Courtesy of NBC Press

Law & Order: Los Angeles | Season: 1 | Pictured: (l-r) Alfred Molina as DDA Ricardo Morales, Terrence Howard as DDA Jonah “Joe” Dekker, Regina Hall as DDA Evelyn Price, Megan Boone as DDA Lauren Stanton, Corey Stoll as Detective Tomas “TJ” Jaruszalski, Skeet Ulrich as Detective Rex Winters

“Law & Order: Los Angeles” will premiere tonight at 9 p.m. on NBC, and it opens to an undefined audience. There’s a mixed sense of anticipation and hatred for the new series. Will viewers embrace the new “Los Angeles” or scorn it because the show is replacing the original series? The answer is obvious; “Law & Order: Los Angeles” is destined to succeed, and here’s why.

1. The Stellar Cast
Alfred Molina, the veteran actor who starred in “Frida,” “Spider Man 2” and “An Education,” will helm the new “Law & Order” spin-off as Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Morales. Molina is a three-time Tony-nominated actor who’s starred in Broadway productions of “Art,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and, more recently, “Red,” for which he won rave reviews for his portrayal of artist Mark Rothko. Terrence Howard co-stars as DDA Jonah “Joe” Dekker. Howard is best known for his roles as Lt. Col. James Rhodes in “Iron Man” and Cameron Thayer in “Crash”—a role that garnered him a number of critical nominations. Rounding out the cast is notable comic actress Regina Hall (“Scary Movie,” “Ally McBeal”) who most recently co-starred in the American remake of “Death at a Funeral.” Hall will play DDA Evelyn Price.

2. The Raging Ratings Battle
“Law & Order: Los Angeles” is not the only fresh-faced cop drama angling for viewers. Two courtroom shows offer fierce competition: CBS’s comedy-drama “The Defenders” with Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell and ABC’s “The Whole Truth” with Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney run at the same time. The shows will duke it out for the 9 p.m. Wednesday slot, which was previously home to the 20-season mainstay “Law & Order.”

3. You Can’t Predict Dick
“Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf hit the watermark with the franchise original, but there have been plenty of flops. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” is a runaway hit, but the same can’t be said for 2006’s spinoff series “Conviction,” which followed Stephanie March’s character, Alexandra Cabot. “Criminal Intent” pulled in decent numbers for six seasons before being pushed to the cable netherworld. A mere eight episodes have been ordered for the series’ final season. In 2002, Wolf tried his hand at reality television with “Crime & Punishment,” a show about real-life cases. It lasted 26 snooze-worthy episodes.

4. Show Crossover
Nothing says drama like series crossovers. Tonight’s premiere will feature “SVU’s” Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) jetting to the Sunshine State. With back-to-back “SVU” and “LA,” crossover episodes are easy to work in and open a number of possibilities for both series.