Ailing "Law & Order" faces uncertain future

[Brian Damage]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Law & Order" may stumble in its quest to replace "Gunsmoke" as the longest running primetime drama in television history.

The NBC crime show, currently languishing in the ratings after being banished to Fridays in its 17th season, is one of several long-running series whose futures are uncertain.

NBC has begun talks with the show's producers for another season, and sources said the network is seeking a reduction in the license fee it pays for each episode. "Law & Order" is produced by NBC corporate sibling NBC Universal TV Studio and the show's creator, Dick Wolf.

NBC recently sought -- and received -- a lower fee for the right to air the modestly rated Friday drama "Las Vegas." The NBC/DreamWorks-produced show will return for a fifth season, but without co-star Nikki Cox, who fell victim to the tighter budget.

NBC's "Scrubs" is definitely coming back for a season, but possibly on ABC, which in turn is weighing the future of utility players "According to Jim" and "George Lopez."

"Law & Order" is one of the best-known brands in television, yielding two spinoffs, and playing strongly in reruns. Wolf has often said he wants to surpass the record of 20 seasons held by "Gunsmoke," but the ratings are not helping.

So far this season, "Law & Order" is averaging 9.3 million viewers, down from 11.6 million a year ago, when it aired in its traditional Wednesday berth, according to Nielsen Media Research. Its spinoffs, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," are averaging 12.9 million and 9.7 million, respectively, both also down markedly from last year. By contrast, top-rated dramas "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" pull in about 20 million viewers each.

In the meantime, former "Law & Order" showrunner Rene Balcer has returned to the series as a consultant to write several of the season's remaining episodes. He served as an executive producer/showrunner on the series as well as on "Criminal Intent" until last spring.

The broadcast networks make most of their money during their series' early run, usually around the third year. But by the fifth or sixth seasons, they usually have to pay a license fee that equals the series' production costs. A recent Wall Street Journal report quoted sources as saying NBC pays about $3 million for a single episode of "Criminal Intent."

If one factors in ratings premiums in the range of $100,000-$150,000 per episode paid by the networks that kick in after the fourth season as well as partial reimbursements of the losses incurred by the studios in the early years of the shows, it is no surprise that the networks are taking a careful look at their older series.

In the case of so-called "bubble" shows whose ratings are marginal, the networks have been making the case of bringing them back for a license fee less than 100% of the production cost. The studios can usually make up the difference through domestic reruns and international sales.

Both "Law & Order" and "Vegas" are partially produced in-house, which adds other factors to the equation. For instance, after its current fourth season, "Vegas" has 87 episodes produced. Another season will bring it comfortably above the syndication threshold of 100 episodes, which is beneficial to NBC Universal TV Studio.

Both "Jim," produced by ABC's sister studio ABC TV, and "Lopez," which hails from Warner Bros. TV, were not on ABC's fall schedule, an indication that they might be nearing their end. But "Jim" showed spunk last week, and "Lopez" has done well enough against Fox's "American Idol" that both series are considered quite possible to return, though not necessarily at a license fee that covers 100% of the costs.

Things are far more complicated with "Scrubs" because there is another suitor for the ABC TV-produced show, ABC, which needs an established comedy.

After ABC TV locked up the entire cast of the show, including star Zach Braff, for a seventh season and signing a new deal with the hospital where the quirky comedy is being filmed, "Scrubs" is locked to come back.

Although NBC brass have expressed a commitment to the show, the network has moved the series around the schedule numerous times, and last year it exercised its option for a sixth season at the last minute. Many expect things to go down to the wire again this year.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[DougD]

This topic has come up on a non-L&O discussion board..
http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index....c,68583.0.html

Law & Order may be cancelled- USA Today
« on: Yesterday at 02:44:57 pm »

The publication had a story on it in the front page of their entertainment section this a.m.
...
I honestly hope L&O gets canned.

The shows during the past 7 years have been weak, with mediocre script writing.
The acting is okay, but nothing to brag about. Plus the cast changes so quickly it's hard to follow the series.

I stopped watching it years ago.

L&O's best years and strongest stories were its first 5-8 seasons. The writing was top-notch. The actors were sterling.

Just watch an episode from the first 3-5 seasons. The shows have a Hill Street Blues feel to it.
Today's episodes can't fill the early one's shoes.

How many of today's episodes would win an Enmy as did one of the earlier season's season's episodes did?

[EricIdlefan]

I hope that it doesn't get canned but that
NBC needs to move it to a better time slot perhaps
That is just my suggestion.

[Brian Damage]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter)- After more than a month of negotiations, the future of ratings-challenged NBC crime dramas "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is still uncertain.

This week began with a flurry of rumors Monday about the cancellation of the mothership series, which is in its 17th season.

After an in-person meeting between representatives for the series' creator, Dick Wolf, and NBC later that day, the fate of the show was moved back into the "undecided" column. Talks between the two sides are expected to stretch into early May before a final decision on the two series is made. (The franchise's third series, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," was picked up for next season in January.)


"Talks have been taking place and continue to take place about the future of both 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent,"' Wolf said Wednesday. "I think the discussions have reached a productive stage, and it's my finest hope that we will find a way to have both shows picked up. I feel that creatively they are remarkably strong.

"'Criminal Intent' went through a major face-lift this fall, and I think it really worked. I also think that 'Law & Order' is still doing a great job of telling stories that very few other shows can tackle," Wolf said.

He declined further comment on the negotiations.

"We're in discussions with Dick to explore ways to bring back one or both shows, but no final decision has been made," an NBC spokeswoman said.

From the very beginning, it was made clear by both sides that a renewal for the shows would be a business decision; both "Law & Order" and "Criminal Intent," in its sixth season, are expensive to produce, with ensemble casts and New York-based shoots, while their ratings are down from several years ago.

But as negotiations have been going on, NBC's fortunes changed. With freshman hit "Heroes" still on the bench, the network posted its lowest weekly ratings among adults 18-49 for the past two weeks, with a number of series softening, including once-red-hot game show "Deal or No Deal."

It is understood that, from a financial standpoint, even with significant cost cuts, "Law & Order" won't be able continue in its current slot on the low-traffic, low-ad-revenue Friday night. Things look brighter if "Law & Order" moves to another night, with the Wednesday 10 p.m. period -- where the veteran drama spent 15 years -- as a potential candidate. All of the drama series NBC has put in the time slot since sending "L&O" to Fridays have fared worse than that long-running crime drama.

It is understood that the Wolf camp also is hoping for a return of its other series on the bubble, "Criminal Intent" to its old Sunday 9 p.m. period after football.

There has been speculation for months about potential casting changes on "Law & Order," including presidential possibility Fred Thompson and Milena Govich leaving, but sources stressed that no decisions on cast changes and/or reductions will be made until there is a license fee agreement.

While its future on the network is still in doubt, the crime franchise is going strong for producers NBC Universal TV Studio and Wolf Films with international format sales and domestic syndication sales. Russian versions of "Special Victims" and "Criminal Intent" already are on the air, and France is about to launch a local version of "Criminal Intent." "Special Victims" was recently sold in weekend syndication for the fall in the United States.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[catlover79]

Sorry to say it, but the depature/passing of Jerry Orbach was the blow that did L&O in. With Sam Waterston reported to be leaving as well, TPTB may as well call it a day. The stories have become repetitive, going more and more for shock value. The post-JO years have been pitiful, both in ratings and quality (the notorious "is this because I'm a lesbian?" line comes to mind).