TV: Laying down the law can be a tall order

A veteran TV cop tells FRANCES GRANT about the challenge of playing in a drama low on emotion.

American crime drama Law & Order (TV3, 9.35 pm) crams more than a fair share of action into its tightly constructed episodes.

The longest-running drama in the United States follows cases from the enactment of a crime, through the police investigation and into the courtroom in the space of an hour of telly.

The swift changes of scene from the coppers on the job to the lawyers' wranglings are signalled by the show's trademark "kaa-chung" on the soundtrack.

So perhaps it's not surprising that an interview with one of the leads and longer-serving cast members is a matter of grabbing a few minutes on the phone from the show's New York studio in a gap in shooting.

It's not surprising either that Bronx-born Jerry Orbach, who plays detective Lennie Briscoe, is a man with no problem jumping a day ahead of his time.

"I've never had a call from tomorrow before - if only you could give me the race results," says the actor whose character has been described as "corned-beef-on-wry."

It's evening in New York but work is still very much in progress. Orbach outlines what's been going down on set: "The first half of the day was taken up with the lawyers. We [the police players] came in for the second half and we're examining parts of an explo-ded helicopter that had a bomb on it and killed six people - so we're with the Federal Aeronautics, the FBI ... one of those scenes."

Sounds like a typically busy, intricately choreographed setup.

After a decade on air in America the show is showing no signs of fading. Many new viewers have discovered Law & Order through reruns on cable channels, Orbach says. "It's been building the whole time, it's a real phenomenon."

What does Orbach, a 63-year-old grand-father who has been on the show for eight years, credit as the key to its longevity?

"I think the purity of the writing. We stay with the case, we don't get into the personal lives very much.

"And also I think people like the fact that when you watch an episode you see a case from beginning to end every time, you don't have to wait till next week to find out what happened."

Orbach trained in drama at university in Illinois, then went back to New York to study acting and joined the famed Actor's Studio.

He made his name on Broadway, winning a Tony award for his starring role in the musical Promises, Promises. He also did film and television work, including starring in a short-lived series, The Law and Harry McGraw.

But his screen career did not take off until the late 80s, with roles in the hit movies Dirty Dancing, Someone To Watch Over Me and Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanours.

His role as Briscoe on Law & Order, however, has brought him the satisfaction of achieving a body of work which will outlast the more ephemeral triumphs of theatre.

But as an actor, is it difficult to play a part on a show which makes a virtue of not delving too far into its characters' personal lives?

"Yes, you do have to fill in the spaces between the lines for yourself, and sometimes it's a little frustrating. It would be fun to get a little emotional more often. Every once in a while they give us a little something emotional to do so ... an appetiser, but not the full meal very often."

Does he envy all the emotional opportunities four-times Emmy winner Dennis Franz gets playing the tragedy-plagued detective Andy Sipowicz on that other cop drama set in the Big Apple, NYPD Blue?

"I used to get that once in a while but I think I've gotten over it."

With good reason, it transpires. Orbach has just learned Briscoe has been named among the 20 all-time best television detectives by the US TV Guide.

"So that's very sweet, I'm up there with Kojak and all those other people."

Kaa-chung. "Whoops, they're calling me in [on set]," he says apologetically. That's Law & Order.