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The Best Episodes Written By René Balcer

Every TV Episode Written by René Balcer Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    undefined Season 6 Episode 21 - Pro Se
    8.6/10(7 votes)

    #1 - Pro Se

    S6:E21

    The investigation into multiple homicides at a clothing store leads to the arrest of a schizophrenic who presents McCoy with a formidable opponent when he decides to represent himself.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  2. undefined Season 5 Episode 20 - Bad Faith
    8.4/10(9 votes)

    #2 - Bad Faith

    S5:E20

    Logan relives unhappy childhood memories when a friend is found dead, a presumed suicide, until the investigation reveals recent contact with a former priest, with a history of pedophilia.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  3. undefined Season 5 Episode 19 - Cruel and Unusual
    8.3/10(8 votes)

    #3 - Cruel and Unusual

    S5:E19

    The death of an autistic youth in custody reveals a multitude of unusual and possibly illegal therapies being used, but also parents reluctant to pursue a prosecution.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  4. undefined Season 9 Episode 24 - Refuge (2)
    8.2/10(9 votes)

    #4 - Refuge (2)

    S9:E24

    McCoy and Carmichael risk violating the civil liberties of witnesses when they are forced to jail them in order to safely continue their investigation.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  5. undefined Season 7 Episode 17 - Showtime
    8.1/10(7 votes)

    #5 - Showtime

    S7:E17

    The trial of Eddie Newman begins but the prosecution's chances of conviction are hampered by a "dream team" of defense attorneys, Gorton's personal pressures on Ross, the public questioning of the relationship between Curtis and Lisa Lundquist, and a surprise accusation.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  6. undefined Season 9 Episode 23 - Refuge (1)
    8.1/10(9 votes)

    #6 - Refuge (1)

    S9:E23

    A shootout between a motorist and the police leads to the discovery of a gruesome Russian mob killing --- and a traumatized boy who was an eyewitness to the murder.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  7. undefined Season 5 Episode 14 - Performance
    8.1/10(10 votes)

    #7 - Performance

    S5:E14

    Briscoe and Logan set out to identify the apparent victim in a snuff film, but find her alive and really the victim of a points-for-sex club at her prestigious high school.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  8. undefined Season 4 Episode 17 - Mayhem
    8.1/10(11 votes)

    #8 - Mayhem

    S4:E17

    During a 24-hour period, Briscoe and Logan have a heavy caseload that includes 5 unrelated murders and a domestic quarrel, which results in the maiming of the husband.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  9. undefined Season 10 Episode 14 - Transitions
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    #9 - Transitions

    S10:E14

    The detectives have very little to work with after a man is found badly-beaten in a strip club's parking lot. Their questioning begins with the dancers until the victim's ex-wife and 13-year old transgender daughter become suspects.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  10. undefined Season 1 Episode 18 - Most Wanted
    8.0/10(4 votes)

    #10 - Most Wanted

    S1:E18

    OA and Maggie team up with members of the FBI’s Fugitives Department to track down a person wanted for murder who is also on America’s top 10 most wanted list.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  11. undefined Season 6 Episode 19 - Slave
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #11 - Slave

    S6:E19

    A woman is shot while sleeping, and the investigation leads the police to a boy whose crack-addicted mother has entrusted him to a dealer's care.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  12. undefined Season 7 Episode 18 - Mad Dog
    8.0/10(7 votes)

    #12 - Mad Dog

    S7:E18

    McCoy becomes obsessed with nailing a serial rapist recently released on parole and pushes the cops perilously close to harassment as he attempts to connect the man with a new rape and murder matching his previous M.O.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  13. undefined Season 8 Episode 11 - Under the Influence
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #13 - Under the Influence

    S8:E11

    After Briscoe and Curtis finally determine who was driving the car that killed three people, the legal prosecution stands in danger of becoming a kangaroo court when McCoy's feelings over Kincaid mesh with the political agenda of an ambitious judge anxious to make an example of the defendant.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  14. undefined Season 7 Episode 5 - Corruption
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    #14 - Corruption

