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Law and Order is an American police procedural and legal drama that first aired in 1990 and was created by Dick Wolf. The show follows the criminal investigative activities of the police and the prosecution process within the court.
Michael Moriarty starred as Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Stone. Stone's character was regarded as law-abiding and ethical in his prosecutorial conduct. His exit from the show during season 4 initiated a drastic shift, which brought fresh faces to the DA's office.
According to an article published by United Press International on December 3, 1993, Moriarty publicly criticized former Attorney General Janet Reno for enforcing censorship on TV. He wrote a letter to President Bill Clinton, calling Reno "an unleashed and mindless attack dog" and "an abusive personality." He also said,
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"She's disgraced the entire tree of criminal justice."
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His criticism allegedly created friction with NBC executives, whom he felt were trying to suppress him. Due to this, he decided to quit the show and eventually relocated to Canada.
Michael Moriarty's tenure on Law and Order and controversy with Attorney General Janet Reno
From 1990 to 1994, Michael Moriarty played the role of Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Stone on the show Law and Order and featured in 88 episodes. Michael's contributions to the show led to great acclaim of the show in its early years and even earned him four Emmy nominations.
During the early 90s, Reno was very critical of violent imagery shown on TV networks and argued that it could promote real crime. She encouraged networks to change their ways, or they may be forced to reconsider federal options.
Reno supported three Senate bills that sought to ban television violence from 7 pm to 9 pm and Saturday mornings. This time frame was considered the peak time when children would watch TV.
This came to Michael Moriarty's attention who opposed the statement and claimed his freedom of speech was being infringed upon. He accused Reno of having too much control over censorship, including television content.
NBC's executives and Reno had a meeting in November 1993, at Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., with Law and Order producer Dick Wolf and Moriarty attending as well. Reno, as expected, was in favor of the government having control over primetime TV content, but Moriarty was totally against it.
Allegations of censorship and network relations
Michael Moriarty claimed he left the show in 1994 because, according to him, NBC was trying to censor him. Michael Moriarty's publicist, Gary Springer, provided statements to The Roanoke Times in February 1994 that stated,
"Clearly, for Michael, it is that they are trying to censor him and his views; they try to cut him off and cut him out."
On the other hand, series creator Dick Wolf was taken aback by Moriarty's resignation, observing that his role was not expected to undergo any changes. Wolf said in a statement to The Roanoke Times in February 1994:
"Moriarty's request to be released from his contract comes as a complete surprise. It is very disappointing news because there were no discussions or plans to minimise his contribution."
Life of Michael Moriarty After Law and Order
In 1994, Michael Moriarty left Law and Order and moved to Canada. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on September 26, 2000, he claimed:
"I fled to Canada as a so-called 'political exile' after leaving the show. The conflict changed me from a 'knee-jerk liberal' to an enthusiastic libertarian who supports free speech."
While in Canada, he remained active as an actor in productions such as Crime of the Century and The Arrow. He struggled with alcoholism and even faced arrest in 2000 for a domestic dispute assault case, which was later dropped. By 2004, he sobered up and considered it a personal blessing, thanks to his faith. He shared these insights in an article published on May 15, 2006, in the online journal Enter Stage Right.
The original Law and Order series can be streamed on NBC, Peacock, FuboTV, and USA Network.
