Steven Seagal: Lawman Information

Steven Seagal: Lawman is an American reality television series on the A&E Network which stars actor and martial artist Steven Seagal performing his duties as a reserve deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. It premiered on December 2, 2009.

"I've been working as an officer in Jefferson Parish for two decades under most people's radar", said Seagal in the premiere episode, "The Way of the Gun". "I've decided to work with A&E on this series now, because I believe it's important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in Louisiana"to see the passion and commitment that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in this post-Katrina environment." Seagal's current rank of Reserve Deputy Chief is largely ceremonial.

History

In the late 1980s, Jefferson Parish's longtime sheriff, Harry Lee, asked Seagal to train some of his deputies in the martial arts, unarmed combat, and marksmanship. The success of these classes led to Lee asking Seagal to join the department as a reserve deputy.

Frequently-featured fellow deputies include: Col. John Fortunato, Capt. Alex Norman, and Sgt. Lawrence Matthews and Sgt. Larry Dyess.

Production

On April 14, 2010, The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office announced that production of second season episodes had been halted due to a lawsuit filed against Steven Seagal on April 12, 2010 by his former personal assistant, Kayden Nguyen. Nguyen claimed Seagal committed sexual harassment, illegally trafficked women for sex, failed to prevent sexual harassment, retaliated against her, wrongly terminated her employment, and made false representations about her employment. Nguyen also alleges that she was also asked to join Seagal's harem, which included two Russian women; Nguyen was to be a replacement. On April 13, 2010, Seagal's attorney Marty Singer, said that the lawsuit was "... a ridiculous and absurd claim by a disgruntled ex-employee who was fired".

Nguyen sued for over one million dollars.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand announced he would not launch an investigation into Kayden Nguyen's accusations unless she filed a criminal complaint against him with the Jefferson Parish sheriff's department. However, no such complaint was ever filed. On July 15, 2010, Kayden Nguyen dropped her lawsuit. Six days later, it was announced on the A&E website's message board that new episodes of Steven Seagal: Lawman would begin airing in October 2010, but no specific date was given. All creditor claims against the second season should have filed by February 28, 2011.

Season 3 production

In February 2011, it was announced that the series would begin production on Season 3 after the delay. Two episodes were scheduled to be aired beginning on January 4, 2012. It was announced by A&E, a Facebook page was put up on the series, and it was listed in the TV guide. However shortly before the episodes were to be shown, all web pages regarding the show were taken down. At the time, no announcement was ever given regarding Season 3 or what the future would hold for the third season. Inquirers, letters, or emails sent by fans to A&E have never been answered.

It was announced on May 16, 2013, that the third season will air on Reelz starting in January 2014. Episodes from the first two seasons will air starting on June 6, 2013.

