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Updated to meet new Nightmare Fuel criteria.
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* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: "Indifference." (ep. 1-9) Easily the creepiest episode of the series.
** "Hubris" (ep. 11-9) involved a jewelry store robber executing over a half dozen people in the store, including children. A store security camera video showed him dragging the victims off to the back room to their deaths. The fact that [[spoiler: he got a hung jury and probably wasn't going to be retried]] added an extra element of nightmare fuel to an already horrific story. [[spoiler: Of course, L&O is fond of {{Karmic Death}}s, so...]]
** "Stiff" (ep 10-23): The Victim of the Week is in an irreversible [[AndIMustScream waking coma]] (put there by spiked insulin). The episode ends with the doctors' Hail Mary attempt at reviving her failing. The clear implication is that she'll be like that for the rest of her life.
** "Hubris" (ep. 11-9) involved a jewelry store robber executing over a half dozen people in the store, including children. A store security camera video showed him dragging the victims off to the back room to their deaths. The fact that [[spoiler: he got a hung jury and probably wasn't going to be retried]] added an extra element of nightmare fuel to an already horrific story. [[spoiler: Of course, L&O is fond of {{Karmic Death}}s, so...]]
** "Stiff" (ep 10-23): The Victim of the Week is in an irreversible [[AndIMustScream waking coma]] (put there by spiked insulin). The episode ends with the doctors' Hail Mary attempt at reviving her failing. The clear implication is that she'll be like that for the rest of her life.
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* NightmareFuel: "Indifference." (ep. 1-9) Easily the creepiest episode of the series.
** "Hubris" (ep. 11-9) involved a jewelry store robber executing over a half dozen people in the store, including children. A store security camera video showed him dragging the victims off to the back room to their deaths. The fact that [[spoiler: he got a hung jury and probably wasn't going to be retried]] added an extra element of nightmare fuel to an already horrific story. [[spoiler: Of course, L&O is fond of {{Karmic Death}}s, so...]]
** "Stiff" (ep 10-23): The Victim of the Week is in an irreversible [[AndIMustScream waking coma]] (put there by spiked insulin). The episode ends with the doctors' Hail Mary attempt at reviving her failing. The clear implication is that she'll be like that for the rest of her life.
** "Hubris" (ep. 11-9) involved a jewelry store robber executing over a half dozen people in the store, including children. A store security camera video showed him dragging the victims off to the back room to their deaths. The fact that [[spoiler: he got a hung jury and probably wasn't going to be retried]] added an extra element of nightmare fuel to an already horrific story. [[spoiler: Of course, L&O is fond of {{Karmic Death}}s, so...]]
** "Stiff" (ep 10-23): The Victim of the Week is in an irreversible [[AndIMustScream waking coma]] (put there by spiked insulin). The episode ends with the doctors' Hail Mary attempt at reviving her failing. The clear implication is that she'll be like that for the rest of her life.
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YMMV sinkhole
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*** [[YourMileageMayVary Possibly]] shome of the greatest acting in this show not from a credited cast member.
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*** [[YourMileageMayVary Possibly]] Possibly shome of the greatest acting in this show not from a credited cast member.
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* AndTheFandomRejoiced: The trepidation for the replacement spinoff set in Los Angeles was lessened quite a bit with the announcement of Alfred Molina in the role of the new show's chief prosecutor.
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*** [[YourMileageMayVary Possibly]] shome of the greatest acting in this show not from a credited cast member.
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** Quite possibly one of the worst on the show, apart from Bruner, is played by none other then [[GreysAnatomy Meredith]]. The detectives are investigating the rape, torture and murder of several women. One of the victims is the sister of the killer's boyfriend. The latter, whom has been brutalized herself, agrees to testify against him. Until they realize that the girlfriend was a willing participant, and possibly even incited, the crimes. She almost becomes a KarmaHoudini because of the plea deal in writing. Until Jack, in a CrowningMomentOfAwesome, provokes her into dispassionately describing the crimes and the thrill she got from them. The judge is so disgusted she throws out the deal.
*** What makes her one of the most despicable, apart from her obviously evil crimes, is her complete and utter sexual sadism and lack of empathy. Every appearance after her crimes are revealed shows her to be a CompleteMonster and a SoftspokenSadist.
