Law and Order with a British accent--and wigs!
by Kay S.
The Law & Order franchise has been one of the most popular in television history. In 2009, series creator Dick Wolf fulfilled a goal of having a show in the United Kingdom. Law & Order: UK debuted in 2009 and the first season now being shown on BBC America with a new episode debuting every Friday night at 9 p.m. EST.
The show's premise is the same as its American counterparts. The first half of the show features two detectives and their captain investigating a crime. The second half of the show features the prosecutors who are responsible for putting the criminals away for their dastardly deeds. Those not familiar with British courtrooms may be surprised to see the prosecutors and the judges in wigs. This is a British tradition that continues today and Law & Order: UK stays true to that tradition.
Another similarity to the American version is that the characters often become the focus of the story. An episode that aired in November focused on the molesation of attorney Alesah Phillips by her gynecologist.
Law and Order UK features actors that may be unfamiliar to an American audience. Bradley Walsh and Jamie Bamber play the detectives while Harriet Walter plays their boss. Ben Daniels and Freema Agyeman play the crown prosecutors while Ben Daniels plays their boss. Jamie Bamber may be familiar to science fiction fans or his role in Battlestar Galactica.
The addition of Law & Order: UK to the Friday night lineup help salve the wound of Law & Order fans who saw the franchise's first incarnation cancelled by NBC last year after a 20-year run. At the time of its cancellation, it was also airing on Friday nights.