If you watched Sunday's "Sopranos" then I'm not breaking any big news here by telling you how Tim Daly's character - J.T.Dolan - came to an end. Quick and brutal - no more details on this needed. But just before he bedded down with the fishes, he revealed that he was working on a script of "Law & Order."
In TV terms, this is what we call "dry humor."
"L&O" may be joining J.T. any day now, although "discussions" between "Order" czar Dick Wolf and NBC continue. On this point, I draw your attention to Broadcasting & Cable's website, which just moments ago posted this, courtesyof reporter Jim Benson:
"NBC Universal is considering a scenario in which original episodes of the low-rated but highly lucrative Law & Order would shift from NBC to TNT after this season, with production continuing at a drastically reduced price.
"Multiple sources tell B&C that TNT, which remains heavily reliant on the show’s reruns, first proposed the idea of picking up the originals to NBCU several months ago.
"The offer came after word surfaced that NBC was contemplating canceling the venerable 17-year-old drama, which has seen its ratings sink further this season following its shift to the Friday night graveyard. "
There can hardly be any doubt that B&C's report is correct (though "L&O fans shouldn't be too thrilled either because on TNT, this should mean, oh, about ten minutes of program time and fifty minutes of commercials.)
Question is, can TNT afford "L&O?" Not an idle question because Wolf once joked that his show was so pricey that it "makes the buffalo on the nickel scream." Note the "B&C" term, "at a drastically reduced price..."
Would this mean: a.) Sam Waterston and Jesse L. Martin will be replaced by guys you never heard of? b.) The show will move from New York to L.A., or maybe Vancouver, or Toronto? (Of course, TNT has done reasonably good work in drama - "The Closer" - so who knows.)
On the cost front, another tidbit from "B&C:"
"To continue [on NBC], the production budget of 'L&O' would have to be slashed far below its current $4 million per episode cost. Executive Producer Dick Wolf was recently reported to be looking at making budget cuts of $11 million per season, or $500,000 per episode, to keep it on NBC..."
Meanwhile, here's the official statement via Wolf's reps: "Negotiations are ongoing regarding 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' and as always, we do not comment on negotiations."