Law & Order: Los Angeles

The new detectives seem so young, eager and fresh-faced that you almost think the Hardy Boys are on the case. Molina's Morales has a bit of that nice New York edge; Howard 's Dekker (in next week's episode) is a little stuffier, duller; he'd probably be better suited to "Law & Order: D.C."

The show doesn't catch fire until next week's "Echo Park" which is an echo of things past--a la Charles Manson's girls and the murder of one who has gotten out of prison. Be sure to catch it. Guest actresses Nancy Youngblut, Bonnie Root and Dale Dickey are so good, they'll renew your faith in the old franchise.

The writers do indulge in a few amusing L.A.-centric detours--including a pointed scene of "reality TV" being filmed, complete with retakes--but there's ultimately no escaping the mostly unchanged (and undeniably durable) formula.

Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stoll are well-paired as detectives, and Alfred Molina, looking like an irascible owl, adds some harrumping power as deputy DA. [18 Sep 2010, p.40]

The rhythms feel off. The cuts don't feel as crisp, the transitions don't feel as sharp. Part of this may stem from the show's deliberate and successful attempt to look L.A. Where the New York edition always had a little grit.

It may be a cliche to say that New York is an essential character and component of the Law & Order brand, but it's true. The distinctive grit and energy of the urban metropolis are lacking in the sprawl of L.A., which is also so overexposed on TV in its sun-drenched glamour that LOLA feels old hat before it even arrives.

LOLA begins so flat, boring and predictable that you have to grudgingly admire Wolf's steadfast commitment to the holiness of the brand, at the expense of any creativity, originality or shock value.