*** It was based on the true story of one of Canada's worst murderers. In real life, the women, Karla Homalka, was a KarmaHoudini who served a minimum sentence.
** Standard Fare for any serial killer on the show, for obvious reasons.
*** What makes her one of the most despicable, apart from her obviously evil crimes, is her complete and utter sexual sadism and lack of empathy. Every appearance after her crimes are revealed shows her to be a CompleteMonster and a SoftspokenSadist.
*** It was based on the true story of one of Canada's worst murderers. In real life, the women, Karla Homalka, was a KarmaHoudini who served a minimum sentence.
** Standard Fare for any serial killer on the show, for obvious reasons.
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** There is a small group that insists the last episode actually ended with Anita van Buren's phone ringing. This brings it more in line with the rest of the series.
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** To expand on that, the killer from Bodies was a cab driver named Mark Bruner. Over the course of several years he brutally raped and murdered over fifteen teenaged girls who were unlucky enough to hail his cab. He kept their bodies locked up in an undisclosed location where he could go and watch them rot. He creeped Green out so much that Green drew his gun on him the second he put his hands on a kitchen knife to cut some cheese for a sandwich. He scared his attorney so much that she refused to represent him. What makes him truly monstrous is the enjoyment he takes in refusing to reveal the location of the bodies of his victims so as to deny closure to their parents. He does this to torture Jack as well as the families, mockingly promising to tell them where the bodies are twenty years down the line when Jack has retired, so he can live knowing he was unable to help all those suffering mothers. And to get a hint of his insanity, here are his final words to Jack in that episode;
-->'''Bruner:''' ''I am the un-you. Without me, you would not exist.''
-->'''Bruner:''' ''I am the un-you. Without me, you would not exist.''
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elaborating a bit.
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** In the season 6 episode "Aftershock" (which aired in 1996), Briscoe utters the line, [[{{TheSixthSense}} "I see dead people, all the time."]]
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** In the season 6 episode "Aftershock" (which aired in 1996), Briscoe utters the line, [[{{TheSixthSense}} "I see dead people, all the time."]]time"]] when discussing his job with his daughter.
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** In the season 6 episode "Aftershock" (which aired in 1996), Briscoe utters the line, [[{{TheSixthSense}} "I see dead people, all the time."]]
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* SomeAnvilsNeedtobeDropped
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* SomeAnvilsNeedtobeDroppedSomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped
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* {{Adorkable}}: CSU's Julian Beck. A skinny guy who geeks out whenever he gets to give the cops good evidence. He really seems to enjoy his job.
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** In RealLife, the defining examples are: Nora Lewin, who replaced the most popular DA, Adam Schiff, and was seen as wishy-washy even InUniverse; Serena Southerlyn, without question the least popular ADA, who followed the polarizing but far more memorable Abbie Carmichael; Michael Cutter, who had the unenviable task of succeeding Jack [=McCoy=] in the EADA's chair; and, definitively, Joe Fontana, who replaced arguably the show's most beloved character, Lennie Briscoe.
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** Jack and Claire's relationship was dealt with with a very light touch, but it became the focus of an episode [[spoiler:after Claire's death]]. Jack is trying a drunk driver and conspires with the judge to charge him with murder, with everyone around him stepping lightly. Finally, Jack pushes the defendant to a breakdown on the stand. Jack, in a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment, relents and reveals the evidence that the man was blind drunk (and earning an enemy in the judge, who had political aspirations).
** Typically, the show wants you to sympathize with the victims, the Law, or the Order, but they sometimes make even the defendant a woobie. One particularly tragic story is that of a psychotic who refuses his medication, even though he gets violent. It's revealed that the side effects make it incredibly difficult for him to function, and because of his illness he wasn't able to pursue any work, let alone his dream career. He'd contemplated and pursued suicide when he realized that. He stopped taking his medication after his sister testified to that. He agrees to take a plea (strict monitoring for the rest of his life to make sure he takes his meds or stays in a hospital), and breaks down into renewed psychosis is a TearJerker. Everyone in the courtroom acts their little hearts out, showing dawning realization and varying degrees of regret and horror.
