The lists of the most watched series never cease to amaze. Nielsen’s features the irreducible NCIS and dogged behavior analysts of Criminal Minds above plenty of millionaires and hyper-advertised platform content. There’s a TV that’s talked about and sensibly theorized about, and a TV that’s watched even if it doesn’t generate hashtags or awards.
Despite his prolific television career, Richard Belzer snagged just one nomination: Favorite Scene Stealer from People’s Choice, a category that defined him. The obituaries highlight that it’s television history, the only actor to have played the same character on 10 different shows: scathing conspiracy detective John Munch. He was one of the protagonists of the great Homicide, the series based on lyrics by David Simon, creator of The Wire, in which we also saw his great character; The great Dick Wolf took it to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and wore it throughout the franchise. A fine conspiracy theorist, Munch has also had roles in The X-Files, Arrested Development, and 30 Rock. Paradoxically, Belzer’s natural space was a comedy, an escape from a childhood marked by abuse and death. Lorne Michaels, who knows talent, hired him to “warm up” the audience of a newborn Saturday Night Live.
I doubt he’s worried about the awards, although his duels with Marlee Matlin and Jerry Lewis deserve them – that’s how Law & Order: SVU hands them out to guest stars. Munch’s retirement left the 16th Precinct Police Station lacking elegance and cunning. Today, Richard Belzer is mourned by many viewers who know that neither the best performances nor the best series are necessarily the most talked about.
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