'Law & Order' Season Premiere.... show gone fully right-wing?

[krkaufman]

Wow.

I'm sitting here watching the Law & Order season premiere on NBC, an episode about the murder of a National Guardsman who had been a guard at Abu Ghraib, and am stunned at the incredible degree of right-wing propaganda being spewed -- while the voices of the "left" on the show are muted and confused.

Anybody else notice this?

Fred Thompson, the former Republican Senator and perpetual conservative blowhard, is still in place, and offers the standard right-wing disinformation that Iraq is somehow related to the fight against global terrorism. And the new detective, replacing the beloved Lenny Briscoe, is full-on spouting right-wing fear-mongering talking points.

Most aggravating to me* was the comment by the superior of the slain National Guardsman, regarding the prisoners at Abu Ghraib. The character's statement was that 98% of the prisoners were high-value targets. This is a blatant falsehood that should not have been kept in the script whatsoever, let alone allowed to be stated and unchallenged as it was. It has been reported that "as many as 80 percent of the Iraq detainees have been innocent civilians."

edit: Oh yeah, I *knew* there was a third character that irritated me, but I couldn't remember it before posting. Ron Silver. So far, Silver's character has been the least objectionable of the 3, but Silver's real world politics have my antennae up and listening.

* p.s. "most aggravating" as of the halfway point, that is, since I was so aggravated that I had to come to DU to see if anyone else had posted anything yet.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

1. Check here:

This thread: www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2401685

[krkaufman]

2. Yeah, that post wasn't there when I first checked.

It just took me a bit longer to compose my post.

[laura888]

3. yeah - let this post run....this poster makes a different case ....n/t

[krkaufman]

5. thx n/t

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

4. I have to agree. The show's drifted to the right....

...and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Even now, the second one is about 9/11 widows. Someone the detectives were talking to was complaining that the 9/11 widows were parading around "like it was mardi gras".
Considering that the most prominiet 9/11 widows have been the Jersey Girls, and they've been quite voiceferous during the 9/11 Commission hearings, (also somewhat critical of Bush*, I think there's definitely a stench starting to rise from the show.

I wonder of Aaron Sorkin had his scripts for The West Wing fact checked...

[mark11727]

6. The missus watches L&O reruns on TNT...

Every. Damn. Night.

Since I've already served on a couple of juries (nothing major), anything relating to trial lawyers and courtroom dramas hold little or no appeal to me (or to be more honest, I just plain don't like 'em).

Not overy crazy about cop shows, either.

To each his own.

[Cobalt Violet]

7. The whole network is becoming Fox2.

It is racing toward the right.

[Cha]

8. I'm watching "New York CSI" and Gary Sinese,

and Company are for sure Dems..Turn off dick wolff and his rite wing nazi spew and come over to CBS..very good..Eddie Cahill, Harper Hill ..all in New York!

[HootieMcBoob]

16. I don't think it's shot in New York though

I think they do some exernals there but the bulk of it is done in LA, like the rest of the CSI shows. Not that it's that important.

[librechik]

23. the last scene was at Ground Zero--

and key to solving the mystery was the skyline of NYC--looks like it's mostly shot there, to me

[Cha]

25. That's right..I did read that..

Go figure! MONEY!

The Las Vegas CSI is my favorite..

[JSJ]

28. sinese is a hardcore repug nt

[AlCzervik]

9. i figured as much when i saw the previews

i have been a loyal L&O watcher since Georgie Dzundza opened the first episode. I will no longer be watching.

[SidDithers]

10. I only ever watch L&O:CI now..

just because the Vincent D'Onofrio character is the coolest detective out there :)

Sid

[Cha]

11. Gary Sinese is pretty damn cool!

L&O is worried about CSI New York coming on Wed nights..ya'll should check it out!

[krkaufman]

13. Dang! I meant to setup a recording of CSI:NY.

Sinise is great. (Am none too fond of the other CSI lead detectives.)

[Cha]

26. I like William Peterson...I can see why he wouldn't

appeal to everyone.

[stella]

30. HE LOVES BUSH

Gary Sinese is a Republican and he talks well of Bush.

[krkaufman]

12. I'm eagerly waiting for the L&O:CI episode....

... where it turns out that the peculiar D'Onofrio character turns out to be a serial killer, himself.

[dietdpfan]

22. He's cool and he's pretty darn good eye candy

IMHO

:loveya:

[TroubleMan]

14. I've never seen the show, but NBC is owned by a defense contractor...

Knowing that, would you expect anything else?

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. i've been a loyal viewer of all the original L&O...

and all it's spinoffs, but if ron silver has become a regular, they've lost this viewer forever. i'm taping L&O, and watching CSI:NY on CBS. my god, i'm losing shows left & right...i had to stop watching Frazier when Kelsey Grammer showed up at the RNC in '99; I used to tape NYPD Blue so that I could fast forward past Rick Schroeder's speaking parts. I loved Boston Public, but in it's last season they brought on Dennis Miller (yuk), so I missed the last few episodes of that show. What's left?

[krkaufman]

18. Yep, I'm now contemplating deleting L&O...

... from my recording schedule.

[krkaufman]

17. Another annoying and misleading quote from tonight's L&O premiere...

Here's the exchange...

Thompson: "This all started long before 9/11"

Waterson: "The Islamists have their long-standing grudges. They can't accept our presence in the Arab peninsula, our Middle East policy, our pre-emptive offensive in Iraq..."

Thompson: "I think that's cover. They hate our way of life, and our freedoms. Now this is their war on modernism and Western civilization."

Again, the "leftie" Jack McCoy character argues factual details: we *are* in the Arab peninsula, our ME policy *has* favored Israel and oppressive regimes, and we *did* attack Iraq w/o provocation. And the oh-so-wrong "right" character counters with the nebulous and unproven "they hate our freedom and way of life" talking point.

[krkaufman]

19. And within seconds of the previous quote, Thompson goes further...

... when his character says, apparently quoting Spiro Agnew...

"I can't believe I have pusillanimous pussy-footers on my staff."

I'd have done more than "McCoy" or his ADA if labelled as cowardly. (Once I'd had a chance to hit m-w.com.) :)

---

pu·sil·lan·i·mous: lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity
synonym see COWARDLY

[AgadorSparticus]

20. i have been a fan since the first season but i've sadly noticed the

RW tilt lately too. i have slowly weened off of L&O and have been tuning into SVU and CI in the past year or so. i'm sad by this as it was one of the few shows worth watching.

[Bake]

21. Used to be the best show on TV. Apparently not anymore.

I won't be watching.

Bake

[librechik]

24. First West Wing, now this. Can't say I'm surprised

just sad.

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Anybody know Dennis Farina's real life politics?

I'm just curious.

I missed the premiere, but I watch SVU in reruns just about every night.

FSC

[merh]

29. I used to be a loyal L&O viewer but after tonite's shows

that is in the past. I will turn to CSI:NY and am sorry I missed their premiere. I now hate L&O, Ron Silvermand and ex-senator sh**head made me sick.

NBC - why do you hate your viewers?