Law and Order – Criminal Intent
Tropical Mayhem Meets Far-Out Forensics
Criminal Intent follows a division of the New York City Police Department, the "Major Case Squad", a force of brilliant and skilled first-grade detectives who handle the most serious and the most complex crimes that New York has to offer. The Major Case Squad investigates high-profile cases (in most cases, murder, kidnappings or major robberies) such as those involving VIPs, local government officials and employees, the financial industry, and the art world.
See the Law & Order: Criminal Intent Show Intro
The series is notable for its heavy focus on the motives and actions of the criminals, supplemented with scenes of the suspects in their own lives, parallel to the investigation. Each episode features a cold open of the victim and suspects in the days leading up to the crime; these scenes are out of context to maintain suspense as to the perpetrator's identity and motive until the ensuing investigation reveals their involvement. However, some episodes reveal the killer at the start but leave out other key details for the detectives to uncover. Unlike other Law & Order series, most Criminal Intent episodes end in the detectives eliciting confessions rather than continuing to the trial phase.
Seasons 1–4 and 10 focus on Detectives Robert "Bobby" Goren and Alexandra Eames as the primary detectives in every episode. In seasons 5–8, Criminal Intent episodes then typically alternated between the team of Goren and Eames and a team composed of veteran Detective Michael "Mike" Logan and his partners: Carolyn Barek, Megan Wheeler, and Nola Falacci. After season 7, Mike Logan retired from the NYPD and was replaced with Detective Zack Nichols until season 10, when Goren and Eames returned.
The UK-aired version of Law & Order: Criminal Intent features the song "There's Only Me" by Rob Dougan in the opening credits (seasons 1–5). Another Rob Dougan track, "I'm Not Driving Anymore", is used as the theme for Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. From season 6 the UK-aired version theme is "Urban Warfare" by Paul Dinletir.