Episodes

Season 1 (2009-2010)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
ShortSummary = Sheriff's Deputy Steven Seagal and his team capture an armed carjacker after a high-speed chase and tackle a convicted felon packing a pistol. In between these impressive busts, Seagal, the world-class marksman, teaches a fellow team member amazing Zen shooting techniques--techniques everyone on his team will need to survive the dangerous streets of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = After a close call chasing a suspect with a gun, Aikido master Steven Seagal teaches his team of sheriff's deputies some self-defense and weapons retention techniques. Back out on patrol, they get called to a parking lot brawl. They detain the suspects, but one resists arrest and kicks out a patrol car window. Later, Steven encounters two belligerent men with a gun. The members of Steven's team are glad they've been trained by the best.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team get a call for a burglary-in-progress and rush to the scene. They call in the K-9 Unit to search for a suspect who may still be in the home. Later, Steven apprehends a man who broke into a woman's house while fleeing from the police. Steven takes measures to defend his own home: guard dogs. If Steven can get his two aggressive, alpha males to work well together, he knows he'll have a canine protection team that can take on any intruder.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Steven and his team get a call to the scene of car accident involving a two-year-old but they discover that things aren't quite what they seem. Later, Steven shows some tough-love to a teenager hiding a deadly sawed-off shotgun. While off-duty, Steven visits the New Orleans Children's Hospital cancer ward and is so touched by the kids that he straps on his blues guitar and throws a benefit concert to raise money for the hospital.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Steven and his team bust a suspect fleeing with a loaded .44 magnum and are called to the scene of a young man shot with a shotgun. With all these guns around, Steven and his team know they need to sharpen their street skills. They head to the best training they can get: a comprehensive computerized crime simulator and "real world" shoot house. Later, when a routine traffic stop takes a potentially deadly turn, Steven is glad he and his team are so well prepared.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Be it apprehending suspects or making sure a woman is safe in her home, Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team patrol the streets of Jefferson Parish in honor of their former boss, the late Harry Lee. When a man is beaten by an intruder, the team catches the suspect and works to soothe the community, just as Harry would have wanted. Later, the time has come to induct the new sheriff, Newell Normand, and Steven is confident that Newell is the right man for the job.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team find themselves in a desperate situation when two men are robbed and shot. Steven tries to keep the victims calm until the ambulance gets there but it's not clear if the men will live. While not chasing down bad guys, Steven and his partner Johnny find themselves in another desperate situation when they help rebuild a home for a family who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Deputy Chief Steven Seagal's on patrol so all the criminals run and hide. That's exactly what happens when a suspicious person call leads to an exciting chase that has Steven and his team scouring yards. Later, they face a cat and mouse game as they search a dark neighborhood for two more runners. All the running leaves Colonel John Fortunato with a knee injury. Steven takes him to a Chinese acupuncturist where he shares his knowledge of Chinese medicine and tries to make a skeptical cop into a true believer.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = The war on drugs continues on two fronts. First, Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team, responding to routine disturbance call, find a huge stash of drugs and take a big bite out of a drug dealer's business. Second, Steven and the guys cheer for a fellow officer as he competes in a best legs contest to raise money for a local drug rehabilitation center.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = It's Friday night in Jefferson Parish and a call comes in for a near fatal car crash. Two men are rushed to the hospital while Steven and his guys search for other possible victims. Steven tries to prevent another horrendous crash by sending a couple of men walking home when he finds a bottle of rum in their car. And later, the squad meets up with SWAT to help deal with an equally dangerous threat: rodents that are undermining the Parish's all important levee system.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team get word that there may be some drug use at a local motel and there is: crack cocaine. It's a busy night, first the motel bust and then two other crack-related stops. The next day Steven teaches martial arts to a group of young people. He hopes to instill in them the discipline and self-confidence they need to stay away from the drugs he sees on the streets every day.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team join with the narcotics unit for an undercover sting on a drug dealer. But not everyone is bad. Later, when three suspicious young men prove themselves to be law-abiding citizens, Steven invites them to a big Sheriff's office picnic where he and the SWAT team demonstrate an exciting hostage rescue.	LineColor=0f3687 }}	ShortSummary = The night starts off badly as Deputy Chief Steven Seagal and his team rush to the scene of a man killed in a drive-by. Minutes later they race to another shooting: a man found dead in his car. Two homicides in less than an hour puts the unit on high alert and when they catch four young men out late, Steven has some stern words. But he gets down right harsh, the next night, when he finds two of them carrying drugs. But Steven has to get back to Los Angeles, it's time to make his next movie.	LineColor = 0f3687 }}

Season 2 (2010)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
ShortSummary = In this tension-filled episode, Steven Seagal and his JPSO team spot an out-of-control car heading straight for oncoming traffic. They can only watch helplessly as a horrific head-on collision unfolds before their eyes.	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary = Steven Seagal engages with his inner samurai as he tests out a rare Japanese sword. Out in the street, a routine traffic stop turns into a dangerous high-speed chase.	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary = Bullets fly in Jefferson Parish. First, Steven Seagal and his team respond to two shootings only minutes apart and discover that dangerous gunmen are running loose.	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary = When team Seagal runs across a man waving a gun on a highway, they discover that the gun is fully loaded--and so is the driver.	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary = When Steven Seagal and his team get called by the narcotics unit to raid a suspected drug dealer, what they find surprises everyone.	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary = Steven Seagal, a protector of the vulnerable and the helpless, befriends a rescue pitbull at a local shelter and makes it his mission to save him from being euthanized.	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 24781d }}	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 24781d }}

Reception

The debut episode drew a network record 3.4 million viewers.

Critical reception to the series was mixed. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the show for being "compelling", and praised Steven Seagal for keeping his law enforcement career largely a secret "... even when his career could have used a boost". However, Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger excoriated the series and its star: "... with his new reality show ... Seagal has cemented his position as an accidental comedy savant. It's easily the funniest thing he's done since the climactic speech from On Deadly Ground (his infamous directorial debut about evil oil companies polluting the Alaskan wilderness), and one of the more entertaining additions to the Has-Beens On Parade reality sub-genre".

Questions over Seagal's law enforcement credentials

Steven Seagal claims to hold certification by the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission. However, according to a Los Angeles Times commentary critical of the claims, neither the California nor Louisiana POST organizations have records of Seagal's certification. But in the state of Louisiana, POST accreditation is not required for people holding certain positions in law enforcement if they are partnered with a POST-accredited officer.

DVD releases

• Season 1 (2010, Australia, 2 discs)

(Due to a production error, episode 8 (Medicine Man), was not included on the set.)

• Season 2 (2011, Australia, 2 discs)