"As one critic of “Law & Order” has put it, “if a medical show was giving us inaccurate information, we would say it’s dangerous.” Which is true, because think about it — you know “Grey’s Anatomy” doesn’t depict what happens inside an actual hospital. Those doctors are ridiculously hot, none of them are nearly tired enough, and it needs about 5000% more discussion of insurance. But if those medical professionals were routinely claiming that vaccines cause autism and herbal remedies cure cancer, we’d probably be having a conversation about it. Because that’s essentially what “Law & Order” is doing. It’s presenting a world where the cops can always figure out who did it, defense attorneys are irritating obstacles to be overcome, and even if a cop roughs up a suspect, it’s all in pursuit of a just outcome. And it blasts that fantasy at you in endless reruns and marathons, in the guise of very well-produced TV. But underneath it all, it’s a commercial, produced by a man who is, in his words, “unabashedly pro-law enforcement,” and is very good at selling things. And in this instance, he’s selling a complete fantasy that many people in this country are only too happy to buy."