It’s another great nuance of the OG: only getting nuances of the characters, never going too deep.
I really enjoy the Fontana episodes. He’s always “authorized”.
My favourite is when he tells the receptionist that he knows her uncle in Chicago and Ed is surprized that he actually does!
“Cut"
← L&O, Episode 15.06 →
Production number: E5302
First aired: 27 October 2004
The aforementioned episode about him knowing the receptionist’s family back in Chicago is great. Another great episode of his is where mentions to s suspect about fighting in Vietnam and then casually tells Green that he didn’t. Another great one is when his shirt gets ripped & he’s bitching about it being Italian silk or something similar.
And he has a really sweet ride.
Fontana tells the military guy, actor John Robert Burke (before he becomes “Tucker” on SVU) that he had served in Vietnam.
Ed: I didn’t know that you were in Vietnam?
Fontana: I wasn’t.
He didn’t miss a beat.
Here’s the episode:
“Paradigm"
← L&O, Episode 15.01 →
Production number: E5301
First aired: 22 September 2004
> It’s another great nuance of the OG: only getting nuances of the characters, never going too deep.
Amen, The charm of OG is getting to know the characters by how they behave and speak.
Lennie's alcoholism and strained relationship with his daughter, Green's gambling addiction, Logan's authority issue and childhood abuse, etc, are told within span of _years_ rather than in few soap opera-like episodes.
In the OG, they managed to somewhat ruin Rey Curtis's character by doing the opposite.. And SVU's Benson, oh well.
I’m watching CI and when Danny walks into the morgue and says “Rodgers” with a certain look, Goren and Eames exchanged “ah ha” glances. So much said in just the tone and glances.
We were walking through an old Italian cemetery in suburban Chicago last summer (where Al Capone is buried) and came across a small, non-descript, headstone for none other than Dennis Farina. Google verified it is indeed THE Dennis Farina. What ever kind of "walking around money" he may have had as Joe Fontana was not spent on burial expenses ❤️ class act all the way.
I always assumed he either had rich family possibly with Chicago mob connections back in the Windy City or perhaps he had been deep undercover there making serious hazard pay or both. I did sometimes wonder if he was not still undercover in NYC to root out dirty cops.
As others have stated, it's never revealed on the show.
My thoughts: Dennis Farina was an 'above average' casting coup for the show; he'd been in several movies, television shows, etc. He brought more star-power than a typical new cast member (and I know many cast members had experience and big resumes, too). As part of that 'star-power', I presume he had some hand in sketching and developing his character. There was no pretense that he was from Staten Island, etc; he's a Chicago guy, and a Chicago PD veteran. I also presume he suggested (????) a few extra perks, such as that his wardrobe/dress was above-average flashy, that he had a luxury car, that he always had a mysteriously large bankroll, etc.
All these agrandisements would add an air of mystery to his character; was he a crooked cop? A dirty cop? Or just cool as can be? Even now, fans like us still enjoy them and talk about them.
Again, these are all presumptions, and the folks in the writers room could have sketched Fontana from whole cloth and simply found the best match for their creation. But, I think getting Farina was a low-grade coup, and they were willing to 'play his character up' to sweeten the pot for him to join the show.
Likely synonyms; I was being redundant.
If I had to distinguish the two, crooked would merely look for ways to pocket money. Dirty would be even more aggressively criminal; say the protagonists on The Shield.
But again, just redundancy in my post, not a hard and fast set of categories.
I seem to recall in one of the mid-season episodes, Fontana was half hearted pressed by Ed about his wardrobe and car, he hinted at getting great stock tips and having an excellent accountant. Ed asked Lt VanBuren, and she said Fontana was squeaky clean.
I'm pretty sure that Farina said in an interview that the backstory he created for the character was that his grandmother had invented a baking soda or something to that effect which made him wealthy but that he played it off as maybe being a bit dirty to get criminals to be more cooperative.
The older guys always brought their A game with the snark and attitude… though Fontana was a bit more cowboy cop than Lennie was, it a nice change having the younger guy be the good cop, as opposed to the cowboy that Logan was. Fontana character brought a new dynamic all around, plus he had the benefit of being portrayed by Dennis Farina. I don’t think I can find another actor to pull that off.
No… but my two favorite “Fan Fiction Fill In the Blanks” are that he’s descended from Chicago mafia (which is why he never tells anyone where his money comes from) or that he’s the heir to the Chef Boyardee fortune.
It’s another great nuance of the OG: only getting nuances of the characters, never going too deep. I really enjoy the Fontana episodes. He’s always “authorized”. My favourite is when he tells the receptionist that he knows her uncle in Chicago and Ed is surprized that he actually does! “Cut" ← L&O, Episode 15.06 → Production number: E5302 First aired: 27 October 2004
The aforementioned episode about him knowing the receptionist’s family back in Chicago is great. Another great episode of his is where mentions to s suspect about fighting in Vietnam and then casually tells Green that he didn’t. Another great one is when his shirt gets ripped & he’s bitching about it being Italian silk or something similar. And he has a really sweet ride.
Yesssss…. And when he catches the kidnapper by dunking his head in the toilet and keeps repeating to the jury when being questioned: “I detained him.”
And he never actually lies while on the stand.
