Greetings,
When new characters arrive on Law & Order, no matter how great they are, some of them have tough acts to follow. I don't think anyone had to deal with this more than Joe Fontana.
Joe Fontana was portrayed by the late, great Dennis Farina for Seasons 15 and 16. Which means he came in when Lennie Briscoe/Jerry Orbach left, after an eleven year run. And he was much loved during those eleven years. So, whomever they got to replace him was going to have a hard time. The good news is they didn't just get anyone; the bad news is that even another legendary actor needed time for the audience to warm up to him. Personally, I've always loved Dennis Farina. He just always seemed like a regular guy, and I mean that in the best way. But even I had to get used to somebody knew. It didn't take too long for me.
Fontana was from Chicago, where he was once a cop. Apparently, he left to do some conflict with someone he worked for. Wow, a lot of people on this show has issues with authority. Odd, considering how many people see them as authority. He also worked in The Bronx in Homicide before he started at the 27th Precinct. Immediately, he came across as quite different, not only from his predecessor, but from most cops. This was mainly due to his financial situation. And that situation was that he had very many finances. Whilst most cops on the show would classify themselves as blue collar, Fontana was rich, basically, and he was not afraid to show it off. For one thing, he had a Benz, and, on one occasion, he manged to get some blood on his $300 Italian shirt. His attitude to that was just "Oh, well. Whatever". And don't even get me started on the Gucci loafer incident. Of course, everyone was quick to assume he was shady or crooked or anything else they can think of, even Detective Green. It became obvious, though, that he just happened to have a lot of money. Personally, I think he was just a rich businessman, who woke up one day and thought, "I'm bored. I think I'll start being a cop". Why not?
We didn't learn a whole lot about Fontana during his time on the show. Most of it was in passing, more so than with most characters. He was a very proud and 'in touch with his roots' Italian, and he enjoyed hunting occasionally. Yeah, that went over really well with some of his co-workers. He also seemed to have a very protective nature when it came to everyone, from the victims to his own partner. He was very angry and emotional when Green was shot, and seeing how it affected him showed how close they had become as friends. I think it was that attribute that made it easier for people to embrace him.
Still, Fontana's mission to come to the rescue of victims could sometimes get a little out of hand. Most notable was the incident where he, in order to get a confession, may have put a guy's head in the toilet...a few times...ish. Look, he was just trying to keep the tradition of kind of rogue but still good-hearted cops on this show alive and kicking. Good job. Plus, he was pretty old school. Not just with his policeman techniques, but also with his choice of insults. You tell me where else on TV you can hear someone use the words "little jerk" and "big dummy" with such poise and finesse. Nowhere! Good times, indeed.
At the end of Season 16, Joe Fontana left the show with the simple explanation of retirement. In reality, Dennis Farina just wanted to move onto other things. And he certainly did. He did some more movies, one of which being a fantastic performance in Authors Anonymous, and he also did some more TV, like a recurring role on New Girl. Sadly, in 2013, Dennis Farina passed away. It was sad and a little unexpected. He was only 69, which I consider relatively young, but you never know. Still, he had a wonderful legacy to look back on, and you could certainly see how much respect people had for him as an actor and a person. I am truly grateful that, within that amazing resume, he decided to put in some Law & Order. And I still enjoy what he brought to it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
