"Everybody's Favorite Bagman" is the sixth episode of the

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...

and

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...

''. It originally aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

on October 30, 1990. It was produced in 1988 and was the pilot episode of the series.Courrier and Green (1999), p. 25

Plot

After local councilman and former

bagman The term bagman (or bag man) has different meanings in different countries. One group of definitions centers on the idea of traveling. In British usage, "bagman" is a term for a traveling salesman, first known from 1808. In Australian usage, ...

Charles Halsey is mugged and his throat slashed, Logan and Greevey investigate the case and the two young black male suspects initially caught. Their suspicion turns to organized crime when they link the victim to Masucci family

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

Tony Scalisi ( Paul Guilfoyle). As

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and Robinette continue their investigation, they uncover a corruption scandal involving a councilman; the collection of parking meter violation fines has been awarded to a firm connected to organized crime. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, District Attorney Wentworth won't allow Stone to offer Scalisi immunity. However, in order to win their case, their only option might be to make a deal with the mobster. Stone discovers that the case involves not only organized crime, but also elected city officials and a deputy police commissioner whom he accuses of changing his testimony and doctoring evidence in a past case. Stone is unable to use the police because of suspected corruption within the department, so he consults Assistant U.S. Attorney John McCormack ( William H. Macy).

Production

"Everybody's Favorite Bagman" was directed by John Patterson and written by

Dick Wolf Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs. He is al ...

. It was produced in 1988 and was the pilot of the series. However, NBC decided to air "

Prescription for Death "Prescription for Death" is the first episode of the long-running crime drama television series ''Law & Order''. It aired on September 13, 1990 on NBC. Although it was the first episode of the series to air, it is not the pilot. The pilot episode ...

" as the premiere episode instead. For this episode,

Roy Thinnes Roy Thinnes (born April 6, 1938) is an American television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the ABC 1967–68 television series ''The Invaders''. He starred in the 1969 British science fiction film '' ...

was cast as District Attorney Alfred Wentworth. However, by the time the production of ''Law & Order'' began in 1990, Thinnes had already moved on to star in another series, and declined to continue the role. Steven Hill was selected as his replacement to portray District Attorney

Adam Schiff Adam Bennett Schiff (born June 22, 1960) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who has served as a U.S. representative since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented since 2013. Schiff's district (numbered as the ...

.Courrier and Green (1999), p. 26 Steven Zirnkilton, who narrates the opening sequence in every episode of each ''Law & Order'' series, makes his sole onscreen appearance in this episode. He has one line of dialogue: "Look at that. Do you believe these guys?"

Inspiration

The episode was loosely based on the 1986 Parking Violations Bureau scandal that resulted in the death (by suicide) of Queens Borough President

Donald Manes Donald R. Manes (, ; January 18, 1934 – March 13, 1986) was a Democratic Party politician from New York City. He served as borough president of the New York City borough of Queens from 1971 until just before his suicide while under suspicion ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{Law & Order Law & Order episodes 1990 American television episodes Television pilots within series Television episodes directed by John Patterson (director) Television episodes about murder Police misconduct in fiction