‘LOLA’ returns with cast shake-ups, but it’s still ‘Law & Order’ (TV commentary)

“Law & Order,” and now its spinoff “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (9 p.m. Central Mondays on NBC), have never been character-centered, but there were at least four major character developments in this week’s two-hour “LOLA” midseason premiere.

First, Skeet Ulrich’s detective Rex Winters is killed off in a hail of drug-war gunfire in his home. Winters’ heroic sendoff, where he protects his daughter, and the subsequent mourning of his colleagues, is classic, meat-and-potatoes “L&O.” But I admit that when a scene flashed to TJ Jaruszalski (Corey Stoll) going through his partner’s mail, I thought “Oh, so Skeet’s character was named Rex Winters. He didn’t seem like a Rex.” I never really got to know the guy; nor do I really know Jaruszalski, whose name I just looked up on the Internet.

Second, Connie Rubirosa (Alana de la Garza) from the original “L&O” returns. I had always thought that “LOLA” should bring over at least one of the canceled show’s characters; better late than never. (In “LOLA’s” defense, it wasn’t created as a continuation of the original, but simply a spinoff; the original was canceled after “LOLA” was created.) Along with Alfred Molina’s Ricardo Morales and Rachel Ticotin’s Lieutenant Gonzalez, Rubirosa’s return gives “LOLA” an appropriate presence of Hispanic characters that reflects the setting.

With de la Garza coming over to partner with Terrance Howard’s ADA Joe Decker full-time, the second-chair ADA played by Regina Hall left without fanfare, and the second-chair ADA played by Megan Boone departed without even appearing in Monday’s episodes. I liked those actresses just fine, but as with Ulrich’s character, I never really got to know them.

The third major development is that Alfred Molina’s Ricardo Morales switches from the lead ADA role to take over as Jaruszalski’s partner. The change seems to be working for his character, partly because of a natural effect of the “L&O” formula: We feel more connected to the cops because we’re with them from the beginning; it sometimes seems like the lawyers are intruding on the middle of the story.

And fourth, Stoll shaves off his mustache. For a minute there, I thought he was a new character too.

As we bid farewell to four characters (counting TJ’s ‘stache), we at least get to say hello to the opening title sequence that was bizarrely absent from last fall’s episodes. It aims for a stylistic effect, with the theme playing only faintly in the background. Notably empty is the sixth slot that went to the lead ADA on the original series. On “LOLA,” that role is played by Peter Coyote, but apparently he’s not in enough episodes to earn a spot in the credits.

According to reports, NBC will give us the unaired episodes featuring Ulrich in the summer.

Whew. Well, at least they’ve figured out the cast and we can now move forward with the show, which — surprise, surprise — is very similar to the original version (and that’s perfectly fine, especially since that series is gone). “LOLA” is distinguished by a slight West Coast flavor, which hopefully will become zestier as the series progresses.

In Rubirosa’s first episode, she suggests that L.A. has a stricter interpretation of Miranda rights than New York does. The theme of strict legal interpretation continues when a defendant is freed by the judge after the key witness is murdered in his waiting room next door. Really, judge? There’s no provision for holding onto a likely murderer a bit longer based on strong motive?

As the show goes forward, perhaps the subtle differences in the two coasts’ legal culture will continue to be explored. At any rate, I’m just glad the show is going forward.

What are your thoughts on the return of “LOLA?” Do you like the new cast?