Parker Lewis I remember 100 Centre Street and it as the antithesis of Law and Order (which was a fine series may I say). I'd say in 100 Centre Street, not all the good guys win, but sometimes the bad guys do, and I guess that's life.100 Centre Street was gritty, hard-edged and somewhat fatalistic, and whilst it pre-dated the OJ Simpson trial of the century by about 5 years, it was prescient in many ways. One scene though did disturb me I'm afraid and it speaks subtle volumes about racial casting and depictions in the USA. It was where an African-American got into a violent altercation with a Chinese- American at his takeaway store. The store owner got knocked out unconscious and the culprit poured boiling oil in the store owner...how gruesome. A moment later the culprit screamed understandably.I don't know if the culprit was ever caught but what was in the writers' mindset when crafting this scene? Why not feature an Italian-American whose faced is covered with a pizza? Or a Greek- American whose faced is smothered with souvlaki? Or a Scottish- American whose faced is stuff with Big Macs?Also I wonder if the takeaway store owner got casting credit in the episode?

bustopher Unfortunately the first reviewer (prak8221) is symptomatic of why this show was axed. I can't believe that anyone apart from the most puerile would think Law and Order was actually better than 100 Centre Street, but alas, L&A is still running whereas 100 Centre Street is not...I found the stories absolutely gripping; Alan Arkin totally enchanting, and the whole show a work of art, aimed at the intellectual. It's such a pity that shows aimed at people like us, just don't rate well - although AMC has done Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and (is it?) HBO with The Sopranos.We got 100 Centre Street over here as a treat from the good old Australian Broadcasting Corporation (gov't run institution known as Aunty). They also gave us Breaking Bad, and the SBS (another gov't run broadcaster) gave us Mad Men. If it was up to the commercial networks, I guess this sort of stuff would never see the light of day.

brubie-1 I know this is a late comment, but we in Australia are just viewing this unique American series. Firstly, I would like to thank Mr Lumet, for such a rarity in American TV. Normally what we, non-American audiences, are subject to what is the common formulised-to-the-max drama with each episode inevitably concluding with a win for the "good guys/gals". I simply am bored, no a little angry, with all these trite and over-glamourised TV dramas. I refuse to watch shows like Law and Order and other similar shows because they follow the same, thoughtless formulas which are normally so predictable, it really isn't worth my time while depicting a warped view of human societies.In Australia we are showing it on our national TV broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, similar to the American Public Broadcasting System without the ads. This means, naturally, the audience is rather limited here which is, for me, a great shame. For if more non-Australians watched this insightful and mature drama where ordinary people are depicted as close as ordinary people are, they would get to know how flawed the most powerful country in human history is for those for lack the finance for the basic decencies of human needs, like sufficient nutrition, decent shelter, equal rights under the law, humane social welfare system, etc etc - and all this in a country which boasts the greatest number of billionaires on the planet. I cannot praise Alan Alder's acting enough though the rest of the cast deserve equal praise. But it is in the very conception and the great writing which has never faulted in its depiction of a courtroom environment that deserve the greatest praise.I would imagine that a television drama which gives equal depiction to story and character would not be easy to sell to American and thus overseas networks. Whatever, it makes for compelling and intelligent television - a rarity from American networks.It is such a shame that it doesn't have a wider audience.Thank you.

kenfoto Sidney Lumet is back in top form, doing what he does best. Driven equally by character and plot, an intelligent look at the difficulty of sometimes making choices between loyalty and morality. Beautifully acted and written. The characters are realistically imperfect human beings in an imperfect world.