Wednesday, January 22, 2025

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the first 20 seasons of the original “Law & Order” landed on Hulu. To my knowledge, they have never been streaming before. L&O is probably one of my favorite comfort shows after “I love Lucy” and “Golden Girls.”

Because I had never seen the first three seasons before I started at the beginning and I’m very struck by just how amazing Paul Sorvino is in the second and part of the third season.

A writer from https://www.slashfilm.com captures it perfectly:

What makes Cerreta great is his gentle strength and quiet confidence. When he speaks, he commands attention — all without raising his voice. The senior officer could be intimidating in one scene and warmly compassionate in the next; the latter was especially true when talking to female victims of assault — there was a kindness in his voice that was firm but empathetic. Cerreta threaded that needle arguably better than any other detective on "Law & Order" — Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach, who died in 2004) being a close second, but even he was oftentimes prickly with victims. 


I wish Paul Sorvino had been on the show longer. I find his presence so comforting. It turns out he left because he didn't feel the role allowed him to express himself as an artist and because of his interest in pursuing opera, which is really kind of neat.

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