Comparison and contrast of two telivision shows.

Television shows that I particularly enjoy

There are two television shows that I particularly enjoy. Their plots are intriguing and the characters and action of both shows are lifelike. I quickly become absorbed in these dramas. These shows are Law and Order and NYPD Blue. The two shows are very similar in some aspects. At the same time, they differ significantly. Each show is one-hour in length. Both are police-based dramas. Each shows location is New York City. The action and events in the screenplays of both productions take place during the mid 1980's. Each show is very effective in drawing you into the plot. Sometimes this is due to the telling of lifelike stories, or to the trials and tribulations of the characters.

Each Law and Order presentation deals with one particular crime. It begins with the committing of the crime, follows the subsequent investigation to the arrest of the perpetrator, and then continues to the resulting trial.

NYPD Blue

Order of Omega Initiations

Main Cast of NYPD Blue Season 3, l-r Turturro, Smi...

On NYPD Blue, the drama is constructed around a specific police precinct and its officers, who work on multiple crimes during an episode. The crime investigations, to which the officers investigate, are solved during the particular television presentation. However, the show never includes the prosecution of cases in court. The first half of a Law and Order production usually portrays the investigation of the crime and the arrest of its perpetrator. The second half of the show features the district attorneys and court trial. In contrast, the NYPD Blue show consistently presents only the various stages of the criminal investigations and the resulting arrests. Rarely does the drama include a court scene.

If one follows Law and Order attentively, it is easy to relate what one sees in the show to aspects of real life. However, it is not...