MovieChat Forums > Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) Discussion > Started rewatching from season 1

Started rewatching from season 1

posted 4 years ago by kwestmo (4114)
5 replies | jump to latest

I had forgotten this was once a good cop show with a lot of nuance and shades of grey.

I quit watching when it became talking heads lecturing the audience, tho I don't recall when that transition started.

[–] yvesyves (630) 3 years ago

same opinion here, the first 12 / 13 / 14 seasons were great, dark down to earth realistic crime show,

then it slowly shifted to trying to be more polished, politically correct, increasing focus on romance and love life of the detectives which I feel didn't fit the show; the goal of those changes was probably to pull in a more diverse audience.

[–] Allison44 (602) 3 years ago

I love the show but it did morph , I'd say at Seas. 16, into a different type of crime show.

[–] aavfreak (2862) 3 years ago

One of the things that made this show successful early on is that each episode is self contained and can be enjoyed on its own. The viewer doesn't need to know backstory or the current story arc to understand what's going on.

This fit perfectly with the busy lives of people that couldn't necessarily commit to watching a show in its entirety and being sure to tune in or watch every episode to stay up to date with the current episodes. This works especially well in syndication where you can just stop while channel surfing and watch.

At some point character development and story arcs crept their way into the show. It certainly changes the overall feel.

[–] GordonGartrelle (1267) 3 years ago

Do you have a specific episode you can name.

I still find all episodes to be stand alone.

[–] aavfreak (2862) 3 years ago

I never watched it much to be able to say exactly. I just catch episodes here and there. The one I'm thinking of specifically, someone asked Stabler about his daughter, which had nothing to do with the current episode or the case they were working, but rather seemed part of a larger story arc that referenced events from previous episodes.