Dream Casting – Law & Order: Los Angeles

By: Adam Wright

Casting is currently underway for the newest Law & Order spin-off from NBC.

Law & Order: Los Angeles (or LOLA) will debut this fall in the Wednesday night 10 pm ET timeslot, following Law & Order: SVU.

Although none of the casting has been made official, I’ve decided to take it upon myself to make some suggestions. Here’s who I think would be perfect for Law & Order: Los Angeles.

Senior Detective – Liev Schreiber

Shreiber is one of those actors in Hollywood that has been underrated. Some might remember him from the Scream Trilogy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Manchurian Candidate, or Defiance. Some might remember him on Broadway, or his narration work. He’s done it all, from the independent scene to the big screen.

He’s also made some TV appearances, including his very memorable stint on CSI as Michael Keppler. Shreiber was brought in to replace William Petersen (Gil Grissom) during his short hiatus. Keppler was an intriguing character, with a mysterious past. And despite only being there for four episodes, Shreiber seemed to be gelling with the cast.

But Keppler was killed off unfortunately. Petersen came back, but was later replaced permanently by Lawrence Fishburne. As a long-time CSI fan, Fishburne’s addition has not worked with the show. Keppler was more interesting in four episodes than Langston’s been in more than a season.

With his stint short on CSI, and his several movie roles, I think Schreiber would make a perfect L.A. detective on LOLA. I think he could play a character with a mix of Detective Lupo (played by Jeremy Sisto) and Detective Joe Fontana (played by Dennis Farina).

What the LOLA people need NOT to do is try to find a new Detective Lenny Briscoe (played by the legendary Jerry Orbach).

Junior Detective – Annie Wersching

In 20 seasons, the original Law & Order only had one female detective. In its spin-offs, we’ve seen several, most notably Detective Olivia Benson (played by Mariska  Hargitay).

I think that LOLA should cast a female lead, and with 24 just ending, Annie Werching should be on top of anyone casting list.

We know her as CTU agent Renee Walker. Werching joined the cast of 24 last season, and became a fan favorite instantly. In the eight and final season, we saw another side of Renee Walker; a much darker and unhinged character, which was highlighted by Werching’s stellar performance.

Sadly, after finally consummating her relationship with Jack Bauer, Renee Walker was killed. It’s a tough tough gig to play Jack Bauer’s lover!

Werching’s character was one of the biggest highlights of the last season of this iconic series. Her Renee Walker will be one of the most memorable characters, despite being there a relatively short time.

Now it’s time to move on from 24. We’ve seen that she can play several ranges. She’s been the by-the-book CTU agent, and she’s been the ass-kicking female version of Jack Bauer.

LOLA creators should jump right away on her. She won’t be available for long, I have a feeling. And can you image her teamed up with my pick #1?

Executive Assistant District Attorney – Elisabeth Rohm

Elisabeth Rohm? She sounds familiar you’re saying, right? Of course she sounds familiar; she played A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn on the original Law & Order between 2001-2005.

The last time we saw Serena Southerlyn on the show was when she was fired by D.A. Arthur Branch (played by Fred Thompson). “Is this because I’m a lesbian,” she asked Branch. In response, Branch says “No. Of course not. No.” Her final line is “Good. Good.” And there was her departure in the middle of the show’s 15 season.

Her stint on the original L&O was a strong one, and a move to Los Angeles would be easy to explain storyline-wise. Plus the return of A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn would add some much needed old-Law & Order flavor this spin-off will need. After 20 season of the original, the fans will need a hint of the original. With it moving to L.A., a familiar face would do that. Plus I am giving her a much needed promotion to “Executive A.D.A.” for her years on the job. Her training with Jack McCoy no doubt helped her.

Assistant District Attorney – Robert Knepper

If you watched Prison Break, you know this guy. If you were one of the dozen still watching Heroes in its last season, you know this guy. (Kidding about the dozen part)

Robert Knepper will be remembered for his villainous roles as Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell and Samuel Sullivan, but one thing he brought to his character was this confidence and swagger.

That is what this new A.D.A. needs in Los Angeles. Knepper has shown he’s a great actor, but seeing him as a lawyer could be fun. Plus it would be a nice change for him from his previous roles.

I think he would be the perfect cocky A.D.A. in Los Angeles.

District Attorney – Victor Garber

You want star-power NBC for your new show? This is your guy!

We’ve all seen Victor Garber in films and TV. I’m not even going to waste my time saying how great of actor he is, because we all know it. What I will say though is that we have seen him in “law” roles on Eli Stone, and Justice. So we know he has the chops for it.

Garber would also fit the role because of he’s about the age of a D.A. would be (61 years old). The only bad thing about him getting this role would be his limited time on screen. But that could work in NBC’s favour to bring in a big name like Garber.

Well readers, what do you think of my picks? Do you have any ideas? Weigh in below in the comment section.

Update:

Law & Order: Los Angeles Casts Skeet Ulrich as Lead Detective

Alfred Molina Joins Law & Order: Los Angeles as Deputy District Attorney

Posted by Adam Wright on May 25, 2010. Filed under Features, News, Preview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry