‘Law,’ ‘Homicide’ Episodes Connect Well
If you missed NBC’s “Law & Order” and “Homicide: Life On the Street” crossover episodes when they first ran on a Wednesday and Friday in February, you can catch them tonight at 9 and 10.
In “Law & Order,” Briscoe and Curtis (Jerry Orbach, Benjamin Bratt) arrest white-supremacist Brian Egan (Keven Geer), wanted in a gas attack in a New York subway. The attack is similar to one on a black Baltimore church five years earlier.
McCoy (Sam Waterston) convicts Egan, but the story doesn’t stop there.
In Baltimore, Pembleton and Bayliss (Andre Braugher, Kyle Secor) begin their hunt for Egan’s co-conspirators. Shortly after they question the convicted killer’s wife and son, she is murdered and the son disappears.
Pembleton, who squared off against Egan when he was arrested in New York, has taken the case personally. Unable to shake the images of murdered blacks, among them children, he is obsessed with finding Egan’s comrades.
Braugher, whose character was left in limbo after last week’s gripping season finale, is in top form.
A pair of subplots develop nicely through the two episodes. Bayliss gets puppy-dog eyes over New York prosecutor Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy). Briscoe and Munch (Richard Belzer) find they have something very personal in common - Munch’s ex-wife.
Now that NBC has renewed “Law” and “Homicide” for next season (returning in their same Wednesday and Friday time slots), I’ll again express my hope that producers Dick Wolf and Barry Levinson come up with another New York-Baltimore connection.
Highlights
“Dateline NBC,” NBC at 8: The show ends its weeklong series on honesty with a viewer ethics test. You can compare your score with the results of a national survey.
“Sliders,” FOX at 8: The lost quartet slides into a parallel world ruled by psychics. Wade (Sabrina Lloyd) encounters the man of her dreams (James Patrick Stuart), but his attraction is a terrifying obsession, and he’s about to become the most powerful man on the planet.
“Due South,” CBS at 9: The season finale finds Fraser and Ray (Paul Gross, David Marciano) pitted against a militia leader determined to free his jailed brother. The good guys end up in a trap even Dennis Hopper’s character in “Speed” would admire: They’re strapped to a bomb set to go off if their combined heart rate exceeds 200 beats per minute.
“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper,” ABC at 9:30: This repeat from January addresses gangs and guns with mixed results.
Earvin (Omar Gooding) falls for a beautiful honors student (Karan-Ashley) but by coincidence offends her gangster brother Eddie (Bumper Robinson) on the very same day. Cooper (Mark Curry) does his best to sidetrack Eddie, but the episode ends on a shocking note.
My problem is that the half-hour may inadvertently send the message that the inner city is so tough and that the chance of dying from gunfire is so great that you might have a better chance if you’re armed.
“20/20,” ABC at 10: The newsmagazine repeats Barbara Walters’ affecting interview with Christopher Reeve. The actor’s horrible equestrian accident took place a year ago this week.
Cable Calls
“Vanessa-Mae at the Royal Albert Hall,” DISN at 7: Hold on to your seat for this teenage violin virtuoso who plays the classics and puts a little rock into Bach. The London concert should inspire youngsters who think classical music is boring.
“Colors” (1988), A&E at 6 and 10: Robert Duvall and Sean Penn provide a frightening look at Los Angeles gang violence in director Dennis Hopper’s unflinching but also uneven film.
This version is edited from the theatrical release. If you want to see how tough a film Hopper tried to make, check out the unabridged 127-minute director’s cut available on home video.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Comedian Sean Morey and musical group The Neville Brothers.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Actor Dennis Quaid, Daphne Zuniga (“Melrose Place”) and music group Seven Mary Three.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Heather Locklear (“Melrose Place”) and comedian Marc Maron.