Nov 23, 2023
Related Recs
Today is my birthday so I am thinking about my childhood, and how it shaped who I am today. If there was a trivia answer to the question "what show was on in the Buford household most frequently when Jayson Buford was growing up", then the answer would be Law and Order. Mind you, not the SVU stuff that all of you transplants watch (I understand how important Olivia Benson is, but original is the much better show), but rather original, homicide, Upper East/Upper West Side, Law and Order. It's been thirty years since it was at his peak but it's still aged excellently. First off, the fashion is excellent, especially A.D.A. Claire Kincad, played by the vibrant Jill Hennessy. I like the buttons ups that Claire has; and the jackets. She looks so beautiful, yet she is so ruthlessly competent. She was the best A.D.A. Plus, the dashiki-like button ups and sweaters that Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson, EXCELLENT and REGAL) wears. The working class detectives look good too: Jerry Orbach's Lennie Briscoe and Chris Noth's Mike Logan are the best detective pairing there is. I used to think that it was Briscoe and Green (Jesse L. Martin) but the episodes that Logan has with Lennie are just so chic, dense, and compelling. There's the episode where the jury was bribed by a mobster and McCoy has to prosecute his friend, the rival lawyer; there's the episode where the OJ-like stockbroker chokes the life out of his boss and his lawyers come up with this defense called "black rage" -- rage when you have to deal with a white man's world, even though the defendant was obviously content to be in that world. (Courtney B. Vance plays the murderer shiveringly well. The defense is bullshit, so much so that it is hilarious. The law is full of wonder and whimsy).
There isn't TV like this anymore. Everything has to be spelled out to viewers now -- from political commentary to race to gender to sexuality. It must be so odd watching shows that only want to appeal to our worst instincts and traits. Law and Order, at its peak, did such a fearsome job tackling these things without catering to everyone's weak minds. It made watching the show breezy but still provocative. Nor, was it a prestige show that you have to have HBO to watch, or have to wait until Sunday night to follow. It was both a great show and one that your entire family could watch. You don't get that anymore. Watch Law and Order original on Hulu. I honestly say start from Season 3 on --- that's the season that the legendary Jerry Orbach joins the show. I miss when TV was this good. I have great taste because I watched a show this good growing up.
Jan 8, 2025
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Olivia Benson is my life
Sep 25, 2024
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Cheers, Chappelle’s Show, Northern Exposure, Prison Break, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (only the seasons with Vincent D’Onofrio, who is Sean Penn’s father-in-law in real life), Homicide: Life on the Streets, Twin Peaks Reloaded (which I really disliked when it came out but watched again recently and now like), Frasier, Martin, Unsolved Mysteries (Robert Stack seasons), Missing 411: The Hunted, Hunting for Hitler, Unacknowledged, America’s Most Wanted, COPS, World’s Wildest Police Chases (1993-5), The X-Files (seasons 1-4), Murder She Wrote, McMillan & Wife, Magnum P.I., Banacek, Columbo, The Young & The Restless, Forensic Files, Homeland, Designing Women, Roseanne
Mar 29, 2022
Top Recs from @carolinefriedman
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your family never wants to tackle digitization, but it’s a fun and engaging activity. maybe even organizing the old prints and negatives too, if you feel extra generous.
Dec 23, 2023
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and specifically from a diner
Dec 15, 2023
Jan 4, 2024