** Typically, the show wants you to sympathize with the victims, the Law, or the Order, but they sometimes make even the defendant a woobie. One particularly tragic story is that of a psychotic who refuses his medication, even though he gets violent. It's revealed that the side effects make it incredibly difficult for him to function, and because of his illness he wasn't able to pursue any work, let alone his dream career. He'd contemplated and pursued suicide when he realized that. He stopped taking his medication after his sister testified to that. He agrees to take a plea (strict monitoring for the rest of his life to make sure he takes his meds or stays in a hospital), and breaks down into renewed psychosis is a TearJerker. Everyone in the courtroom acts their little hearts out, showing dawning realization and varying degrees of regret and horror.
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** Also now played with by the fact that many smaller parts are played by actors who, much later, became famous.
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* HarsherInHindsight: Following a court's ruling that evidence obtained by the Tokyo police is admissible, the defense lawyer says, "What's next, drag a suspect across the nearest border and beat a confession out of him?" In 1995, unthinkable. In 2005, official US policy.
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** [=McCoy=] also once attempted to have a woman sterilized; she had Munchausen's Syndrome and was murdering her babies. The judge threw this out. Much later, Cutter cited this case when Jack objected to him trying to enjoin a family from having their severely-disabled daughter go through a medical procedure that would remove her legs and reproductive organs (to make it easier to care for her).
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** In an episode that featured a fake breast cancer cure [[spoiler: Van Buren tells the detectives if she got incurable (breast) cancer she'd rather spend her last days with a whole body and surrounded by family rather then working. Years later she gets diagnosed with cervical cancer and works through it the whole time; fortunately it's in remission.]]
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** In an episode that ''Second Opinion'' (ep. 5-1), which featured a fake breast cancer cure [[spoiler: Van Buren tells the detectives if she got incurable (breast) cancer she'd rather spend her last days with a whole body and surrounded by family rather then working. Years later she gets diagnosed with cervical cancer and works through it the whole time; fortunately it's in remission.]]
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* CharacterDerailment: The Paul Robinette who appeared on the show for three seasons was a levelheaded prosecutor whose personal CrowningMomentOfAwesome was delivering [[EasyEvangelism a verbal beatdown]] to an {{Expy}} of Al Sharpton over his racial demagoguery. The Paul Robinette who guest starred in several later episodes was a MalcolmXerox defense attorney who believed that EverythingIsRacist (at least, as far as the legal system is concerned), with his FaceHeelTurn being justified by a remark made by Ben Stone in the above mentioned episode (where he asked Robinette if he was a black man who was a lawyer or a lawyer who just so happened to be a black man).
** Jamie Ross was a take no crap ex-Defense Attorney who became a prosecutor, after a client she and her then fellow defense attorney husband got acquitted went on to kill again. This only lasted a season sadly, as the writers decided to retool Jamie into a weak-willed working mom who spent most of her time angsting over how her ex-husband was trying to strip her of custody of their child, after she defeated him in court.
** Jamie Ross was a take no crap ex-Defense Attorney who became a prosecutor, after a client she and her then fellow defense attorney husband got acquitted went on to kill again. This only lasted a season sadly, as the writers decided to retool Jamie into a weak-willed working mom who spent most of her time angsting over how her ex-husband was trying to strip her of custody of their child, after she defeated him in court.
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If everyone forgot it, then does it even fit Never Live It Down?
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** Everyone seems to forget the time he suspended ''Habeus Corpus''.
*** His true DethroningMomentOfSuck ("Mad Dog," where he hounds a paroled rapist into raping again, who is later killed by an intended victim - his own niece) is similarly forgotten.
*** His true DethroningMomentOfSuck ("Mad Dog," where he hounds a paroled rapist into raping again, who is later killed by an intended victim - his own niece) is similarly forgotten.
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** [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent]][=/=]ManipulativeBitch: Expy- The plot of Mary Sue Hubbard[[hottip:* :of Scientology (in)famy)]] to sink her abusive con-man husband and get all his money. It did wind up killing six innocent people, including a child, but it worked: he's stuck in prison for six life sentences and no one can prove she actually meant to kill anyone.
