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.
I never, ever liked Alfred Molina in anything he has done, but he apparently is a very excellent actor.
I am sad to see the disappearance, or should I say bump off of Skeet, altho this combination was slow to get going, they were becoming a very viable team.
I loved criminal intent and was excited another law and order was going to be on. I liked the show the way it was and getting rid of actors isn’t going to make it better. Have you ever thought it might be the writers where the problem is. I hate it when they get rid of regular actors . It makes the shows less appealing. When they got rid of zack on bones, I don’t watch it as much because you get to know a character and when that character goes so does the show. Same thing with House.
I think NBC should not even considering taking LOLA out of the air — if they cancel LOLA, they will – AGAIN – make a huge show programming mistake. It is amazing to see how NBC keeps making mistakes and cancelling shows that have great potential, while investing in losers over and over again… I love the Law and Order franchize, LOLA was interesting too – I wish they had kept NY and added LA – the stories are still great… I kind of liked that they took away some of the actors – I personally think they should get… Read more »
skeet ulrich gone….so am I. I still watch old episodes of law and order and will continue as long as they are on the air.
the actor your replacing ulrich with is a good actor, but does not fit the partnership that was started on this show. re-write…dont throw a good actor out!!!!
as a long time LAO (all franchises) and a long time NBC watcher… i have gotten burned way too many times falling in love with a show and then it getting canned. Life, My Own Worst Enemy, Heroes, Kidnaped, Southland, Conan, BoomTown, Lyon’s Den, Whoopi, West Wing, Crossing Jordan, Journeyman, Bionic Woman, Las Vegas, Knight Rider, Kings, Meduim (grats CBS), and the Cape. I am soo tired of getting interested in a show then having it canceled before you even get it off the ground. I am also tired of falling in love with a show and then after a… Read more »
That is sooo true. I am in Brazil right now, but lived in US for over 10 years… I can still remember the days when NBC has the best shows, always raking high in the nielsen´s ratings… Something happened with the network after Jay Leno´s fiasco, maybe it is a curse or something like that. They keep making bad decisions over and over and over again. Meanwhile, CBS and FOX are just walking in the park, they know how to build their audienced, they give their shows sometime. I think it is pretty much a management issue in all senses.… Read more »
AGREE WITH ALL THE SKEET ACCOLADES!! YOU CAN EXIT THE ADAs BUT KEEP SKEET IF YOU WANT LOYAL VIEWING AND THE SHOW TO HAVE A CHANCE. REALLY MISS CRIMINAL INTENT AND YES SVU IS WANING FAST–WRITERS DO YOUR JOB OR GET THE OLD ONES BACK ON BOARD.
P.S. AS A NATIVE NEW YORKER, RIGHT ON BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL ANYTIME!!!! IT WAS AND STILL IS THE BEST!
DON’T BE SILLY!! NBC NEEDS QUALITY TELEVISION TO REMAIN. THIS SHOW, LIKE OTHER DICK WOLF LAW AND ORDER SERIES, NEEDS TO FIND ITS AUDIENCE…I’M A NATIVE NEW YORKER AND YES WHEN I FIRST SAW LOLA ADVERTISEMENTS THOUGHT UHOH!!! BUT TUNED IN ANYWAY BECAUSE OF THE DICK WOLF LEGACY. GETTING RID OF SKEET WOULD BE A BIG MISTAKE HIS CHEMISTRY WITH HIS PARTNER IS TOO ELECTRIC NEEDS TO CONTINUE. WHERE THE PRODUCERS MISSED THE MARK WITH HIS CHARACTER WAS MAKING HIM A FAMILY MAN!!! HE NEEDS TO BE MORE ON THE LOOSE LIKE A LOGAN, BRISCOE TYPE. DON’T DO THIS IT… Read more »
When Skeet Ulrich leaves the show so will I am my sister, we only watch because of him so you have lost two viewers. I loved him in Jericho, I hope he gets another series I will watch anything he is on. Get rid of Molina, he does not fit into the series. You guys really messed up
I only watch the show because of SKEET ULRICH you lost another viewer several of my friends also.
This is a solid show. Skeet is great but his partner is not well-defined scriptwise or as he handles his lines (a mail-in).
No Skeet Ulrich??? Count me out. He was my favorite on the show – I watch SVU regularly (sometimes watched the original L&O but not consistently). I really liked the show as it was – I think the issue is the franchise (outside of SVU) is dying because the show can’t keep the same actors on it for very long. SVU is the only one that has always had the same partners as the main characters which is why it has been so successfuly. People get attached – take the actors away (or they leave for the silver screen opps)… Read more »
What? This is one of the better law and orders. This is crazy! Drop the UK law and order and keep this hit!
Start from scratch and drop everyone… actors, writers, director, etc… SVU is successful because of the intensity of the actors who are focused more on the case than on their personal lives. LOLA has waaaaaaaay too much flirting and pleasantries. That’s not what LO is about! Even CI with the crazy detective was all about the case. LOLA’s flirting is distracting. If you have about 45minutes of a show, write lines and show scenes that people want to see.
go back to the original. LA is like the kind of crappy show the original law and order schooled, back in the 90’s
Don’t you know what a fantastic show this was??? IT’S AWESOME! KEEP the actors, KEEP the series!!
IF it’s NOT #1 YET, it will be soon. Stick with it. AND….Skeet Ulrich is perfect for this.
THIS NEEDS OT STAY ON THE AIR. KEEP IT ROSE
Taking Skeet Ulrich from the show is only a disaster. He is one of the main reasons for watching. Bad move.