Has Richard Belzer become Det. John Munch? Or has Munch become Belzer? The man and the character have been together way back since Homicide began in the fall of 1992. At that time, Belzer was a successful comedian who had done some acting and was looking for the next step. Taking a different path than the stand-up comedians in the 90s who opted for an autobiographical sitcom, Belzer was smart enough to be a part of something grander than his own experience. Seven years and three regular series later (plus appearances as Munch on two other shows), you can’t tell the two apart. Of course, the Munch that was created for Homicide and joined the squad at Law & Order and later Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, has always borne a strong resemblance to the actor. Belzer has called the similarities between Munch – who wasn’t created with the comedian in mind – and his standup persona “serendipitous,” but he can also see that the two have influenced each other. “I think it’s a combination of both,” said Belzer, when asked if he was more like his character, or the reverse. “All of the opinions about conspiracy theories are similar to ones I have, but he was always like that. Now, it seems like it’s more pronounced.” Belzer’s interest in conspiracy theories and little-known historical facts has become something of a cottage industry. The paperback edition of his book UFOs, JFK and Elvis is due out in May, and he’s working on a follow-up, about the world history we didn’t learn in school. “George Washington had a hemp farm, and the entire space program is run by Nazis” were two tidbits Belzer casually offered from his forthcoming book. Using slightly-different methods than a police detective usually does, Belzer finds many of his facts on the Internet, though he of course verifies each source. While the information is intriguing, it’s really Belzer’s humor that brings it all together. His first book was, in fact, a satirical look at his first career, titled How to be a Standup Comic. Still keeping up with that trade, Belzer has tentative plans to do a new HBO comedy special. But he really seems happy to be Munch. “It was a very cathartic family reunion,” said Belzer, referring to the experience of shooting the Homicide movie that just aired on Sunday. Munch will stay on the Special Victims Unit for the foreseeable future, and that’s where you can find Belzer and the gang every Friday at 10.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
