PILOT REVIEW: Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders

LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS

Starring: Edie Falco, Miles Gaston Villanueva, Gus Halper

Created by Rene Balcer
Written by Rene Balcer, Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter

THE PREMISE
Continuing America's obsession with true crime stories, the ultimate TV crime franchise has now expanded into the true crime realm with Law & Order's take on the infamous 1989 Menendez Brothers murder. Erik and Lyle Menendez (Gus Halper and Miles Gaston Villanueva) were convicted of killing their parents in a wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood in a crime that captured the nation's attention before OJ. They were represented by notorious defense attorney Leslie Abramson (Edie Falco). Many other TV veterans pop up in guest star or recurring roles including Anthony Edwards, Josh Charles, Sam Jaeger, and Heather Graham.

THE REVIEW
This is one of those shows that I have difficulty with because I like it but I really don't think it's that good. But because I am a true crime junkie who would watch a Dateline on something like this, of course I'm going to be interested in a scripted series about it. It was a little jarring to see this wrapped in the Law & Order approach to storytelling and I understand it's from the same company, but it was a little weird to see it framed the same way an SVU story would start or including the famous "dun dun" at times.

The Menendez story is really such a tragedy. The performances here are passable. While she's no Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Edie Falco is enjoyable as Leslie Abramson and the show is smart to put its focus in her capable hands but the tricky thing was it was hard to incorporate her naturally into the pilot when they haven't even arrested the brothers. So they weren't able to use their ace in the hole all that much and it felt a little forced when they did. I also thought both the Menendez brothers actors were solid but not instantly captivating. There are many great actors recurring or guesting in this so the performances are enjoyable for the most part.

It is relevant to make comparisons to The People v. OJ Simpson because that is obviously what inspired this show and unfortunately, this show paled in comparison. The performances here were fine but not nearly as crisp and instantly iconic. This show is also set in 1990s California but it was not capable of evoking the era in the incredible ways that OJ did with its ambiance. Finally, there is just simply less in this case that can be extrapolated on to make commentary on society then or now. There just isn't the inherent racism or sexism undertones that made OJ such a social commentary. This trial was captivating for sure but not because of larger themes. So, maybe this show is in an unwinnable position by being inevitably compared to one of the decade's best shows but having source material that just can't measure up.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Sigh... of course I am going to. I'll probably watch all 8 episodes. I'm not proud of it.