Law & Order: Criminal Intent—The Final Year '11 Season

Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe are Detectives Robert Goren and Alex Eames, longtime partners reunited in the 10th and final season of this Law & Order spin-off, which was originally designed to showcase D'Onofrio as a brilliant but twitchy investigator on the Major Case Squad—a man with a keen mind for mysteries and the vagaries of human nature. Over time D'Onofrio shared duties with Chris Noth as Det. Mike Logan and Jeff Goldblum as Det. Zach Nichols (with Goldblum taking over all of the ninth season), so this abbreviated run begins with the sometimes unstable Goren being reinstated on the condition that he see a therapist. This sets the stage for Julia Ormond to play Dr. Paula Gyson in a recurring role, giving D'Onofrio more opportunities for verbal dueling and emotional fireworks. Otherwise, this is essentially a return to the show's earlier format, with scripts that riff on real-life events and hot-button issues while providing meaty roles for high-profile guest stars, including Cynthia Nixon, Jay Mohr, and James Van Der Beek. Cases involve the Catholic Church and funds marked for victims of sexual abuse, competition between private military and security contractors, a Social Network–like lawsuit against a hot new website, and a murder in academia that points to an aggressive “tiger mom.” Music legend Patti Smith has a small part in the penultimate episode, concerning a murder during a Broadway show, and the final chapter ends with a positive prognosis for Goren. Compiling all eight episodes from 2011, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)