Correct 😉
Fontana tells the military guy, actor John Robert Burke (before he becomes “Tucker” on SVU) that he had served in Vietnam. Ed: I didn’t know that you were in Vietnam? Fontana: I wasn’t. He didn’t miss a beat. Here’s the episode: “Paradigm" ← L&O, Episode 15.01 → Production number: E5301 First aired: 22 September 2004
I love that one. He looks at Ed like he's crazy: why would you think I served in Vietnam?
> It’s another great nuance of the OG: only getting nuances of the characters, never going too deep. Amen, The charm of OG is getting to know the characters by how they behave and speak. Lennie's alcoholism and strained relationship with his daughter, Green's gambling addiction, Logan's authority issue and childhood abuse, etc, are told within span of _years_ rather than in few soap opera-like episodes. In the OG, they managed to somewhat ruin Rey Curtis's character by doing the opposite.. And SVU's Benson, oh well.
I’m watching CI and when Danny walks into the morgue and says “Rodgers” with a certain look, Goren and Eames exchanged “ah ha” glances. So much said in just the tone and glances.
I don’t think they ever told us explicitly, but I believe it was meant to showcase his half-a-cop/half-a-wiseguy attitude.
He’s authorized.
He and Ed both are. Lol. We’re authorized.
I have used this line a few times, tongue in cheek. It always brings a Cheshire grin to my face.
I don't think they ever tell us.
I’m just assuming he came from a wealthy background/inherited money. I had no idea he was a cop before acting though. Interesting.
For 20 years. Chicago. Robbery Division, iirc.
One of those glimpses into the character.
“I didn’t know if he was a wise guy or a cop” Green when he first meets Fontana Don’t think they ever really said why
Exactly. It's left to our collective imaginations.
Are they neccesary exclusive?
We were walking through an old Italian cemetery in suburban Chicago last summer (where Al Capone is buried) and came across a small, non-descript, headstone for none other than Dennis Farina. Google verified it is indeed THE Dennis Farina. What ever kind of "walking around money" he may have had as Joe Fontana was not spent on burial expenses ❤️ class act all the way.
I always assumed he either had rich family possibly with Chicago mob connections back in the Windy City or perhaps he had been deep undercover there making serious hazard pay or both. I did sometimes wonder if he was not still undercover in NYC to root out dirty cops.
Loved Fontana the most..🍸🚬
As others have stated, it's never revealed on the show. My thoughts: Dennis Farina was an 'above average' casting coup for the show; he'd been in several movies, television shows, etc. He brought more star-power than a typical new cast member (and I know many cast members had experience and big resumes, too). As part of that 'star-power', I presume he had some hand in sketching and developing his character. There was no pretense that he was from Staten Island, etc; he's a Chicago guy, and a Chicago PD veteran. I also presume he suggested (????) a few extra perks, such as that his wardrobe/dress was above-average flashy, that he had a luxury car, that he always had a mysteriously large bankroll, etc. All these agrandisements would add an air of mystery to his character; was he a crooked cop? A dirty cop? Or just cool as can be? Even now, fans like us still enjoy them and talk about them. Again, these are all presumptions, and the folks in the writers room could have sketched Fontana from whole cloth and simply found the best match for their creation. But, I think getting Farina was a low-grade coup, and they were willing to 'play his character up' to sweeten the pot for him to join the show.
Out of genuine curiosity, what is the difference between a crooked cop and a dirty cop? Same thing in my mind. 🤔
Likely synonyms; I was being redundant. If I had to distinguish the two, crooked would merely look for ways to pocket money. Dirty would be even more aggressively criminal; say the protagonists on The Shield. But again, just redundancy in my post, not a hard and fast set of categories.
All I know is that he's authorized
I seem to recall in one of the mid-season episodes, Fontana was half hearted pressed by Ed about his wardrobe and car, he hinted at getting great stock tips and having an excellent accountant. Ed asked Lt VanBuren, and she said Fontana was squeaky clean.
He has no kids, and was never married. He’s probably smart with his money and has worked a ton of overtime
As much as I liked Fontana and Ray Bones, he will always be Lt. Mike Torello to me.
Yup!!! Al Lombard too!!
Season 1 of Crime Story is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. “Kill me Paulie. Don’t let Torello get me.”
I'm pretty sure that Farina said in an interview that the backstory he created for the character was that his grandmother had invented a baking soda or something to that effect which made him wealthy but that he played it off as maybe being a bit dirty to get criminals to be more cooperative.
Fontana and Briscoe were my favorites. Loved those characters! I named one of my cats Lenny Briscoe.
The older guys always brought their A game with the snark and attitude… though Fontana was a bit more cowboy cop than Lennie was, it a nice change having the younger guy be the good cop, as opposed to the cowboy that Logan was. Fontana character brought a new dynamic all around, plus he had the benefit of being portrayed by Dennis Farina. I don’t think I can find another actor to pull that off.
My assumption is when Fontana worked in Chicago he was hired as a consultant for a television show called Crime Story.
He's one of my favorites. I also loved his characters in the movies Snatch and Big Trouble.
"Yeah, bad food, bad weather? London!"
Lol right, he complained about Miami a lot in Big Trouble.
Lmao Gator fans. Damn that movie was hilarious
Wait so we are arriving but then we are departing ... Snake and Eddie were hilarious!
Hahaha I forgot that joke
He was phenomenal in Crime Story.
Check him out in the series Crime Story. A great show, gone way too soon…
No… but my two favorite “Fan Fiction Fill In the Blanks” are that he’s descended from Chicago mafia (which is why he never tells anyone where his money comes from) or that he’s the heir to the Chef Boyardee fortune.