Law & Order: Criminal Intent Loyalists Unleash Deadly Fluffalanche
With great sadness, Movieline reported two weeks ago that Law & Order: Criminal Intent was discharging several key characters from its force including Goren and Eames, the beloved lead detective team played by Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe. Instead of sitting tight while Criminal Intent writers transition Jeff Goldblum's ivory-tickling, ethnic food loving, matinee-catching detective (and whichever actor they recast as his straight partner) as the program's top bananas, Goren/Eames fans are banding together. On October 16, USA Networks will be deluged with jars of marshmallow filling, the same Fluff fans allege they will be watching if the network does not renew D'Onofrio and Erbe's contracts.
The Save Goren & Eames campaign extends beyond Fluff though. There is a petition to keep the actors onboard ("By letting them go, you are destroying the show. They are the show"), and a barrage of messages being sent via email, digital postcard, Twitter and a boycott on Criminal Intent sponsors including Applebee's, Macy's and Wendy's.
It is still unclear why the actors won't be returning, although there are rumors on Law & Order fan websites that D'Onofrio and Erbe were offered half of their current salaries to return for the ninth season, which begins in March 2010. D'Onofrio is expected to appear in the two-part season premiere to say his goodbyes.
Law & Orders franchise creator, Dick Wolf has survived a number of casting changes switch-ups before and has remarked how fans prefer the story lines to the actual actors: "I'm a firm believer that the Law & Order audience, in a sense looks forward to these casting changes." In 2007, Law & Order: Criminal Intent was moved from NBC to its sister network, USA, while repeats continued to air on the major network.
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A sponsor boycott? Boycotts due to racial inequities or political policy is one thing, but calling one to avoid Saffron Burrows is just cold.
This has nothing to do with Saffron Burrows, I don't believe she has ever been mentioned once in all of our efforts. This is about the direction USA Network has taken in their trending towards lighter fare and deciding to unceremoniously dump LO: CI and its major cast members. It's about them deciding for us what they think we should watch, for not allowing a full season to properly tie up loose ends and for insulting top actors by offering half salaries when they can pay Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni what they demanded. We feel that we deserve closure as well as allowing Vincent, Katie and Eric to exit in a satisfactory manner on a high note, not some slapped together 2 hour season opener. Thank you, Julie, we appreciate the mention!
Vinnie Vidi Vici aka "The Fluffmeister"
Thank you, Julie Miller, for this article. I love seeing folks that are passionate about great television. With all the reality shows and juvenile comedies on the air today it is wonderful to to see passionate people trying to save intelligent thought provoking shows and characters based on substance.
This campagn has nothing to do with Jeff Goldbluume or any potential partner for him. It is about supporting the actors who for eight years developed a story line for the fans to follow and become absorbed in. This is about the people who watch NBC or USA and provide the ratings, demanding quality programming from quality actors. Vincent D'Onofrio does nothing halfway and Kathryn Erbe has come into her own in this show. Both deserve all the fanfare they are getting and more. The execs at USA are destroying this show and it will certainly die unless they transition our favorite detective team out while phasing another one in. Season 8 did not do this. They are going about this the wrong way and did not anticipate how outraged intelligent viewers would be.
We are not going to sit back and accept the dismissal of actors who truly care about their art and do their job well.
Thanks you for this great article!!
USA had annoyed the fans incredibly.....
They postponed Season 8 from fall to winter to spring, losing valuable fan support.
They pushed Jeff Goldblum to the forefront in Season 8 promotions alienating the loyal viewers of many years and then introduced a lighter tone to the series.
They aired Season 8 so badly out of filming order that not even the dedicated viewers could recognize the gradual and beautiful recovery of Robert Goren. Some week’s he had a beard, the next it would be gone, only to return again the next episode. USA did Vincent D’Onofrio a huge disservice here.
And now it appears USA has offered insulting salary reductions to D’Onofrio and Erbe along with Eric Bogosian.
Vincent D’Onofrio built his detective into a TV icon and a template for a plethora of new lighter content shows. He has earned millions for NBC and USA.
USA is now willing to let him go?
Well, when Goren and Eames are gone from Criminal Intent, so am I.