* MostWonderfulSound: It just wouldn't be ''LawAndOrder'' without the inimitable ''CHUNG-CHUNG'' (also known as ''doink-doink'').
* MostWonderfulSound: It just wouldn't be ''LawAndOrder'' without the inimitable ''CHUNG-CHUNG'' (also known as ''doink-doink'').
to:
** [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent]][=/=]ManipulativeBitch: Expy- The plot of Mary expy-Mary Sue Hubbard[[hottip:* :of Hubbard[[hottip:*:of Scientology (in)famy)]] to sink her abusive con-man husband and get all his money. It did wind up killing six innocent people, including a child, but it worked: he's stuck in prison for six life sentences and no one can prove she actually meant to kill anyone.
* MostWonderfulSound: It just wouldn't be ''LawAndOrder'' without the inimitable ''CHUNG-CHUNG'' (also known as''doink-doink'').''doink-doink'' and [[LawAndOrderUK "Cell door clang"]]).
* MostWonderfulSound: It just wouldn't be ''LawAndOrder'' without the inimitable ''CHUNG-CHUNG'' (also known as
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** [[spoiler: On top of that, word is the actress leaving the show, not that it matters since the show got cancelled. And [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange she just got her hair back/revealed her real hair]] for the first time!]])
to:
** [[spoiler: On top of that, word is the actress leaving the show, not that it matters since the show got cancelled.canceled. And [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange she just got her hair back/revealed her real hair]] for the first time!]])
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** If you can say you did not tear up a little bit over her talking with Rey Curtis and her husband at the end of "Fed," you have no heart.
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** If you can say you did not tear up a little bit over her talking with Rey Curtis and her husband boyfriend at the end of "Fed," you have no heart.
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** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but he didn't think was technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: [[spoiler: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence]]). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a TearJerker. (See [[spoiler: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy]]).
to:
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but he didn't think was technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: [[spoiler: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence]]).episode 5, season 6, 'Competence']]). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a TearJerker. (See [[spoiler: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy]]).episode 6, season 12, 'Trophy']]).
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** He also twice instigated 'fake trials'. In one, the defendant was in on it (the goal was to suss out a corrupt member of the prosecutor's office), but in one the defendant wasn't and the whole thing was a ploy to allow [=McCoy=] to suborn perjury which would induce the defendant to confess. [=McCoy=] was later removed from the case for that event.
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but wasn't technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a [[TearJerker]]. (See Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy).
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but wasn't technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a [[TearJerker]]. (See Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy).
to:
** He also twice instigated 'fake trials'. In one, the defendant was in on it (the goal was to suss out a corrupt member of the prosecutor's office), but in one the other the defendant wasn't and the whole thing was a ploy to allow [=McCoy=] to suborn perjury which would induce the defendant to confess. [=McCoy=] was later removed from the case for that event.
event. Oh, and [[spoiler: the judge's superior threw out the case. The defendant was released and subsequently murdered by his co-conspirators. Oops.]]
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory butwasn't he didn't think was technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence).[[spoiler: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence]]). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a [[TearJerker]]. TearJerker. (See Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy).[[spoiler: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy]]).
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but
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** He also twice instigated 'fake trials'. In one, the defendant was in on it (the goal was to suss out a corrupt member of the prosecutor's office), but in one the defendant wasn't and the whole thing was a ploy to allow [=McCoy=] to suborn perjury which would induce the defendant to confess. [=McCoy=] was later removed from the case for that event.
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but wasn't technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a [[TearJerker]]. (See Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy).
** Another time, [=McCoy=] hid evidence from the defense that could have seemed exculpatory but wasn't technically relevant (he was arguing that a certain person was mentally unable to consent to commit a crime, and the evidence was the defendant's motive). The judge disagreed and ordered the evidence admitted (see: Recap/LawAndOrderSeason5Episode6Competence). The next season, one of [=McCoy's=] former assistants was found to have hidden evidence and accidentally sent the wrong man to prison. Her defense was that [=McCoy=] did it too. [=McCoy's=] look when Kincaid told him that she'd have to tell the Bar Association that he suppressed evidence in the first case is a [[TearJerker]]. (See Recap/LawAndOrderSeason6Episode12Trophy).
