Law & Over

I'm going to just assume, for a moment, that most of you readers here have a fancy for crime and court information above and beyond all those other readers who just hang out over there on our news site. That being said, I don't think it's much of a leap to assume you're also fans of television dramas like CSI and Criminal Minds.

However, considering what a crime and court junky I am 45 to 50 hours a week, I tend to leave murder and mayhem behind when I go home ... spurring real crime novels and cop shows for something, well, lighter (reruns of Friends, anyone?). But there's one show that even I couldn't resist: Law & Order. And, while I've been known to watch some of the spin-offs from time-to-time, it's the original franchise I've always liked the best. Admittedly, though, even I noticed it had jumped the shark in recent years, and can't remember the last time I watched one not in syndication. So, I actually wasn't all that surprised to learn it had been canceled.

You have to know, though, that when I do watch it at home? I yell. A lot. Because it just doesn't happen that way. DNA tests in the same afternoon? Please. The defendant, who got hit by a car and needed stitches when he ran from arresting officers, still has a bandage over the cut above his eye at trial, as if trial began three days after the crime? C'mon! I'm not the only one who noticed these cliche misrepresentations of the criminal justice system. The folks over at Salon have a great Top 10 list of the best. They nailed it.