We all know where NBC is headed, with their poor, one-minded decisions. So forget about them, but Dick Wolf, you know the only true ensemble Law & Order show is the original! SVU and Criminal intent have always been about a certain dominant detective team. Take away Hargitay & Meloni and you'll see SVU go down and combust! That's the reason they agreed to those big salary increases for them. Well the same goes for D'onofrio & Erbe, who ARE Criminal Intent; always have, always will be! I for one only watched the Goren & Eames episodes since second season, so please USA/NBC reconsider this decision! USA has their Psych, Burn notice, Royal Pains, so enough with the lightweight shows and keep the real, amazing characters that Erbe & D'onofrio bring to L&O: Criminal Intent!
Thank you for this article, Ms. Miller. I have followed LOCI and the characters of Detectives Goren and Eames for eight years. And I will follow them right out the door, if USA Network goes through with this ridiculous idea to lighten up the show. Goren and Eames ARE Criminal Intent. We want the actors who have portrayed them so well, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, to be respectfully offered the opportunity of a full season to finish their characters' storylines. These incredibly talented actors have made millions of dollars for NBC/USA and should certainly be properly compensated for it. LOCI is not like the other Law and Order shows. The stories are important, but the characters who unfold the stories are what keeps the viewers coming back. We don't want Fluff!! We want Goren and Eames!!
Criminal Intent is on USA which has a lower budget than NBC so yeah they are going to have to take a smaller salary than the SVU folks. it's still likely more a week than some folks make a year. also, unless you are a Nielsen family what you watch doesn't count for the advertisers who pay for the shows. so you can watch or not all you want. but there will likely be enough folks who are viewers watching the 'lighter' version to keep it on the air. Same for all the other USA shows the fans and their petitions will be boycotting.
oh and by the by, online petitions, being impersonal and very easy to pad, are 99% ignored by networks for those very reasons.
Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe have always been the linchpins the show operates around. And how can you lose 4/5 of a cast (let's not forget Julianne Nicholson and Eric Bogosian have or will be leaving too) and still gave the same show? There was a difficult transition with the departure of Rene Balcer(showrunner), actors Jamey Sheridan & Courtney B. Vance a couple of years ago. There was the awkward transition of Warren Leight (showrunner)and actors Annabella Sciorra & Chris Noth, Chris Noth and Alicia Witt, Chris Noth and Julianne Nicholson and finally Julianne Nicholson and Jeff Goldblum.
We weathered all those changes to continue to embrace the show - because of D'Onofrio's Goren and Erbe's Eames. With those two key (char)actors what is there left to hold on to, or hold out for?
>>Law & Orders franchise creator, Dick Wolf has survived a number of casting changes switch-ups before and has remarked how fans prefer the story lines to the actual actors: “I’m a firm believer that the Law & Order audience, in a sense looks forward to these casting changes.”
Holy fucking shit.
For the record, I love Vincent Donofrio, as well. But I have heard there are extenuating circumstances for why he can't continue on the show...
Thank you, Julie Miller for reporting on this story!!!!!!!
We, the fans, want Goren, Eames, and Ross back!!!!!!!!!!!!!
USA Network doesn't realize Law & Order: Criminal Intent can not be a "fluffy" show. It has NEVER been!!! Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a smart, thought-provoking, serious entertainment, and is not the same without the heart and soul of the show: Goren.
...And you cannot under any circumstances have Goren without Eames. Eames is the glue that holds Goren and the team together. Also, Ross is now on Goren/Eames side... All three have been through so much together. Ross needs to stay, too.
Goren and Eames leave? I leave too.
I still can't believe they're getting rid of the Goren and Eames. They make the show. I don't mind the other detectives, or Ross now but honestly, without Goren and Eames, it just seems like another cop show. Besides, the G/E team had to deal with (for the most part) sub-par scripts the past year or so. Vincent/Kathryn have had to deal with that and still they pull out amazing performances.
Either way, the G/E team is the heart of the show. Without them, there might as well not be a show at all. If they go the show should just bow out gracefully then. Don't want LOCI to turn into another show that's on way past its prime.
Why does there need to be anymore casting changes anyways? I hear that the show is doing really well on USA and it's popular on the other networks... this makes no sense at all and I'm actually really peeved about this. It's one of the only few intelligent shows on television...and why is that? Goren. Not only does he have that fun/quirky part of him, he gets confessions from suspects in interesting ways, and he spouts off information from time to time (that happens to be right)...this information is a way of educating viewers. And of course, the plots (usually) are smart and interesting.