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* WallBanger: See SuddenlySexuality.
** An episode featuring Sean Astin as a priest training young children into an anti-Muslim army. He takes the stand, and after the usual cross-examination farrago he essentially barks a confession, AFewGoodMen-style that he is completely guilty. It's then discovered that the jury had a Bible with them while they were deliberating. And the priest gets off scot free. Triples as a WriterOnBoard and a VERY FamilyUnfriendlyAesop (Faith makes you too afraid to convict blatantly insane priests.)
*** Justified: Cutter refused to include any lesser charges, essentially going all or nothing on the overreaching murder charge. (Connie lampshades the fact that Criminally Negligent Homicide would've been a lock)
** [[spoiler:Borgia's death]] also qualifies. They're working on a mob case where every significant witness gets horribly murdered, and there's no security detail for the go-to prosecutor? Really?
** An episode featuring Sean Astin as a priest training young children into an anti-Muslim army. He takes the stand, and after the usual cross-examination farrago he essentially barks a confession, AFewGoodMen-style that he is completely guilty. It's then discovered that the jury had a Bible with them while they were deliberating. And the priest gets off scot free. Triples as a WriterOnBoard and a VERY FamilyUnfriendlyAesop (Faith makes you too afraid to convict blatantly insane priests.)
*** Justified: Cutter refused to include any lesser charges, essentially going all or nothing on the overreaching murder charge. (Connie lampshades the fact that Criminally Negligent Homicide would've been a lock)
** [[spoiler:Borgia's death]] also qualifies. They're working on a mob case where every significant witness gets horribly murdered, and there's no security detail for the go-to prosecutor? Really?
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* AndTheFandomRejoiced: The trepidation for the replacement spinoff set in Los Angeles was lessened quite a bit with the announcement of Alfred Molina in the role of the new show's chief prosecutor.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: In the episode "Shangri-La", a teacher is murdered. During a interview with the collective faculty, one of the teachers says that it was likely done by a student. When the detectives ask him about it, he replies "You don't see many headlines about faculty out on shooting sprees." [[spoiler: The show's final episode is about a teacher who does just that.]]
** In an episode that featured a fake breast cancer cure [[spoiler: Van Buren tells the detectives if she got incurable (breast) cancer she'd rather spend her last days with a whole body and surrounded by family rather then working. Years later she gets diagnosed with cervical cancer and works through it the whole time; fortunately it's in remission.]]
** In an episode that featured a fake breast cancer cure [[spoiler: Van Buren tells the detectives if she got incurable (breast) cancer she'd rather spend her last days with a whole body and surrounded by family rather then working. Years later she gets diagnosed with cervical cancer and works through it the whole time; fortunately it's in remission.]]
* HilariousInHindsight: On the season 8 episode "Baby, It's You" (crossing over with HomicideLifeOnTheStreet) that was RippedFromTheHeadlines from the Jon Benet Ramsey case, they arrested the stalker of a 14 year old model that was raped to death. The stalker misread the name tag of [[JohnMunch a certain visiting Baltimore Homicide detective]] as "Defective Monk." This was in 1997, 5 years before the debut of {{Monk}} the DefectiveDetective. In case you were wondering, it turned out [[spoiler: that the kid was innocent and the [[ParentalIncest girl's own mother]] was the one who raped and killed her daughter.]]
* MagnificentBastard: Many. Philip Swann from Season 4's "American Dream" and recurring character Governor Don Shalvoy immediately come to mind.
** [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent]][=/=]ManipulativeBitch: Expy- The plot of Mary Sue Hubbard[[hottip:* :of Scientology (in)famy)]] to sink her abusive con-man husband and get all his money. It did wind up killing six innocent people, including a child, but it worked: he's stuck in prison for six life sentences and no one can prove she actually meant to kill anyone.
* MostWonderfulSound: It just wouldn't be ''LawAndOrder'' without the inimitable ''CHUNG-CHUNG'' (also known as ''doink-doink'').
* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: If the Special Guest Star isn't the victim or defense attorney, (s)he's the perp (or a major accomplice).
