As an avid watcher of both the original "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: SVU" series, I've picked up on a phrase that seems to be uttered in nearly every single episode, without fail.
And that phrase is, "I loved her."
As many fans of Dick Wolf's creations will admit, "Law & Order," however beloved, is relentlessly formulaic. As a result, it wasn't hard for me to pinpoint the exact moments when "I loved her" is said on the show. The detectives always interview those closest to the victim first. Inevitably, one or all of those people become suspects. After a few red herrings, one of them typically ends up having committed the crime. The cops' interviews with the grieving family members and interrogations of them later on are the prime moments for a perp to say he loved her... or she him, or he him, or she her.
Exhausting, I know. Just wait until you hear them all at once.
The clips in the supercut above come from about 50 different episodes "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: SVU," both of which have been on for decades. So the fact is this is really just the tip of the iceberg. I mean, the iceberg that loved her.
Dun dun!
P.S. Look out for cameos by Carol Burnett, Hillary Duff, Michael Imperioli and John Stamos!