Law & Order's College Suicide Episode Tonight

It's here: Tonight's episode of Law & Order is the one that feature college students' suicide leaps at a downtown college campus. The episode is called "Coming Down Hard":

SUICIDAL STUDENT JUMPERS PUT PHARMACEUTICAL FIRM ON DEFENSIVE OVER TRIAL USE OF ANTI-DEPRESSANTS -- When two college students take flying leaps to their deaths, Detectives Fontana and Green discover that both students were participants in a secret testing program on a new anti-depressant run by a large drug manufacturer that has yielded a high rate of suicides -- and more attempted suicides. A.D.A. McCoy decides to vigorously pursue the CEO of the pharmaceutical firm for second-degree murder but his case hinges on convincing the judge to admit guarded clinical trial info.

A lot of filming occured near NYU, as we reported earlier [we're pretty sure that The NY Sun's Jacob Gershman wrote about this episode, but damn the Sun's subscription model]. The NYU administration and student body can't be too happy about this episode, but it's all in keeping with L&O's ripped from the headlines model. And what do viewers think of the season so far, or have you been wooed by CSI: NY? Gothamist is enjoying the new season as we tend to do, but we miss Lennie very much.

Gothamist on the suicides of NYU students.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts and Events on October 6, 2004 1:04 PM

Comments [rss]

tien

uh, htb, the nyu news link isn't clickable. and as why you can't copy it, that's not on gothamist's side.

Karen

This is a great week for NYU, I guess no one is outraged that the Village Voice basically spit on the graves of all the students who died with this bit in their Best Of New York issue.

http://www.villagevoice.com/bestof/2004/detail.php?id=4241

Best place to commit a copycat suicide - BOBST LIBRARY

Looking to make the leap? NYU's BOBST LIBRARY has anticipated your every mood swing by arranging its floor tiles in the shape of spikes. Now, when strung-out college kids peer down from atop the 12th floor, they're discouraged (or not) by the image of being impaled. Voted America's number one "dream college," NYU has seen at least four "falls" in the past year. -Rachel Aviv

70 Washington Square South, Manhattan 212-998-2500 [View Map]

Frankenstein

But that wasn't NYU; that was Eastern Atlantic University!

Jackson West

Like NYU needs more bad publicity. Still, says something about campus life that so many find death preferrable.

htb

Is it just me? I can't click thru the link to the nyu statement ... can't even highlight it. I think I've had this trouble before in the Comments section. Is it a peculiarity of TypeKey?

Emily!

I like Fontana...I think he adds a nice 1970's style hardboiled edge to the show. Though I will always love and miss Lenny.

And I totally agree with m.--Ms Rohm still makes me want to scream every time she opens her mouth. It's hard to tell if she has a poorly written character or if she's playing it irritatingly but regardless, she needs to go.

jon

For the official "NYU spokesman" reaction and comments from a deceased student's mother:

http://nyunews.com/news/campus/7856.html

m.

Lennie's shoes can never be adequately filled, but so far I'm intrigued by Fontana -- a high-rolling, sharp-dressing, pro-Iraq-war History Channel geek? Love the reading glasses! The 3 episodes so far have been strong, though the ferry crash was lame -- it looked like the old 'Star Trek' shaking-the-camera technique. As usual, the weak spot is E.Rohm -- but maybe she's getting fed up wit Jack's cynicism and Arthur's red-blooded politico style? Time to spin her off onto 'Third Watch' or something...

aoy

You folks is more in love with a show about New York than you are with New York itself!!

sheila

Another drug study episode - reminds of "Double Blind" in Season 7 - student made homicidal from medication in a campus drug study (but it really turned out to be an untreated brain tumor causing his problems).

New season's fine. When does Elisabeth Roehm exit?