When I’m feeling stressed out, there’s only one cure: flip on my satellite tv online and turn on a rerun of Law and Order. Sure, the show was popular for the writing and the “ripped from the headline” cases, but what I like about it is the rhythm. The stories may be different, but it always hits the right beats: an unrelated couple discover a crime, the cops talk about it for a bit and make a zinger, they find a fake suspect, they get the real bad guy, the lawyers prosecute and argue about ethical issues, and then a shocking twist and a verdict. There’s also a 50/50 chance of a shooting on the steps of the courthouse.

It is comforting without ever being entirely predictable. You can leave the room, read a magazine, talk on the phone, or fall asleep and you’ll know right where you are in the narrative when you get back into it. There might be more sophisticated cop shows on the air, but few of them have the emotional appeal of a good Law and Order rerun.

Thankfully, it seems Law and Order is on 24/7 SOMEWHERE on television, so I’m usually in good shape when I get a hankerin’ for some cops and district attorney action.

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