Law & Order
Prescription for Death
Season 1, Episode 1 · Aired 1990-09-13
Synopsis
Suzanne Morton dies after a visit to a hospital emergency room during a hectic night shift. Her father, a former army medic in Vietnam, accuses the hospital of negligence and demands a police investigation. Logan and Greevey question a doctor who made adjustments to her chart, but are soon led to the respected Dr. Edward Auster, who they feel may have been drunk on duty. The other residents are reluctant to speak for fear their jobs may be in jeopardy, and Stone is faced with the awkward job of prosecuting a revered physician.
From the desk: Law & Order opens its catalog run with “Prescription for Death” (1990-09-13). Procedural modular empire; ripped-from-headlines as brand. Cast churn, Dick Wolf power, and SVU's pop-culture second life.
In the series
This episode is part of Law & Order (1990–2010) on NBC.
Dun-dun — franchise mitosis as a business model.
Key cast
- Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe
- Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Anita Van Buren
- Chris Noth as Mike Logan
- Benjamin Bratt as Rey Curtis
- Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green