Justice as Entertainment: Texas prosecutor teams up with reality TV gurus

A new reality TV series will feature former Harris County prosecutorial star Kelly Siegler teaming up with Dick Wolf and a team of producers called "Magical Elves," the folks who brought us insightful legal masterpieces like "Top Chef," "Project Runway" and "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never." Siegler and her team show up (presumably in white hats) to solve cold cases in small towns across America. The Washington Post reported last month that:

TNT has ordered a reality series from Dick Wolf in which top-notch investigators will help authorities in small towns across the country re-open cold cases involving violent crimes.

Some of the cold cases in the eight ordered episodes of “Cold Justice” have lingered for years; TNT plans to premiere the series in late summer.

Texas prosecutor Kelly Siegler, with 68 murder cases under her belt, and Yolanda McClary, a crime scene investigator who worked more than 7,000 cases at the Las Vegas Police Department, will have access to advanced DNA technology and lab testing to help local law enforcement officers and families of violent-crime victims.

Wolf, the guy behind the “Law & Order” franchise, among other programs, is producing with Magical Elves – the production house behind “Top Chef,” “Project Runway,” “Last Comic Standing,” “The Real L Word,” “Braxtons Family Values,” and the docu-flick “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.”

Grits said the other day, and it's true: "Crime used to be 'news,' but now it's treated by the media mainly as entertainment." Pay attention and you can see them merging before your eyes.