OK, now picture this TV series: Law & Order: Vampire Squad. It may sound like something that makes for a comedy but Steven King came up with the idea and it actually is one of the best ideas I have heard in a long time for the “Law & Order” franchise. King is certainly capable of pulling it off, and there is little doubt that the series could use some fresh blood. (Sorry, I couldn’t pass it up.)
Look, I don’t know about you but there are only so many murders, rapes, and molestations one can watch without becoming depressed or at least cynical about the world around you. Vampires are fun and can be funny, so instead of taking the whole Law & Order theme too seriously, we can step back, lighten up a bit, and move on to a different perspective of law and order.
Actually, the “law” part of the potential series seems relatively easy to get through. Detectives chase vampires and round them up for prosecution. But it is not certain how they would be prosecuted under the law, especially since there are no laws against being a vampire that I am aware of. (OK, maybe there are still a few left over on the books in Salem.) But even with the laws, just how are they going to serve their time? Under what threat of punishment?
This will require some very good writing at the beginning to set up the whole “punishment” phase of the series. It seems safe to say that much of the action would be held under relatively dark circumstances, and the jurors would have to be familiar with the new Vampire laws. Could a vampire be excluded from jury duty simply on the basis of being a vampire? That would seem to prejudice the entire jury selection process because it is hard to see how an accused vampire could get a fair trial under those circumstances. Who better understands a vampire than another vampire?
Also, is it possible that a vampire would be on the defense team or would it be mandatory? What about the same for the prosecution? The problem might be that going down this road may lead to more of a comedy-like form of entertainment than anything deadly serious. But again, there really isn’t anything wrong with that if King and the producers can get it right. I guess I am just hoping that the world will not continue to take itself so seriously and get back to simple entertainment.
Come to think of it, this idea might be the perfect vehicle for the franchise to end — should it ever come to that. What better way to end a long running series than have it bitten to death by vampires who will always come out of the dark and exploit the weaknesses in the legal system? For my own taste, the Law and Order franchise definite needs to move in a different direction because I really don’t care how many people like hearing the same storyline over and over. (If you don’t think this is true, tune in the USA channel almost any time of day or night.) None of the lead actors are very compelling; in fact some border on plain annoying. It’s time to move forward by returning to the past and bringing on the vampires!
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