--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I write a cop show, it's not up to me…" description: "\"If I write a cop show, it's not up to me to decide how different it is from 'Law & Order.' I had screenwriters go on and on and on about how their cop ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_go_if-i-write-a-cop-show-it-s-not-up-to-me_1133929.jpg" --- # If I write a cop show, it's not up to me to decide how… ![“If I write a cop show, it's not up to me to decide how different it is from 'Law & Order.' I had screenwriters go on and on and on about how their cop show isn't like any other cop show on TV. They made very good points, and it absolutely doesn't matter. It's entirely up to the audience to decide.” quote by Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_go_if-i-write-a-cop-show-it-s-not-up-to-me_1133929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_go_if-i-write-a-cop-show-it-s-not-up-to-me_1133929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_go_if-i-write-a-cop-show-it-s-not-up-to-me_1133929.jpg) > “If I write a cop show, it's not up to me to decide how different it is from 'Law & Order.' I had screenwriters go on and on and on about how their cop show isn't like any other cop show on TV. They made very good points, and it absolutely doesn't matter. It's entirely up to the audience to decide.” [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative originality is less important than audience perception; uniqueness is subjective. **In simple terms:** Audience decides what feels fresh. Key Takeaway Focus on audience impact. Themes creativity media audience perception Mood analytical conversational Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - writing a TV script - producing a pilot - marketing a show - viewer feedback Key Concepts originality subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize innovation or audience appeal? - How do you measure success? A Different Perspective Originality can be constrained by genre expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-decide-542366/) [Cop Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop-decide-3129598/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-order/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Screenwriters Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenwriters-cop-3129597/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Write Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-cop-3129596/) ## Related quotes > [I have always maintained that the audience should take a call on this. 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You'll put on your own show -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/in-the-stand-up-comedy-top-there-s-room-for-everyone-if-you-re-good/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [The only two TV shows I saw do that, where they don't warm them up and you can really bomb, was Saturday Night Live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/the-only-two-tv-shows-i-saw-do-that-where-they-don-t-warm-them-up-and/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Whether the work that I do shall succeed or achieve critical acclaim is for the audience to decide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitabh-bachchan/whether-the-work-that-i-do-shall-succeed-or-achieve-critical-acclaim/) [Amitabh Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitabh-bachchan/) > [As a writer I want everybody to get a chance to voice their opinions. If each character thinks that they're telling the truth, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/as-a-writer-i-want-everybody-to-get-a-chance-to-voice-their-opinions/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I always put in my 100 percent. Once the film is over, I look at my next, because then it's up to the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-teja/i-always-put-in-my-100-percent-once-the-film-is-over-i-look-at-my/) [Ravi Teja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-teja/) > [The thing is when you're... well-enough known, you get asked to speak places, and they don't really think about whether or not you're qualified.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-known-you-get-asked-to-speak/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Law and order is the first and topmost priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajnath-singh/law-and-order-is-the-first-and-topmost-priority/) [Rajnath Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajnath-singh/) > [It's the duty of any government: where there is disregard of the law, that law and order must be instituted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmerson-mnangagwa/it-s-the-duty-of-any-government-where-there-is-disregard-of-the-law/) [Emmerson Mnangagwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmerson-mnangagwa/) > [A man's respect for law and order exists in precise relationship to the size of his paycheck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-respect-for-law-and-order-exists-in-precise-relationship-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Law and order comes from having respect for one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/law-and-order-comes-from-having-respect-for-one-another/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [“I don’t care what else you do in the future, even when you’re the biggest movie star in the world… the dead kid on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/i-don-t-care-what-else-you-do-in-the-future-even-when-you-re-the/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [It's a sad day in this country when you can't talk about law and order unless they want to call you a racist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-a-sad-day-in-this-country-when-you-can-t-talk-about-law-and/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) ## More by Lawrence O'Donnell > [All writers are forced to live within deadlines, and deadlines determine how good they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/all-writers-are-forced-to-live-within-deadlines-and-deadlines/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The question for the Republicans running the confirmation hearings in the United States Senate is whose rules are they going to use?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-question-for-the-republicans-running-the-confirmation-hearings-in/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Because Republicans defected and voted with all the Democrats to reject Jeff Sessions' nomination when they discovered that when he was working as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/because-republicans-defected-and-voted-with-all-the-democrats-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ In this case, the government will essentially be run by the people who are running it now. 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They're not there to be partisans, they're not there to be ideologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/national-security-advisors-are-not-there-to-be-advocates-generally/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Never once has Republican world said hey, maybe we should look into how police officers are carrying out their solemn public responsibility to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/never-once-has-republican-world-said-hey-maybe-we-should-look-into/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [When Ronald Reagan nominated Jeff Sessions for federal district court judgeship, the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected his nomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/when-ronald-reagan-nominated-jeff-sessions-for-federal-district-court/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Show business comes with wonderfully long vacations, like the life of a college professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/show-business-comes-with-wonderfully-long-vacations-like-the-life-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [It is amazing that Jeff Sessions is still in the job. 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I fully understand why her former husband left her for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/melania-trump-s-husband-tweeted-this-arianna-huffington-is/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) [Explore all 214 Lawrence O'Donnell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## More Go quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. 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