The 'Law & Order' mothership may have been canceled by NBC last season, but the hardy procedural refuses to die. The curious thing is, the show's London incarnation is even better than the competent but stiff Los Angeles spinoff that recently debuted.

The cast of 'Law & Order: UK' (9PM ET Friday, BBC America) is so terrific that it recalls classic 'L&O' lineups (think Jerry Orbach, Stephen Hill, Sam Waterston). You may well wonder if our nation needs yet another incarnation of 'Law & Order.' But if it's this solid and satisfying, why not?

Granted, if you're not an 'L&O' addict, then none of the spinoffs will do much for you. But if you do enjoy these criminal-justice stories, which sometimes range into prickly emotional and political arenas, there's much to enjoy about the well-made 'L&O: UK.'

Like the original at its best, 'L&O: UK' manages to be both an economically told story about crime and a subtle character drama that allows the actors to do more than merely march through interrogation chambers and courtrooms. Friday's well-crafted case, in particular, has a haunting quality that makes all the characters wonder if justice was really served.

The show follows the familiar format of the US version of the show -- cops catch criminals and prosecutors try to put them away (only those with long memories will recall the cases on display in 'L&O: UK,' which are based on early episodes of the original 'L&O'). The only possible stumbling blocks are the UK accents in all their glorious varieties. If you're very unfamiliar with UK accents or slang, that may trip you up here and there, but it shouldn't prove to be an insurmountable obstacle to enjoying the show.

Fans of sci-fi television may be familiar with two of 'L&O: UK's' cast members: Jamie Bamber, who plays junior detective Matt Devlin, starred as Lee Adama on 'Battlestar Galactica,' and Freema Agyeman, who plays junior prosecutor Alesha Phillips, was the 'Doctor Who' companion Martha Jones.

They do just fine in their roles, but it's the senior cast, which is full of wily and memorable British character actors, that really shines. As critic Alan Sepinwall pointed out, part of the enjoyment of this franchise derives from soaking up the chemistry of various individuals and pairings, and there's not much chemistry yet on 'LOLA.' But 'L&O: UK' has a cast and characters that are full of potential on that front.

As George Castle, the director of the Crown Prosecution Service, Bill Paterson brings a lively energy to the proceedings and is as memorable, in his own way, as Stephen Hill was as DA Adam Schiff. Paterson instantly gives you a sense of who Castle is: An energetic, smart scrapper who had to fight his way to the top and who thrives, to some degree, on argument and confrontation. Yet he's no bully; his terse debates with his staff, who wrestle with a particularly tough child murder case in Friday's episode, are among the high points of the hour.

Ben Daniels has quiet charisma as the smart, stubborn prosecutor James Steel, and Harriet Walter is quite good as the tough yet kind top cop, Natalie Chandler.

But the cast's real standout is Bradley Walsh, who plays senior detective Ronnie Brooks. Ronnie Brooks is the UK equivalent of 'L&O's' regular-guy icon Lennie Briscoe; Brooks is a seasoned detective who has seen a lot and yet still cares deeply about his job. There's a tiny moment in Friday's episode in which Brooks prepares himself to give someone very bad news, and the fact that Brooks has to steel himself to the task shows that the job still gets to him. The scene only lasts a few seconds, but it's masterfully played by the very likable Walsh.

Long story short: Come for the gritty realism, the good acting and the solid storytelling. Stay for the judges wearing funny wigs.

Scheduling note: BBC America broadcasts two episodes of 'L&O: UK' Friday -- Episode 2 of the first season is at 9PM ET and the show's pilot (which first aired earlier in the week) is at 10PM ET.


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