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We all know that Law and Order UK was based on the US episodes. After going through almost the entire series, I want to share with you what big changes were made in each of the adaptations. UK S1E1 Care/Cradle to the Grave: The baby froze to death in the US version, and was gassed to death in the UK adaptation. The verdict in the US case wasn't shown, it was in the UK version UK S1E2 Unloved/Born Bad: The UK version makes the stakes a lot more clear and threatening if the born bad defence actually works. UK S1E3 Vice/Working Mom: There was no sexual activity involving the culprit and the victim in the UK episode. Both tried to claim that their sexual services performed on the victim were out of coersion, but it was made very clear in the UK episode that the evidence pointing towards it was all falsified and that the killer was lying. UK S1E4 Unsafe/American Dream: The killer once released on bail actually started stalking the prosecutor and his victim's daughter in the UK version (he's also played by Ser Jorah Mormount). UK S1E5 Buried/...In Memory Of: Despite the daughter's mental health issues, her testimony was a lot more reliable in the US version. She broke down on the stand in the Uk version. The killer in the UK version hated himself for being a child abuser, and eventually confessed to the murder of his own free will. UK S1E6 Paradise/Heaven: The arsonist got a court order to have the fuel tank removed from his leg. This court order was actually rejected by the judge in the UK version for being a human rights violation. There was only one mastermind in the UK version, rather than two in the US. UK S1E7 Alesha/Helpless: In the first trial, the rapist was found guilty in the US version, but the judge overturned the verdict. He was simply found not guilty in the UK one. UK S2E1 Samartian/Manhood: In the US version, there were three cops who abandoned their gay officer. In the UK one it was just one. In the US episode, the surviving shooter was sentenced for murder. In the UK episode, he wasn't involved in shooting the cop, and only shot the other dealer in self defence. In the US episode, the cops tried to defend themselves by saying they were afraid of gay men. In the UK episode, the defence was that while what he did could warrant an inquiry, it didn't technically break any laws. UK S2E3 Hidden/Bitter Fruit: In the marraige between the kidnapped girl's parents was messy, with it implying that the father drove his wife into becoming an addict. In the UK version, the wife was clearly in the wrong, she became an addict of her own volition, and had no moral ground to stand on in comparison to the husband. UK S2E4 Community Service/Volunteers: The culprit in the UK version had a son, who was best friends with the GBH victim, and had his way of life and thinking influenced by him. This helped add more depth as to why the culprit hated him. UK S2E5 Sacrifice/Sonata for an Organ Solo: In the victim was a good man who was supposed to die after his kidney was stolen, but survived after beingfound just in time. In the UK version, he was a bad man who was supposed to survive, but ended up dying after the operation to sew him back up was botched by the surgeon. In the UK version, the chief prosecutor was the main defence lawyer. UK S2E6 Love and Loss/Consultation: These episodes have nothing in common with each other apart from how the victim died. UK S2E7 Honour Bound/Corruption: The culprit committed suicide in the US version. He was found guilty in court in the UK one. UK S3E1: Broken/Killerz: The girl was allowed to go home in the US version. In the UK version, she was found guilty of murder and was imprissoned. The US mother was flawed, but clearly cared for her kid. The UK mother didn't show any interest in her at all, until the penny dropped at the end, and she finally realised what she'd done. She broke down crying as her daughter was dragged off the stand. None of the authority figures in the UK version cared about the girl. The government wanted her to be charged with the maximum, and her defence barrister refused a manslaughter charge because she wanted the publicity of a high profile trial. UK S3E2 Hounded/Mad Dog: The rapist in the US version lived with and ultimately was murdered by his own daughter. In the UK version, he got a fiancee who already had a teenage daughter. The fiancee killed him when he tried to rape and murder her. The rapist in the US version was never brought to trial. He was in the UK version, but was found not guilty due to a sloppy credibility check on a key witness (this witness was in the US version too, but Adam talked McCoy out of using it to prosecute the rapist). UK S3E3 Defence/Pro Se: The theory that the killer was responsible for the murders because he didn't take his pills had no credibility in the UK version. The psychiatrist was basically on Smith's side. UK S3E4 Confession/Bad Faith: In the US version, the main obstacle was that the crime committed by the child abuser had breached its term limits. In the UK version, there simply wasn't enough evidence. In the US version, they defeated him on grounds of an ongoing conspiracy between the victim and the culprit. In the UK version, a member of the English Church went out and got witness testimonies from the culprit's former victims, allowing him to be charged with over forty accounts of child abbuse. UK S3E5 Survivor/Punk: A lot more focus was put on the hitman in the UK version. In the US original, he was essentially a background character, but in the UK adaptation, he was essentially the mastermind behind the entire crime, with the female prisoner being an unwitting pawn. UK S3E6 Masquerade/Good Girl: When the white girl accused a black boy of raping her, the US version put a lot of emphasis on the racial conflict. In the UK version, the conflict came from the feminism angle. "a woman is finally standing up to her rapist, why are we prosecuting her?" The women in the US version were dead certain that the killer