Sweeps (15 Sep. 1993)

Stone goes after a sensational tabloid talk show host after a child molester is murdered on live television by the father of his victim.

Director:

James Frawley

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Craig McNeer,

Stars:

Jerry Orbach, Chris Noth, S. Epatha Merkerson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe
Chris Noth	...	Detective Mike Logan
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren
Michael Moriarty	...	Executive A.D.A. Ben Stone
Jill Hennessy	...	A.D.A. Claire Kincaid
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff
Carolyn McCormick	...	Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
Robert Klein	...	Rick Mason
David Krumholtz	...	Scotty Fisher
Alexandra Gersten	...	Sarah Fisher
Steve Ryan	...	Sid Fisher
David Little	...	Hudson
Meg Gibson	...	Debbie Courio (as Margaret Gibson)
Melissa Leo	...	Alice Sutton
Paul Geier	...	Barry Talbott

Storyline

Rick Mason is the host of a trashy tabloid TV show, the kind that likes to create confrontations among guests, all in the hopes of getting ever better ratings. For his latest program, the guests are a young boy and his mother and the psychiatrist who molested him three years before but has now been released from prison. The show has barely started when the boy's estranged father bursts onto the stage and shoots the psychiatrist, killing him. Detectives Briscoe and Logan seem to have an pretty straightforward case but soon begin to suspect that Mason may have set up the confrontation and was well aware that such a confrontation could be violent. ADA Stone is keen to prosecute Mason but it will be difficult to overcome Mason's popularity and to convince a jury of his guilt.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1993 (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

This is the first episode for S. Epatha Merkerson as Lietunent Anita Van Buran(she had appeared as another character in the first season episode _ "Law & Order" Mushrooms (1991)_) and for Jill Hennessy. The network had insisted that women characters be added to the show in order to attract more female viewers.

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Quotes

[after he kills the man who molested his son]
Sid Fisher: Somebody shot an animal. Call a vet.

User Reviews

Puppetmaster

It's a sad and curious thing about how television appeals to the lowest common denominator at times. Law And Order in this episode explores that phenomenon and the almighty pursuit of ratings with sensationalism. In real life all that came to a head when Jenny Jones had as guests on a show that never aired, a man who had a long ago gay crush on another and the object of said affection. After the taping the object shot and killed the gay man who had secretly lusted after him when he was a youth. Her career was over, but these shows remain.

Robert Klein is the host of such a show and like Jerry Springer brings together folks for sensationalism. He brings together a kid who was molested and the guy who did the molesting back in the day. And the father comes along and shoots him on camera.

Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth develop the case which is pretty straightforward. But as things move along it turns out that Klein was quite the puppetmaster. He's also shown as one of the sleaziest individuals ever portrayed on Law And Order.

Klein's character as written is over the top, but that does make the point. These folks only exist because we watch them.