WARNING! SPOILERS ahead for Law & Order season 24, episode 17, "A Perfect Family."

Law & Order season 24, episode 17, titled "A Perfect Family" reused Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) original Law & Order: SVU arc, and that might be exactly what the long-running procedural needs to save its decreasing ratings. Although Law & Order season 24 has included several strong episodes, it has been struggling to attract audience attention. This is unfortunate, as the series' once-winning formula of showing both the police and legal aspects of murder cases has allowed it to tell unique stories for over two decades.

"A Perfect Family" focuses on the parallels between the victim and Riley's (Reid Scott) teenage daughter, who is around the same age. Riley struggles with typical teen/parent issues with his daughter, such as getting her to prioritize schoolwork over group chats with her friends. Meanwhile, the victim had more serious issues before her murder, such as getting involved in a secret relationship with her volleyball coach. Similarly, many of Law & Order: SVU's best Stabler moments in the earliest seasons involved his attempts to deal with problems with his teenage daughters alongside getting justice for young victims.

Law & Order Season 24 Borrows Stabler's Original SVU Plot For Riley

Riley Has A Similar Conflict With His Daughter

Although the main focus is on the case, "A Perfect Family" intersperses scenes with Riley and his daughter. Riley is frustrated by his attempts to relate to his daughter and guide her behavior. At the same time, he needs to focus on finding the person who killed another girl her age, and his investigation leads him to discover disturbing secrets about the victim, which only makes him more worried about his own daughter.

This is a conflict that Stabler often dealt with when his daughters were teenagers. While Stabler and Benson's relationship in Law & Order: SVU caused marital strain, in early episodes, he needed to try to focus on cases while worrying that his daughter Maureen was developing an eating disorder or that Kathleen was experimenting with sex. These subplots added depth to Stabler's character, as he struggled to be both a good father and good at his job. Similarly, Riley's story with his daughter added another dimension to his hotheadedness and ion for justice.

How Riley's New Arc With His Daughter Can Save Law & Order's Slipping Rating

It Is The Type of Compelling Story That Can Attract Large Audiences

Riley's new arc may be the perfect way to save Law & Order's fledgling season 24. This type of family conflict excited audiences during Law & Order: SVU's early years, so there is no reason they wouldn't be compelling now. Additionally, there are few shows that include family aspects on television anymore. Blue Bloods' cancelation upset audiences who are hungry for this type of material — thus, Law & Order can fill the gap left behind now that the drama about a family of cops is no longer airing.

A continuing arc involving RIley's difficulties with his daughter is the best way to revive interest in the long-running police procedural before it is too late.

Law & Order sometimes introduces family conflicts, only to drop them. For example, we never saw McCoy's (Sam Waterston) daughter again after they butted heads over a case. Hopefully, this will not be the case this time. A continuing arc involving Riley's difficulties with his daughter is the best way to revive interest in the long-running police procedural before it is too late.

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