Does Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Stand a Chance in the World of Canadian Procedurals?

The Law & Order franchise has dominated NBC and many syndicated stations for decades, highlighting New York’s war on crime and the city’s most notorious offenders.

Those stories were fresh and touched our hearts for years, but lately, formulaic writing has lost its effectiveness.

I had hoped that Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent would have lured viewers in since it focused on different Canadian crimes and a new team, but the series has its own issues.

Canadian procedurals often take longer to develop, and Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent has had some issues, especially with setting the scene quickly.

However, it has potential, and being part of the Dick Wolf franchise could help it thrive.

U.S. Procedurals Include Better Pacing, But Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Features Unique Cases and Locations

U.S. Procedurals often feature more action to keep viewers engaged, while Canadian iterations are generally less violent and grittier.

Think Private Eyes, Burden of Truth, or Murder in a Small Town.

However, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is part of the infamous franchise, leading me to believe it would follow the Law & Order formula.

It does to an extent, since the crimes are ripped from Canadian headlines, and the detectives often walk and talk while dissecting cases.

However, the criminals don’t tend to flee from the cops as much in this version, which reduces some of the action.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent succeeds more on psychological profiling, and Graff and Bateman both excel at it in different ways.

The series also succeeds because Canada is almost another character. In each episode, prominent locations have been featured, such as the Ontario Art Gallery and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.

They cover certain issues, such as neighborhood politics and sibling abuse, both of which were well explored but could have benefited from a bit more action.

I love Henry Graff (Aden Young) and Frankie Bateman (Kathleen Munroe) as partners. While they work more professionally than emotionally, they have each other’s backs no matter what.

They complement each other because they are opposites. While it may not be realistic, watching Graff spout facts about everything from audio pitch to art has been amusing.

He’s not a people person, but he’s skilled at extracting a confession from suspects. Bateman is the opposite. She’s generally better at talking to witnesses, relating to them, and explaining Graff’s jargon.

While I’ve liked spending time with them since they’re the leads, the series needs to flesh out the rest of their team.

That was something Law & Order: SVU did well, up until recently. I felt like I knew the entire team. 

Graff and Bateman feel more like Matt Shade and Angie Everett from Private Eyes, where they are a team, but everyone else is undeveloped.

Since the United States is only a few episodes in, I’m hopeful that it improves and we’ll see more of Inspector Holness and Deputy Crown Attorney Forrester. 

Even the original Law & Order: Criminal Intent focused more on the psychological reasons the crime was committed than on the crime itself, so that tracks.

I’m just intrigued because Canadian laws differ in how you can question suspects, so I want to see more of this in action.

The Entire Law & Order Franchise Needs Shorter Cold Opens

Lately, the entire Law & Order franchise has included several long cold opens. We don’t need to know a victim’s entire life story. Sometimes, it works better to cut to the murder and go backward.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent  Season 1 Episode 2 used more of this approach when we only saw a few moments of the victim, and then witnessed four people being shot in a condo.

It effectively showed why many suspects wanted Dennis Embers dead without spending several minutes on every detail.

The action and intrigue pull viewers in, while expository storytelling can be slower, leaving viewers wanting more.

I’ve enjoyed covering Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. I’ve visited Toronto several times, and it’s fascinating to see local places featured and learning more about them.

If you’ve followed my work, you know I’ve watched and enjoyed many Canadian procedurals, with my favorites being Private Eyes, Motive, and the co-owned Murder in a Small Town.

I think fans have high expectations for  Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent because it’s part of a popular franchise, but the others weren’t perfect when they initially aired either.

It took time to develop the characters and the team’s rapport, and now we’re facing the opposite issue: the original Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have featured so many of the same cases that some viewers are burned out.

Let’s give Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent a chance on The CW. The cases are fresh, and the team is entertaining. Aden Young is the best part.

He cracks me up weekly with his walking encyclopedia knowledge. Hopefully, soon, the series will delve into the rest of the team.

Over to you, Fanatics. Are you enjoying Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent? Does it need to improve its pacing like other Canadian procedurals? What do you like, and what would you fix?

If you enjoyed our Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent coverage and want to see more Canadian procedurials, yours truly covers Murder in a Small Town. We also cover many other Dick Wolf shows, including the rest of the Law & Order franchise. Interested in more analytical and passionate pieces? Check out our editorials and op-eds.

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