wasn't raped. In the UK version, the prosecutor's assistant was desparate to believe that she was, and made up loads of excuses for her. UK S3E7 Anonymous/Stalker: In the US version, the 911 call was initially rejected as evidence. In the UK version, it was always allowed, but the defence were allowed to bring up evidence regarding the victim's bad character (how apparently she made up the being attacked by her stalker thing up). UK S4E1 Help/We Like Mike: In the UK version, Mike had a wife who divorced him during the court proceedings out of fear. On the day of his testimony though, she sees him in court, which gives Mike the confidence to deliver a convincing testimony. UK S4E2 Denial/DNR: Very few changes here. The most I can come up with is that the judge's husband is a bit more aggressive in the US version. UK S4E3 ID/Promises to Keep This one's wierd. Both episodes are about a psychologically troubled man who was charged with murdering his fiancee and sleeping with his psychologist. In the UK version, this results in a brand new subplot regarding the man being a grown up child murderer, who was redeemed and living under a new identity. The victim herself was murdered by the man in the US version. In the UK version, it was his psychologist, and he had nothing to do with it. UK S4E4 Duty of Care/Endurance Peck in the US version was borderline comic relief. In the UK version, he was downright dangerous to the mother in how incompetent he was. UK S4E5 Shaken/Homesick The US British Nanny was made into an Irish nanny in the UK version, and they gave her a boyfriend who died in prison while awaiting trial. The nanny was blamed for the baby's death in the US version because she was because the actual culprit lied to the police. In the UK version, it was because of a botched forensics examination. In the US version, the baby was killed by the father's son from his previous marriage. In the UK version, it was done by his ex wife. UK S4E6 Skeletons/Trophy In the US version, Jack's previous assistant was put on trial for hiding crucial evidence proving the framed killer's innocence. In the UK version, Steele is put on trial for this, with his partner not being revealed to be the culprit until the end of the episode. UK S5E1 The Wrong Man/Perscription For Death The culprit in the US version was an alcoholic. In the UK version, he was addicted to pain killers. The UK version had an original character. A fake doctor who was hiding behind the identity of his ex roommate. UK S5E2 Safe/Angel No similarities at all apart from the killer using a pram to convince people that her son was still alive. UK S5E3 Crush/Humiliation In the US version, the wife murdered the prositute and framed her husband because of the affair. In the UK version, it was because the affair caused her to develop herpes, resulting in her child developing cerebal palset when he was born. UK S5E4 Tick Tock/Hot Pursuit At the end of the episode, the girl has a psyche evaluation being done on her in an atempt for leniency. Both prosecutors were told that they didn't have to fight it if they didn't want to. In the US version, it's implied that Jack won't fight it. In the UK version, Jacob states that he DOES want to fight it. UK S5E5 Intent/Privileged The way the victims died was the same, but everything else about the episode is different. UK S5E6 Deal/Slave A main cast member dies in the UK version. UK S6E1 Survivor's Guilt/Suicice Box The culprit was found not guilty in the US version. In the UK version, Ronnie Brooks was able to convince the culrpits mother to tell her son to confess. UK S6E2 Immune/Double Down The UK defence barrister is a lot slimier than her US counterpart. UK S6E4 Trial/Double Bind The bomb construction mannual in the US version was made by some "FREEDOM!" nutters. In the UK version, it was made by a nazi. UK S6E5 Line Up/Performance Same premise, different execution. Both episodes are wildly different, but both tackle the same themes and characters. UK S6E6 Dawn Til Dusk/Mayhem The man who was falsely accused of murder actually gets out alive in the UK version. UK S6E7 Fault Lines/From Dawn Til Dusk The culrpit in the UK version has a hating male complex that she spouts out in court...oblivious to the fact that the person she murdered was a girl. UK S7E1 Tracks/Locomotion The culrpit actually got found not guilty in the UK version UK S7E2 Tremors/Aftershock There are no similarities to this episode at all, it might as well have been based on an Eastenders episode. UK S7E3 Paternal/Deadbeat After it was discovered that the killer's daughter was in on it, Jack decided to postpone her arrest until after her son passed away from cancer. The UK daughter doesn't get that luxury...... UK S7E4 Fatherly Love/Family Values The daughter in the US version was having an affair with her stepdad. In the UK version, she was trying to be groomed by her stepdad, and that he was sleeping with her best friend. UK S7E5 Mortal/Golden Years Virtually none. UK S7E6 Dependent/Phobia The kidnapped baby's parents are gay in both versions. In the US version, this is the motive behind the murder. In the UK one, it is so incidental that bigots would call the UK writers woke for making them gay. The culprit in the US version is the baby's birth father. In the UK one, it's his birth mother. UK S8E1 Flaw/Refuge Pt 1 Add to the doesn't resemble each other at all list. UK S8E4 Pride/Identity The culprit in the UK version is the female police chief's father. UK S8E5 Customs/Ritual The culrpit in the US version was the father. In the UK version, it's the mother. The UK episode implies that the doctor is being arrested by the end. UK S8E6 Bad Romance/Denial After being found not guilty in court, the boyfriend dumps his fellow defendant girlfriend in the UK version. UK S8E8 Repeat to Fade/Marathon The culprit who accuses the detective of using a racial slur in the US version was a stereotypical latino gangster. In the UK version, he was a young black kid.
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