Admittedly I am a huge fan of Law & Order, so I am probably a bit prejudiced with regard to Law & Order Criminal Intent. I have found that the story lines are up to standard the original series set. I feel that the character development in LOCI has tremendous potential.
Intended or not, one of the main characters, Goren, evolves as the central character in each episode. His ability and desire to understand the reasoning behind the actions of the criminals is captivating. He appears supremely intelligent but without a superior attitude. Each episode Goren is called upon to draw from his own eclectic knowledge base which, depending on the episode, might be a foreign language, the psychology behind the criminal mind, odd medical conditions, rare art values or something equally unexpected. His knowledge seems to be acquired because he is driven to know more, to understand more completely, to totally get inside the criminal's head, dissect whatever thought processes are happening and add this to his vast 'file' in his own head. This desire coupled with D'Onofrio's unusual mannerisms create a unique approach to 'cracking' a suspect and makes you sweat right along with the criminal. (Added bonus: D'Onofrio is INCREDIBLY sexy!!)
The other characters are standard Law & Order issue. Very competent, fairly easy to understand without being too simple. They have lives and feelings and issues that some times conflict with their duties which gives them a dimension frequently lacking in television but always existent in Law & Order shows/spinoffs.
I am hoping that this series will be renewed for enough seasons so that the audience will have a chance to peek into the depths of Goren's mind and understand how HE works. All in all, I believe this is a series well worth your time and I sincerely hope that it continues. (I also want to see more of D'Onofrio!!)