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by KevinSmith, who asked to play a guy who was just one more person the detectives had to talk to before they found the killer.
* NeverLiveItDown: A running gag of the last decade of the show has been other prosecutors bringing up how [=McCoy=] once purposely hid a witness in a murder case from the defense team. This, plus the subsequent ethics compliant and trip before the Bar (from which [=McCoy=] was ultimately cleared of all wrong doing) has been used against Jack whenever he complains about his subordinate's bending to the point of breaking the rules of law for the pursuit of justice.
** And more often than not [=McCoy=] would counter with "And I'm the one telling you this is a bad idea. That should tell you something!"
** Everyone seems to forget the time he suspended ''Habeus Corpus''.
*** His true DethroningMomentOfSuck ("Mad Dog," where he hounds a paroled rapist into raping again, who is later killed by an intended victim - his own niece) is similarly forgotten.
* MagnificentBastard: Many. Philip Swann from Season 4's "American Dream" and recurring character Governor Don Shalvoy immediately come to mind.
** [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent]][=/=]ManipulativeBitch: Expy- The plot of Mary Sue Hubbard[[hottip:* :of Scientology (in)famy)]] to sink her abusive con-man husband and get all his money. It did wind up killing six innocent people, including a child, but it worked: he's stuck in prison for six life sentences and no one can prove she actually meant to kill anyone.
* MostWonderfulSound: It just wouldn't be ''LawAndOrder'' without the inimitable ''CHUNG-CHUNG'' (also known as ''doink-doink'').
* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: If the Special Guest Star isn't the victim or defense attorney, (s)he's the perp (or a major accomplice).
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by KevinSmith, who asked to play a guy who was just one more person the detectives had to talk to before they found the killer.
* NeverLiveItDown: A running gag of the last decade of the show has been other prosecutors bringing up how [=McCoy=] once purposely hid a witness in a murder case from the defense team. This, plus the subsequent ethics compliant and trip before the Bar (from which [=McCoy=] was ultimately cleared of all wrong doing) has been used against Jack whenever he complains about his subordinate's bending to the point of breaking the rules of law for the pursuit of justice.
** And more often than not [=McCoy=] would counter with "And I'm the one telling you this is a bad idea. That should tell you something!"
** Everyone seems to forget the time he suspended ''Habeus Corpus''.
*** His true DethroningMomentOfSuck ("Mad Dog," where he hounds a paroled rapist into raping again, who is later killed by an intended victim - his own niece) is similarly forgotten.
* {{Shipping}}: Jack/Claire and Michael/Connie both have pretty decent sized fanbases. Jack and Nora also had a smaller, but passionate following.
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** [[spoiler:Borgia's death]] also qualifies. They're working on a mob case where every significant witness gets horribly murdered, and there's no security detail for the go-to prosecutor? Really?
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** [[spoiler:Borgia's death]] also qualifies. They're working on a mob case where every significant witness gets horribly murdered, and there's no security detail for the go-to prosecutor? Really?Really?
* TheWoobie: As of the current season, Lt. Van Buren and her struggle with cancer (not that she'll have any of it, mind you) What makes her worthy of woobie-dom is the fact that she's currently the longest-running member of the Law and Order cast.
** If you can say you did not tear up a little bit over her talking with Rey Curtis and her husband at the end of "Fed," you have no heart.
** [[spoiler: On top of that, word is the actress leaving the show, not that it matters since the show got cancelled. And [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange she just got her hair back/revealed her real hair]] for the first time!]])
** [[spoiler: Don't fret, the series' finale reveals that (after a scare caused by a scanner malfunction) that her cancer is in remission ("Thank you, ''thank you.''").]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The angry, suicidal blogger who's planning on shooting then blowing up a school in the series finale [[spoiler: is actually a teacher, driven to homicide by a molestation charge (he was trying to stop a rebellious student from peeing on his desk), losing his girlfriend because of said accusations, and being forced to spend months with other teachers who were also metaphorically put on a bus for being unprepared for classroom problems and a hyper-sensitive system geared to protecting students at all costs, even if it's the students who caused the disruption in the first place. Oddly, it's implied that he didn't have any sympathy for the other teachers, he just didn't want to be with them.]]
