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It Might Be Time for the ‘Law & Order’ Franchise to Retire

Something is off with Dick Wolf’s flagship franchise, back on NBC with three hours of ripped-from-the-headlines cases.

The mothership series maintains two links to its heyday: Sam Waterston playing District Attorney Jack McCoy, and a commitment to turning sensational and often politically divisive real-life news stories into gripping procedural plots. Before the hour is over, it touches on: college administrator plagiarism scandals; a lacrosse program rocked by hazing accusations; concerns about transgender athletes; the debate over whether the phrase “From the River to the Sea” is antisemitic; and frustration over American social institutions silencing pro-Palestinian voices. The case in this week’s Season 4 premiere, “Memory Lane,” is mainly a frame for Stabler’s personal drama, as he suffers the death of a confidential informant, puts his life on the line in a mobile fentanyl lab, and takes care of his dementia-addled mother (played by Ellen Burstyn, who delivers an incredibly vivid performance in her few scenes).

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