Blackmail (Law & Order)

Did You Know?

• Vanessa Carville's talk show combines elements of the Late Show with David Letterman and The View.
• In the episode, Carville is slandered on a website called "CitySmear," modeled after Gawker and TMZ.com.

Plot

Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate the death of journalist Megan Kerik, found at an abandoned construction site. They discover a relationship between the victim and daytime talk show host Vanessa Carville. Carville admits to workplace affairs with other women and a blackmail threat. The detectives must determine whether Carville killed Megan or if the blackmailer is responsible, leading to a legal strategy to uncover the truth.

Production

The episode was written by Ed Zuckerman and Matthew McGough, and directed by Marc Levin. It was based on a real scandal involving David Letterman, who announced on his show in October 2009 that someone was blackmailing him over a sexual relationship with a female employee. Samantha Bee, a Daily Show correspondent, guest starred as Vanessa Carville. Many elements mirror the Letterman case, such as Carville finding an extortion demand envelope and making an on-air confession. Differences include the murder of a reporter and a sting operation, neither of which occurred in the real scandal. The blackmail amount in the episode is $3 million, versus $2 million demanded from Letterman.

Reception

In its original broadcast, the episode drew 7.34 million average households, with 7.15 million in the first half-hour and 7.5 million in the second half-hour among viewers aged 18–49. It outperformed Supernanny on ABC (5.39 million households) but had fewer viewers than Ghost Whisperer on CBS (8.63 million). It also beat repeats of Bones on Fox (3.89 million) and Smallville on The CW (1.19 million). Letterman declined to comment but joked about Law & Order on his January 12, 2010 show, referencing the Jay Leno–Conan O'Brien conflict by proposing a fictional "Law & Order: Leno Victims Unit."