I realized just after it ended that I forgot to watch it. Now I'll have to wait until it's re-run somewhere to see what you're talking about.

If you have a decent connection, it's apparently online. http://watchsvu.net

I wasn't aware you watched the show. What's your opinion of the last few seasons?

Oh, SVU, what happened to you? I feel like I'm a mom in an interrogation room, looking across the table at my kid, and wondering just where it all went wrong.

Well said. No wonder Baer is finally jumping ship after all these years. Ohnnnn, Meloni needs his own vehicle on TV, something to make him shine...no more of the same old scripts, written and rewritten to the point of, as you said, "I know who the killer was, but by then I no longer cared."

Something new and innovative would be great. Meloni's capable of incredible work and SVU isn't pushing him at all. The only time his character lights up is when he's furious with anger -- and the very last thing I want to see is Stabler being hauled off to prison for murder or manslaughter. Even though I realize that that would be an ironic full circle type of thing -- Oz to SVU to Oz again.

I want to see is Stabler being hauled off to prison for murder or manslaughter. Even though I realize that that would be an ironic full circle type of thing -- Oz to SVU to Oz again.

I smelllll a spin-off!! lol Wouldn't that be an interesting way to write out Stabler? Then spin-off into a 'hard-hitting' HBO drama. :D

I just don't know. On the one hand, if that is what happened I'd say "Oh, come on, I saw that coming for the past two seasons. How about you guys surprise me with something good?" On the other hand, done well, it'd be interesting to explore Stabler's take on life after his incarceration. I do think he's too much of a it's either black or white guy even after all he's been through in his personal life and what he's seen on the job. On the third hand (What? Doesn't *everyone* have three hands?) actual violence upsets me (and I don't handle suspense well) so if it went back to HBO, I don't know that I'd be able to watch. You can say "well, it couldn't be *that* much worse than OZ" -- but I never got past the first three or four episodes of Season One. It makes me that nervous. If you know of any Oz fans who live near enough to Royal Oak (which itself is near Detroit) who'd want to watch with me, for heaven's sake, point them my way!

Edited at 2011-01-21 03:58 pm (UTC)

I'll tell you exactly where it went wrong. Around the end of Season 7 (if I recall correctly, maybe Season 8) when Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas left as producers/writers. Script quality went way down after they left and it became akin to non-sensical storytelling.

Are writers/producers paid as well as CM and MH? I rather doubt it and that's a pity because without quality scripts, neither one is worth watching.

Non-sensical storytelling is right. There is very little continuity between episodes and some of the major plot devices (e.g., "Here, Olivia, take my kid") are so unreal that even I notice them.

I gave up on SVU several seasons ago in favor of, frankly, lighter fare. Current fave is The Closer (which at least offers a laugh now & then). K bought me Seasons 1-4 on DVD recently, making it easier to kiss bad shows goodbye.

However, I still enjoy your reviews!

I like The Closer and for a long time it had top spot on the to-be-recorded list. I'm not sure what's on there now but that has more to do with how often our DRV loses its mind and erases all of the user input.

My favorite television right now is neither light nor fiction. I love the Hoarding shows and watch as many as I can find. I also love Tia Torres and rank her show Pitbulls and Parolees as high.

The orginal NCIS and CSI are both pretty good and I watch them faithfully. I like L&O:UK a whole heap, and L&O:CI's Jeff Goldblum is always a treat to watch.