Television producer Edwin Sherin took the time to speak individually with Yale senior Shana Smith of Pierson College during his visit to Calhoun College.

Producer describes 'grinding' work behind 'Law & Order'

Speaking to a room full of fans at a tea on April 12 in the Calhoun College master's house, Edwin Sherin, the executive producer of the NBC show "Law & Order," discussed the difficulty of achieving excellence in the "shark-infested waters" of television. "Law & Order," a crime drama now in its 10th season, is television's longest running drama series currently on the air. A 1997 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series, the show was ranked among the top 20 shows on television during the 1998-99 season with an average of 14 million viewers. In addition to being critically acclaimed, the show is also hugely profitable and has been syndicated around the world. Despite a cost of $2.2 million per episode, Sherin likened the show to "the goose that lays the golden egg." Such success does not come easily, noted the producer. Each episode takes two months to write; a week of pre-production during which the cast is hired, locations are found and sets are built; eight days to shoot; and 22 days to edit. Working days often last 14 or 16 hours. "It's not glamorous," said Sherin. "It's grunt work. It's hard, grinding work." Sherin credits a number of factors for his show's longevity. Foremost, said the producer, is the fact that it is "a plot-driven show." Despite an almost complete turnover in its cast, the show continues to succeed. "It simply doesn't depend on anyone," said Sherin. "The story is the thing." Contrasting "Law & Order" with "Ally McBeal," he queried, "What would it be without Ally? Jenny McBeal?" Sherin also lauded the writers of "Law & Order." He believes that the fundamental difficulty in doing the show is that "not every crime is a good story." Writers must amalgamate great crimes with great trials, and squeeze in the history of a crime -- from its discovery to the apprehension of the perpetrator to the trial -- into 43 minutes and 37 seconds, he said. Finally, Sherin heaped praise on his actors, especially Sam Waterston and Angie Harmon, who both play assistant district attorneys on the show. He described Waterston, a 1962 graduate of Yale College, as "erudite, gentlemanly and a brilliant actor," quipping "you don't have to be a nut to be an actor." Although Waterston, like most actors, "requires a lot of tending, a lot of babysitting," said Sherin, "he is a perfectionist. He won't let go of a script unless it is right, and that's good for the show." Because "Law & Order" is so successful, the show has freedoms that are rare on television, said Sherin, noting that NBC rarely interferes with the content of the show, as long as the advertisers are happy. "It has nothing to do with censorship beyond the dollar," contended Sherin, although he admitted that the power of the dollar is substantial. To keep advertisers happy, the show rarely deals with AIDS or homosexuality. Yet, when an episode on the murder of an abortion doctor was aired, NBC stood by the program, he noted. Despite being an entertainment medium, "Law & Order," also has the power to educate its viewers, said Sherin. By the nature of the show's subject matter, episodes are often violent. However, it is very rare to see a gun being shot on the show. It has happened only twice in 240 episodes, Sherin pointed out. One of the goals of the show is to "deglamorize violence and reveal the effects of violence on people and how much pain occurs," he said. As an example, Sherin pointed to an episode on pro-gun lobbyists that was aired this season in which a mass killer shoots a semi-automatic rifle modified to be fully automatic into a group of female medical students in Central Park. Gun shots were heard off-screen and screaming survivors ran past. When the camera panned toward the crime scene, viewers were shown the human debris that was left behind by the killer. Eleven were dead and three were wounded. Later in the show, prosecutors compared a semi-automatic rifle with a fully automatic one. They poured out the bullets a semi-automatic gun could shoot during a certain amount of time, and a number of bullets fell on a table. Then they poured out the bullets a fully automatic rifle could shoot during the same amount of time, and a flood of bullets covered the desk and fell to the floor. Watching that scene, said Sherin, "I was overcome with emotion." He believes that the best shows are when every member of the permanent company has a different point of view about the event. "The most important shows are the ones where I can look at them and think, 'There, but for the grace of God, go I,'" said Sherin. -- By JinAh Lee T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Scientist Jennifer Doudna wins prestigious Waterman Award Two young scientists honored with Presidential Early Career Awards Accreditation panel concludes that 'Yale is as good as they come' Study offers new clues about autism Baseball commissioner Selig to speak at events Noted educator David Tyack to deliver the Giamatti Lecture Producer describes 'grinding' work behind 'Law & Order' Radiologist is honored for his achievements School of Medicine study shows boom in demand for radiologists Yale's Toumey Forest expands by 450 acres through exchange Art gallery exhibit explores artist's dramatic style change Student-run production explores the more carefree days of Eugene O'Neill's life Memorial service is planned for chemical engineer Charles Walker Nursing professor Judith Krauss is appointed to governor's commission Annual Perlis symposium will feature experts on computer programming language Kaplan will discuss national strategy for HIV prevention as Omega Rho Lecturer Remembrance gathering for Chester Kerr Communiversity Day 2000 Yale Scoreboard In the News Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus| Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page