    S7:E5

    Curtis, angered by the attitude of an old colleague of Briscoe's, looks beyond the findings of an IAB investigation and turns up evidence of police corruption that puts the DA's office into competition with an ambitious judge and Briscoe under investigation for stealing evidence from a police lockup.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  15. undefined Season 2 Episode 15 - Trust
    8.0/10(10 votes)

    #15 - Trust

    S2:E15

    Stone is determined to see that a teenage boy doesn't get away with murder twice when the young man is brought to trial for the shooting death of one of his friends.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  16. undefined Season 8 Episode 24 - Monster
    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #16 - Monster

    S8:E24

    During the search for a pedophile who raped a 10-year-old, a snitch offers Briscoe a chance to avenge his daughter's death. Meanwhile, Van Buren learns that her job is in jeopardy; McCoy is ordered to appear before a disciplinary committee because of his conduct in a DUI case; and the increasingly political Schiff worries that the rape case may adversely impact his reelection bid.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  17. undefined Season 2 Episode 17 - Sisters of Mercy
    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #17 - Sisters of Mercy

    S2:E17

    Cerreta and Logan investigate the accusation that a nun in charge of a shelter for teens molested a young addict.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  18. undefined Season 8 Episode 4 - Harvest
    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #18 - Harvest

    S8:E4

    A discrepancy concerning the time of death of a drive-by shooting victim leads McCoy and Ross to initiate prosecutions against both the shooter and the doctor who harvested her organs as transplant donations.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  19. undefined Season 8 Episode 7 - Blood
    7.9/10(9 votes)

    #19 - Blood

    S8:E7

    The paternity of a black baby given up for adoption by a white mother might provide a clue to her murderer but it also unearths some long buried family secrets.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  20. undefined Season 5 Episode 7 - Precious
    7.9/10(9 votes)

    #20 - Precious

    S5:E7

    When Briscoe and Logan suspect that a missing infant may have been murdered by her parents rather than kidnapped, they uncover a terrible family secret which hides a mentally ill serial killer.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  21. undefined Season 6 Episode 1 - Bitter Fruit
    7.9/10(9 votes)

    #21 - Bitter Fruit

    S6:E1

    Briscoe and his new partner, Det. Reynaldo Curtis, investigate the murder of a young girl who disappeared between school and her music lesson, with a blurry film from an ATM machine as their clue.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  22. undefined Season 6 Episode 4 - Jeopardy
    7.9/10(9 votes)

    #22 - Jeopardy

    S6:E4

    A triple murder at a magazine publishing company leads to a case of sibling rivalry, a protective matriarch and a corrupt judge.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  23. undefined Season 6 Episode 10 - Remand
    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #23 - Remand

    S6:E10

    The victim in a 30-year-old rape and stabbing case is fearful when information received by Briscoe and Curtis creates the possibility of a new trial for the perpetrator.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  24. undefined Season 7 Episode 1 - Causa Mortis
    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #24 - Causa Mortis

    S7:E1

    McCoy's new second chair, ADA Jamie Ross, is determined to prosecute as harshly as possible a carjacker who took the life of a teacher as she pleaded for her life on an audio tape discovered at the crime scene.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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  25. undefined Season 7 Episode 23 - Terminal
    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #25 - Terminal

    S7:E23

    The cops uncover a man with a secret second life as they try to learn who opened fire on a group of people disembarking from a party cruise, but his guilt or innocence becomes almost a second thought as Schiff goes toe to toe with the governor and the States Attorney General over the decision to seek the death penalty.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:René Balcer

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René Balcer Ratings Summary

"Pro Se" is the best rated episode written by René Balcer. It scored 8.571/10 based on 7 votes. It was directed by N/A. It aired on 5/8/1996 and is rated 0.1 points higher than their second-best episode, "Bad Faith".