Without the G/E we might as well watch some other cop show. There's like a million on tv...and LOCI was the ONLY one I watched, because of its best detectives: Goren and Eames.
Robert Goren is the first of the original detectives. There were many copy-cats made becuase of his character. VDO is Criminal Intent. I think USA is going to find out the hard way that when he leaves, that show may as well pack its bags
This is ridiculous!!! A boycott because of a TV show?? Geez ... people should boycott weapon or drug companies, but certainly no TV station (and its sponsors) that is just trying to renew its program. Aren't there more important things in the world to protest against?
Besides, even Vincent D'Onofrio said that he's looking forward to do other things. Do you want to force him to do a show he himself is getting tired of??
You should all be ashamed ...
No Vincent and Kate, no 'Criminal Intent'. To shove these actors out the door in a 2-part episode after 8 years royally sucks. They came back without a pay raise, and stuck with the show through a change of writers, and USA's best attempts at sabotage by running the Goren/Eames episodes completely out of order, destroying any continuity. That the show didn't tank during season 8 is down to Vincent, Kate and the loyalty of the LOCI fans, who've stuck with the show throught network and cast changes, because throughout it all, the 'heart and soul' (Goren and Eames) have been the one constant. I do hope USA aren't too shocked when they find most of the viewers leave with Vincent and Kate. Shame on you USA!
Thank you Ms. Miller for the article.
In my ethics class we learned that only 1 in 10 business executives are in touch with consumers and that the "ethical backslide" happens soon after being promoted out of middle management. I think its pretty clear that's what is happening here. USA aired the season 8 episodes so out of order(who does that?) and didn't respond to fan complaints. Now the network is changing the formula from one of true quality television to that of "fluff" and taking our favorite actors too. We don't need more "fluff" television.
"Stuff the Fluff"
Seems like these people need to get a life. It's only televison.
I am from Australia and I am very upset that this is happening. We hardly get to see Vincent's work down here. LOCI will not be the same without him.
Dismiss Goren and Eames? Are the "powers that be" for this show nuts????? Jeff Goldblum does bring a certain quirkiness to the show, and I will watch him, but losing Goren and Eames is just wrong, wrong, wrong.
I am also upset that Goren and Eames are leaving the show. If NBC/USA thinks people will tune in once they have gone they are CRAZY. How can they not understand that Goren and Eames ARE the show. If they leave it will just be another cop show......like we don't have enough of those. I really hope they change their minds and give us one more season of Goren and Eames. This will give them time to give the characters a fitting send off and a chance to tie up any loose ends. A 2 hour episode will definitely not be enough.Please give our show and it's fans a little respect and listen to us.
Why take a good thing away, taking Goren/Eames away is no repect for the viewers, its not what the big shots want, its what the people want. Just like voting, let the people make the choice on who is best, and you will see who provails. The other actors are good, but come on give me a break, you know darn well who is the best for the parts. That is Goren/Eames. I had surgery and had to be laid up for awhile and saw all the actors play there roll and they were good, but they will never, i mean never as good as Goren/Eames. My husband and I watch every night, and look forward in seeing Goren/Eames, and if their not in the show, I tell my husband lets watch something else. Believe me that is how much they mean to the show. Now lets give them the raise they deserve.
When an actor makes you feel things, the real intention of the character wihtout saying a word, just with a glance or with a gesture, thats so fantastic!!imagine when he talks!.. thats what happens with this amazing actor, Vincent d onofrio!!
From my point of view I think that such a performance, an eight year old performance needs a lot more time than a two hour episode…he deserves a whole new season…..he worth every minute!....
it is sad when i say that: no Goren and Eames, no more LOCI for me....
I was shocked when I read that Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, the two main actors, the two main draws of this show, were being let go for the back-up detective and his unknown female partner. Their characters of Robert Goren and Alex Eames have been through so much during these 8 years, and they deserve a proper finish to their stories, not just a quick goodbye during part of a two-hour season premier. They were the reason to watch this show, to become involved, especially in the journey and story of the character of Bobby Goren, thanks to the amazing Vincent D'Onofrio. Now we're expected to enjoy the changes and new characters and watch a brand new season. Well sorry, I can't do that. I'd like to thank Vincent and Kathryn for the 8 terrific years they have given us as Goren and Eames, but when these characters are gone, so am I.
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