Greetings,
Alright, the ladies had their day, but now it is time for the boys to shine. I don't mean to undermine my sisters, but this list was a lot harder to make than the other one. I don't know why. It just sort of happened that way. I suppose that means the guys I picked should appreciate their places even more.
#10. John Stamos ("Bang", Season 12) - So John Stamos plays a guy who has and wants to continue impregnated as many women as possible so the world can be full of little hims. I get that he is supposed to be the bad guy, but if you're going to cast someone who is bad because he wants to populate the world with a bunch of people who look like him, don't cast someone who looks like John Stamos. Because we're not going to think it's such a bad idea for that to happen. Good acting though.
#9. Alfred Molina ("Night", Season 6) - Alongside co-star Angela Lansbury, Alfred Molina made this episode great. He played this guy who was totally bizarre with all these quirks and idiosyncracies which would annoy the crap out of anyone. Unfortunately, these were not the worst things about him. Of course.
#8. Martin Short ("Pure", Season 6) - Remember how creepy Ed Grimley was? Well, he is still the creepiest of them all, but Martin Short's character here is a close second. And he seems so nice is real life. I guess you never know.
#7. Michael Gross ("Lust", Season 4) - Oh, Michael Gross. How did you combine the prissiness of Steven Keaton with the wholehearted love of killing things of Burt Gummer? You, sir, are magic.
#6. Aidan Quinn ("Savant", Season 9) - I love Aidan Quinn. I just do, and while there was no big ka-boom moment in his performance here, it was still so consistently well done that I had to include it. Plus, you know, I love him.
#5. Michael Shannon ("Quarry", Season 6) - If you don't know who Michael Shannon is, he is the man who should have and would have won an Academy Award in 2009 had it not been for the fact that he was breathing. This was his first foray into television and he gave a sometimes understated, sometimes powerful performance that is all around fantastic.
#4. Henry Winkler ("Greed", Season 3) - This is probably how Fonzie would have turned out had the Cunninghams not gotten a hold of him. I just love how Law and Order takes the lovable people of the real world and lets them be diabolical masterminds. Just for an hour, but sometimes that's all they need.
#3. Chad Lowe ("Pique", Season 2) - One viewing of this episode and you will regret it if you ever reduced Chad Lowe to simply being Rob Lowe's brother or Hilary Swank's husband (former). As if his genius portrayal on Life Goes On wasn't reason enough, here is something to hit home exactly how talented this man is.
#2. Kyle MacLachlan ("Conscience", Season 6) - Redemption! After being in lowly projects like Showgirls and Sex and the City (like there is a huge difference between those things), Kyle MacLachlan reminded us why he is a successful actor. He goes from being a grief stricken father to a methodical defendant, and, for some reason, we are on his side the entire time. At least I was. That is something it takes a gifted artist to do.
#1. Robin Williams ("Authority", Season 9) - I think we all know that when he calms down, gets a good script and acts it out, Robin Williams is a truly remarkable actor. Though his character was quite different, his performance here reminds me very much of one he did on another favorite show of mine, Homicide: Life on the Street, back in 1994 (also featuring a young Jake Gylenhall, FYI). In spite of all his cinematic faux pas, there's no doubt that Robin Williams is one of the finest actors of all time. Just give him something good to act and he will prove it, time and again.
And congratulations to all my boys here. Like the ladies, you have enriched the world of Law and Order, and we are grateful that you have done so.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
