently, "CI" is a hit in France, where the scripts are refilmed with French actors. The French production company pays a high fee for this.
"They don't like the original 'Law & Order' because their judicial system doesn't allow for the way the show is divided between the cops and lawyers," an observer said. "'CI' is much easier for them to replicate."
Stay tuned. ...