The Difference Between Law & Order and Criminal Intent Before and After 2007

Many people wonder how/when "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" went down... I think I have the answer: Mr. Rene Balcer.

In September 2001, Balcer left the original Law & Order (after being there from the begining in 1988, 1990) to persue another Law & Order venure... Criminal Intent. Thus causing L&O's writing style to change dramatically which pushed L&O to one of the highest rated dramas on television in the 2001-2002 network TV season and it maintained that title until 2006.

But on CI from Fall 2001 to Spring 2006 Rene Balcer made L&O: CI one of the most watched dramas on primetime television but then he wanted to go back to his original home of writing the original Law & Order figurativley basically giving the series over to Mr. Warren Leight who I must say can write a good season premiere, mid-season episode and season finale... though his character driven stories lowered CI's ratings on NBC in it's 6th season.

L&O wasn't doing so well in the ratings either after Mr. Balcer returned to the series. L&O and CI's ratings were basically tied and LOCI wound up moving to USA Network where the series continued to suffer in the hands of Warren Leight who then later turned it over to Michael S. Chernuchin while Leight pursued other work. Balcer and Leight wrote the best work for the series in the 2 and 3 seasons.

L&O had a hand full of writers and showrunners while Balcer held down LOCI between the 12th and 17th season. Ratings fell when Balcer returned to the series along with continuous moving timeslots for the series. What am I saying... basically this:

If Rene Balcer & Warren Leight would return to LOCI as head showrunners and the following people come back to write for L&O in season 21+... (some currently do now) Kathy McCormick, Douglas Stark, Richard Sweren, Wendy Battles, Sean Jablonski, Barry Schindel, Robert Palm, Marc Guggenheim, Terri Kopp, Aaron Zelman, Eric Overmyer, David Black, Jill Goldsmith, Noah Baylin, Matt Witten, William N. Fordes, Lynn Mamet, Rob Wright, Stuart Feldman, and Michael Harbert (writers of the 12th season) L&O and CI's ratings would probably return to normalcy instead of the proverbial toilet. LOCI needs moving off USA and back to NBC and Vincent D'Onofrio and Katie Erbe need to return and alternate with Jeff Goldblum.