'Law and Order UK (ITV) ' is yet another variation of the seemingly endless franchise that has grown hydra-like from the original US series going back over 20 years now. While 'thetvreviewguy' hankers after phrases like 'has she been mirandised?' or 'he's gonna lawyer up', he enjoys the new version where 'guv' has replaced 'loot' and a D.A. is a barrister and other localisation phrases (in the London edition, 'Man One' and 'Man Two' are more likely to be stage/character directions than statutory charges). The British and American legal systems are very different and it would be great for DPP lawyers if they got to act like detectives tracking down and questioning a witness. But the adherence to the structure of dividing the episode between 'Law' - the cops - and 'Order' - the court advocates - makes for easy and entertaining comparisons with their US counterpart. Programmes like 'Law and Order' go as far as they can in the hour-long, one-off, no-swearing formats that they have. Serious issues, moral dilemmas if you like, get a brief but often serious examination in the limited time available. Bradley Walsh, sans silly glasses, is a good little actor, and the cast is always loyal to the ensemble nature of the script; no grandstanding here. And the verdict from 'thetvreviewguy'? To the charge of fast-moving, watchable crime drama; guilty.
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