Tuesday TV Touchbase: Time For Crime

This week on the Tuesday TV Touchbase, it's TIME FOR CRIME!

I don't follow Law & Order every single week but I do check in occassionally.

The o.g. L&O had a shake up in the cast when the black guy who used to be on Supergirl was replaced by another black guy who used to be on Supergirl.

Mehcad Brooks (who was James Olsen on Supergirl) left his role as Det. Jalen Shaw after 3 years at the end of season 24.  Apparently the decision to leave was so sudden, Reid Scott's Det. Vincent Riley did not have a partner for the first episodes of season 25. 

Maura Tierney's Lt. Jessica Brady would join Riley in the field which was not a bad thing. One of the things that even remotely keeps me interested in this revival of L&O after it's wobbly and disastrous start is adding Maura Tierney to the cast as the squad lieutenant.  Anything that gives us more time with Maura Tieney is fine by me.  

Eventually, Riley gets a partner in the form of Det. Theo Walker played by David Ajala.  Ajala was the villianous Manchester Black on Supergirl and also had a run on Star Trek: Discovery.  

Ajala also joins Hugh Dancy's Assistant D.A. Nolan Price as another Brit taking jobs from 'Mericans! Damn their flawless American accents! 

One series in the L&O franchise that I have not followed in the past is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. I understand the show is very popular but I find it difficult to engage with a show made for purposes of entertainment but on the premise of investigating crimes of sexual violence.  

But the unbiquitous nature of L&O: SVU reruns are hard to avoid and the enticing nature of certain guest stars engaged my curiousity and so I started sampling some episodes.

Like when Martin Short was a perp!

What the hell? Oliver Putnam from Only Murders In the Building as a Law & Order bad guy? One of The Three Amigos as a sex fiend? Really?

Gotta give it up from Martin Short who was very convincing in his smarmy incidious role on L&O: SVU.

I get why fans of L&O: SVU just love Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, detective turned squad captain. She has this uncanny ability to balance being a tough kick ass cop with a devoted compassion and fierce advocacy for the victims who come to her squad.  

All that being said, the subject matter of L&O: SVU leaves me feeling very uncomfortable. Which I suppose is the point.  But how the more devoted fans of L&O: SVU can just watch episode after episode, I just don't get it.  

I'm reluctant to list Leverage in this post as it is not a crime show, per se.  The people that the Leverage team go after frequently have not technically broken the law but these people of wealth, power and influence are guilty of fucking over some hapless individual or entity that does NOT have wealth, power and influence. 

Andrea and I are halfway season 2. 

Each episode is an elaborate con job to get some entitled prick to want to add to their already considerable wealth, power and influence only to fuck themselves over.  

The individuals of the Leverage team have strong established personalities and the show loves challenging them by forcing them into to roles outside their comfort zones.  Like Hardison, super tech wizard, would rather be safe at base behind a keyboard hacking some fucker's security or bank accounts but danged if team leader Nathan keeps finding excuses to put him in the field.

Or Parker, weird and quirky as hell, she is extraordinarily gifted at breaking in to anything and escaping from anywhere but she has the social skills of a brick.  So of course she winds up stuck having to engage someone in a "normal" conversation and she has few clues as to how to do that. 

Leverage is fun and often funny but also a cathartic release to see the rich and powerful being held to account.  

I can't discuss crime shows without mentioning that Andrea and I are still plowing through Hudson & Rex.  Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the cable channel UP TV ran a three day marathon and now our DVR is straining under the weight of umpteen episodes of Hudson & Rex. 

We will not be watching episodes after John Reardon's unceremonious exit from the show when producers fired him after his recovery from cancer during season 7. 

Until we reach the time of that despicable decision, Andrea and I have a LOT of Hudson & Rex to get through.  

Not much to say here but just a reminder I have watching random episodes of Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, this odd duck of a crime show about a deaf female FBI agent to solves crimes along with her hearing ear dog Levi.  

It is the least offensive crime show you will ever see. Unless you're put off by some of the agents' Pro-America gingoism. 

And that is that for this week's Touchbase.

Coming up on future editions of the Touchbase.   

• Brilliant Minds 
• Stranger Things
• Peacemaker

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.