The Best Episodes Written By René Balcer

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   8.6/10(8 votes)

   #1 - Pro Se

   S6:E215/8/1996

   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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   Director:N/A

   Writer:René Balcer
2. 

   8.6/10(10 votes)

   #2 - Bad Faith

   S5:E204/26/1995

   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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   Director:N/A

   Writer:René Balcer
3. 

   8.3/10(9 votes)

   #3 - Cruel and Unusual

   S5:E194/19/1995

   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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   Director:N/A

   Writer:René Balcer
4. 

   8.2/10(9 votes)

   #4 - Refuge (2)

   S9:E245/26/1999

   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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   Director:N/A

   Writer:René Balcer
5. 

   8.2/10(11 votes)

   #5 - Performance

   S5:E142/8/1995

   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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   Director:N/A

   Writer:René Balcer
6. 

   8.1/10(7 votes)

   #6 - Showtime

   S7:E173/27/1997

   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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   Writer:René Balcer
7. 

   8.1/10(9 votes)

   #7 - Refuge (1)

   S9:E235/26/1999

   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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   Writer:René Balcer
8. 

   8.1/10(11 votes)

   #8 - Mayhem

   S4:E173/9/1994

   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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   Writer:René Balcer
9. 

   8.0/10(8 votes)

   #9 - Transitions

   S10:E142/17/2009

   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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   Writer:René Balcer
10. 

    8.0/10(10 votes)

    #10 - Slave

    S6:E194/21/1996

    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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    Director:N/A

    Writer:René Balcer
11. 

    8.0/10(7 votes)

    #11 - Mad Dog

    S7:E184/2/1997

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
12. 

    8.0/10(9 votes)

    #12 - Under the Influence

    S8:E111/7/1998

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
13. 

    8.0/10(8 votes)

    #13 - Corruption

    S7:E510/30/1996

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
14. 

    8.0/10(10 votes)

    #14 - Trust

    S2:E152/11/1992

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
15. 

    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #15 - Precious

    S5:E711/9/1994

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
16. 

    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #16 - Bitter Fruit

    S6:E19/20/1995

    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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17. 

    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #17 - Jeopardy

    S6:E411/1/1995

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
18. 

    7.9/10(9 votes)

    #18 - Remand

    S6:E101/10/1996

    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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19. 

    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #19 - Causa Mortis

    S7:E19/18/1996

    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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20. 

    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #20 - Terminal

    S7:E235/21/1997

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
21. 

    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #21 - Monster

    S8:E245/20/1998

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
22. 

    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #22 - Patsy

    S10:E711/24/1999

    The investigation that follows the discovery of a comatose woman in her apartment leads to an unusual case involving murder and a possible frame-up, despite the prosecution having key DNA evidence to the contrary.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:René Balcer

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    Writer:René Balcer
23. 

    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #23 - Brother's Keeper

    S11:E215/9/2001

    Briscoe and Green discover a murdered businessman may have been the target of a well-known criminal , but the investigation stumbles when the FBI acts as the suspect's alibi.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:René Balcer

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    Writer:René Balcer
24. 

    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #24 - Sisters of Mercy

    S2:E173/3/1992

    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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    Writer:René Balcer
25. 

    7.9/10(10 votes)

    #25 - Harvest

    S8:E410/29/1997

    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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    Writer:René Balcer