This show isn’t exactly chopped liver: 15 Emmys-tying with “Hill Street Blues” for a record four wins as outstanding drama series-five Golden Globes, seven People’s Choice Awards. And yet, in its seventh year, NBC’s “L.A. Law” finds itself in the kind of death-defying ratings tailspin once thought unimaginable for a show of such stature.
“We blew it,” says one source close to the producers. “You should have seen the letters that came in,” says another. “They were well thought out and they weren’t written in crayon. We made the audience really angry.”
Angry that old favorites like ethically challenged divorce specialist Arnold Becker was transformed earlier this season into a bearded, long-haired mope spouting Eastern mysticism. Disturbed that tax attorney Stuart Markowitz’s mind was reduced to that of a 6-year-old after suffering a severe beating in the L.A. riots.
Annoyed that Douglas Brackman appeared to be more worried about writing his prison memoirs than about the survival of the law firm. And absolutely infuriated that Jonathan Rollins-an in-house crusader for civil rights who once threatened to quit over the firm’s decision to represent a company doing business with South Africa-seemed to be selling out for a shot at a political career.
“We changed the characters,” says executive producer Rick Wallace, who has been associated with the show from the beginning. “And that was not tolerated by our viewers.”
It didn’t go over well with the actors, either.
“It was just awful,” says Richard Dysart, who plays “Law’s” father figure at the firm of McKenzie, Brackman et al. “I said around Emmy time (September) that I didn’t want to do another season if it was going to be like this.”
There have been rumblings among television critics that the show is simply too long in the tooth and should be put out of its misery. But it’s four years younger than “Cheers,” which is still going strong in its 11th and final season. And it’s only half as old as the remarkable “Knots Landing” also taking its final bows at the end of 14 years.
So what went wrong?
Behind the scenes, those associated with the show say it wasn’t so much the defections of Harry Hamlin, Jimmy Smits and Susan Dey as it was the revolving door of executive producers over the last two years. When co-creator Steven Bochco left in 1989 to begin his 10-year production deal with ABC, he reduced his role on “Law” to that of executive consultant.
The day-to-day running of the show was left in the experienced “Law” hands of David Kelley and William Finkelstein, both former attorneys. The two churned out most of the scripts for the 1989-90 season. In 1990, Finkelstein split to join Bochco on “Cop Rock,” followed by “Civil Wars.” In 1991, Kelley left “Law” to create “Picket Fences.”
But in the last two seasons, three highly regarded executive producers-Patricia Green (“China Beach”) and the team of John Masius and John Tinker (“St. Elsewhere”) have been tried out-and excused. When the ratings started to slip last year, Bochco took over toward the end of the season.
This year, Bochco convinced NBC and Twentieth Television that Finkelstein-whose “Civil Wars” production schedule was almost wrapped-should return to take over the last eight shows.
Finkelstein had to get up to speed in a hurry; he hadn’t been watching “Law” since he left.
“I intend to get the lawyers back to lawyering,” he says. “That’s what they do. That’s who they are. I don’t think that vein has been thoroughly mined.”
Also look for much more emphasis on A Martinez as the show’s new heavyweight sex symbol and primary litigator, along with Blair Underwood (Jonathan), Lisa Zane (Melina) and John Spencer (Tommy).
“Law” was off the air in March to make way for “Crime and Punishment.” The last eight “Law” episodes will air starting Thursday. The network will use the ratings for those episodes to decide whether this season will be the show’s last.
The question is, will two months be enough time to get the audience back in the tent?
“Oh, yes, I think so,” says Dysart, who is no longer making noises about leaving. “We’ve seen the first two scripts and we’re back in business-back to being the old `L.A. Law.’ “
“This year,” Wallace says, “we were already on parole. By show No. 3 or 4, people were pulling the covers over their heads. The good news is that the public was passionate enough about the show to get upset. What we’re saying is: Give us one more chance.”
