Prince of Darkness (18 Nov. 1992)

A Colombian drug cartel assassin is accused in the murder of a Colombian couple in a restaurant. While trying to make the case against the accused, Ceretta is shot by a black-market gun dealer whom the prosecution needs as a witness.

Director:

Gilbert M. Shilton

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Robert Nathan,

Stars:

Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Dann Florek

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Sorvino	...	Sergeant Phil Cerreta
Chris Noth	...	Detective Mike Logan
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen
Michael Moriarty	...	Executive A.D.A. Ben Stone
Richard Brooks	...	A.D.A. Paul Robinette
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Mrs. Ortega (as Rosana De Soto)
Joe Lisi	...	Chris Minetti
Saundra Santiago	...	Sandra Alvaro
Mark Margolis	...	George Lobrano
Shawn Elliott	...	Ramone Buenaventura
Jaime Sánchez	...	Mr. Cristobal
Rosemary De Angelis	...	Sally Goldman
Lonny Price	...	Frank Hoover
Lizan Mitchell	...	Judge Lerner

Storyline

A man with ties to Columbian drug cartels and his wife are murdered inside a crowded restaurant. Cerreta is shot when he goes undercover to sting a gun seller. Prosecutors debate whether to offer a deal to the gun dealer who shot Cerreta to convict the killer.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1992 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to this episode the events of the show take place in the 33rd Precinct. However, future episodes "moved" the show to the 27th Precinct where it is today.

---

Quotes

Sergeant Phil Cerreta: We can search his apartment. You think we need a warrant?
Detective Mike Logan: Manuel's not a suspect. He's a victim. We'd be doing him a favor.
Sergeant Phil Cerreta: I like your thinking.

User Reviews

Shots Have Been Fired.

A nice middle-class Colombian family is having a birthday party in a proper restaurant when -- rat-a-tat-tat -- the pretty mother and the affectionate father are wiped out, leaving their young daughter sobbing.

Well, the father, though young, handsome, and familial, was not only from Colombia but worked for a travel agency that booked flights back and forth. That suggests drugs, and Serreta and Logan discover that Daddy was, in fact, mixed up in smuggling and had murdered a rival and been killed by the organization in return.

There is a tense and exciting scene in which the Colombian who executed the hit in the restaurant is captured in the courtyard of a fancy hotel, but the story turns on the ability of the police to link him to the sale of an unusual automatic weapon. In setting up the sting operation, Seretta gets shot twice. In keeping with the usual tempo of the series, the incident isn't lingered over for its sentiment. Serreta never gasps out, "Mikey, I'm going fast, but I want you to know I've always been deeply in love with you." Actually, Seretta recovers but leaves the series. Paul Sorvino only says that he felt his fortunes lay elsewhere, I suppose meaning he wanted to go back to Hollywood. Well -- New York is a tough town.