* TheWoobie: As of the current season, Lt. Van Buren and her struggle with cancer (not that she'll have any of it, mind you) What makes her worthy of woobie-dom is the fact that she's currently the longest-running member of the Law and Order cast.
** If you can say you did not tear up a little bit over her talking with Rey Curtis and her husband at the end of "Fed," you have no heart.
** [[spoiler: On top of that, word is the actress leaving the show, not that it matters since the show got cancelled. And [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange she just got her hair back/revealed her real hair]] for the first time!]])
** [[spoiler: Don't fret, the series' finale reveals that (after a scare caused by a scanner malfunction) that her cancer is in remission ("Thank you, ''thank you.''").]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The angry, suicidal blogger who's planning on shooting then blowing up a school in the series finale [[spoiler: is actually a teacher, driven to homicide by a molestation charge (he was trying to stop a rebellious student from peeing on his desk), losing his girlfriend because of said accusations, and being forced to spend months with other teachers who were also metaphorically put on a bus for being unprepared for classroom problems and a hyper-sensitive system geared to protecting students at all costs, even if it's the students who caused the disruption in the first place. Oddly, it's implied that he didn't have any sympathy for the other teachers, he just didn't want to be with them.]]
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** Of notable...note, is the defendant's wife from "Patient Zero." Not only does she say some of the most sociopathic things in the series - like how all women who become angry at a cheating spouse are bound by outdated morality - but she goes into an engineered public breakdown so that her husband's lawyer, on redirect, can say that all the affairs the defendant had over the course of their marriage drove her to the point of being willing to do ''anything'' to punish him. Result? The defendant walks on the attempted murder of his most recent lover, the murder of the child he fathered with said lover, and its only as they are leaving the courtroom, and witnessing a PDA that the prosecutors realize they've been had.
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** Of notable...note, is the defendant's wife from "Patient Zero." Not only does she say some of the most sociopathic things in the series - like how all women who become angry at a cheating spouse are bound by outdated morality - but she goes into an engineered public breakdown so that her husband's lawyer, on redirect, can say that all the affairs the defendant had over the course of their marriage drove her to the point of being willing to do ''anything'' to punish him. Result? The [[spoiler:The defendant walks on the attempted murder of his most recent lover, the murder of the child he fathered with said lover, and its only as they are leaving the courtroom, and witnessing a PDA that the prosecutors realize they've been had.]]
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**Of notable...note, is the defendant's wife from "Patient Zero." Not only does she say some of the most sociopathic things in the series - like how all women who become angry at a cheating spouse are bound by outdated morality - but she goes into an engineered public breakdown so that her husband's lawyer, on redirect, can say that all the affairs the defendant had over the course of their marriage drove her to the point of being willing to do ''anything'' to punish him. Result? The defendant walks on the attempted murder of his most recent lover, the murder of the child he fathered with said lover, and its only as they are leaving the courtroom, and witnessing a PDA that the prosecutors realize they've been had.
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* CharacterDerailment: The Paul Robinette who appeared on the show for three seasons was a levelheaded prosecutor whose personal CrowningMomentOfAwesome was delivering a verbal beatdown to an {{Expy}} of Al Sharpton over his racial demagoguery. The Paul Robinette who guest starred in several later episodes was a MalcolmXerox defense attorney who believed that EverythingIsRacist (at least, as far as the legal system is concerned), with his FaceHeelTurn being justified by a remark made by Ben Stone in the above mentioned episode (where he asked Robinette if he was a black man who was a lawyer or a lawyer who just so happened to be a black man).
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* CharacterDerailment: The Paul Robinette who appeared on the show for three seasons was a levelheaded prosecutor whose personal CrowningMomentOfAwesome was delivering [[EasyEvangelism a verbal beatdown beatdown]] to an {{Expy}} of Al Sharpton over his racial demagoguery. The Paul Robinette who guest starred in several later episodes was a MalcolmXerox defense attorney who believed that EverythingIsRacist (at least, as far as the legal system is concerned), with his FaceHeelTurn being justified by a remark made by Ben Stone in the above mentioned episode (where he asked Robinette if he was a black man who was a lawyer or a lawyer who just so happened to be a black man).
