Three actors from NBC’s Law & Order: Los Angeles (LOLA) are leaving the series — Regina Hall, Megan Boone, and Skeet Ulrich. Ulrich was actually the first actor to be cast in the new show back in July and plays Rex Winters, one of two detectives on the series. The ladies both play Deputy District Attorneys, Evelyn Price and Lauren Stanton.
The changes are apparently part of an attempt to revamp and save the struggling series. LOLA debuted in late September to a decent 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 10.64 million viewers. The numbers quickly tumbled after that and hit a season low of a 1.7 rating and 6.8 million in mid-November. The first eight episodes of the season have averaged a 2.2 in the demo and 8.24 million viewers.
LOLA is currently tied with The Event and Parenthood as the fifth-highest rated scripted series on NBC. It’s hardly a hit and the peacock network certainly needs some dramas that work, particularly in the 10pm hour.
Deadline reports that the cast changes are being made “on-the-fly” and are not out of the ordinary for the early seasons of Dick Wolf-produced shows. The cast and crew are currently working on the 12th installment and production will not shut down for the changes. NBC gave LOLA a full season order for 22 episodes in October.
What do you think? Are these cast changes a good idea? Will it be enough to boost the ratings for Law & Order: Los Angeles?
Image courtesy NBC.
Skeet Ulrich was doing truly fine. The partnership with the other Detective was perfect. Alfred Molina is too good an Actor to be made to return as a Detective. He should be the DA! Not the other no sense DA! Megan Boone was doing just really fine. ….Mr Wolf, Remember that The Blacklist became a hit because of John Spader and Megan Boone.
Watching L&O LA and Skeet is on the show. They must have had an episode in the ‘can’ and pulled it out. Kind of weird seeing him on there when he was supposedly killed but I like him much better than Molina.
Please,please bring back Skeet Ulrich. how about a twin brother who found out about Skeet’s “untimely” death? that would be a good comeback! Terence Howard should go. He is a good actor in his movies but not in LOLA. his character is weak. he can’t deliver even with the good script. he couldn’t keep up with the tension of the scenes. he lacks the passion and intensity other cast members have shown. it pains me to watch him not able to deliver a good performance. he should voluntarily quit. There are plenty of ‘black’ actors who should be given a… Read more »
Skeet Ulrich was my favorite. Loved him and his partner and couldn’t believe they killed him in the last show. What the heck made them think that he was the reason for a rating slump??? and why does a show have to have huge ratings to be considered good when all that reality junk is out there that people watch by the millions. Its not that all the new dramas are bad because they have lower ratings; it’s a lot of people being busy watching junk and its also a generational issue. I am barely 30 and hardly anyone I… Read more »
bad move
Hate the changes! Skeet Ulrich was my favorite.
I wish they would have kept the original detectives. I thought they made a great team. Skeet Ulrich was one of the reasons I watched the show. I also liked the DA’s as they were. Dick Wolf, you had it right the first time.
Normally, I only watch L&O in reruns. Skeet Ulrich is the reason I watch it. May not, now.
I’m with you, Ulrich and partner were the only reasons I watched this show. I see him get killed this week and there goes that show. I watched a trailer of the “new” show coming up and I hated it already. So much for LOALA. The nabobs guessed wrong in this one. Now find Ulrich a new show.