Law & Order (franchise)

Law & Order is a media franchise composed of a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf. They were originally broadcast on NBC, and all of them deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system. Together, the original series, its various spin-offs, the TV film, and crossover episodes from other shows constitute over 1,000 hours of programming.

Law & Order
Law & Order franchise logo
Created by	Dick Wolf
Original work	Law & Order
Owned by	NBCUniversal
Films and television
Television series	Law & Order Special Victims Unit Criminal Intent Trial by Jury LA True Crime Organized Crime Hate Crimes
Television film(s)	Exiled
Games
Video game(s)	Dead on the Money Double or Nothing Justice Is Served Criminal Intent Legacies
Miscellaneous
Foreign adaptations	Paris enquêtes criminelles Закон и Порядок: Отдел Оперативных Расследований Закон и порядок. Преступный умысел Law & Order: UK
Related TV series	Homicide: Life on the Street New York Undercover Deadline Crime & Punishment Conviction In Plain Sight Chicago Fire Chicago P.D. Chicago Med Chicago Justice FBI FBI: Most Wanted

Shared people and resources in a common fictional setting are the connecting links between the shows, e.g., Hudson University and the New York Ledger tabloid newspaper. Many supporting characters, such as district attorneys, psychologists, and medical examiners are also shared among the shows. Occasionally, crossovers of main characters or shared storylines between two of the shows will occur. A few major characters have also left the cast of one show within the franchise only to eventually join another. The music, style, and credits of the shows tend to be similar, with the voiceover in the opening of every series performed by Steven Zirnkilton.[1] The shows share the iconic "dun, dun" sound effect of a jail cell locking, created, along with the theme songs, by Mike Post.[2] Past episodes of the American series are in syndication with local over-the-air stations, along with cable channels such as USA Network and Bravo (both owned by the franchise's production company, NBCUniversal), TNT, WGN America, Ion Television, and AMC Networks' SundanceTV and WeTV, showing episodes sometimes up to six times a day.

In October 2012, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit showrunner/executive producer Warren Leight said of the future of the Law & Order franchise, "[Dick Wolf and I] sometimes talk in general terms of where (the franchise) could go. I'm curious to see if there's another iteration somewhere down the line," he says. "We try hard to maintain a certain level of quality which I think is why the shows sustained in reruns so well. And I'd like to believe there's room for another generation in some way."[3] In February 2015, NBC was purported to have interest in bringing back the flagship Law & Order as a limited series.[4] As of February 2016, NBC has not publicly announced intentions to revive the original series.[5]

As of January 21, 2021, 1,178 episodes of the Law & Order franchise have aired.

Current series

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

22 seasons, 480 episodes (September 20, 1999 – present)

SVU follows the cases investigated by NYPD Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her Manhattan Special Victims Unit colleagues. The show's focus is on detectives who investigate sexually based crimes and crimes against children, the elderly, and women. At the start of season twenty-two, these detectives included characters portrayed by Jamie Gray Hyder, Kelli Giddish and Ice-T, while Peter Scanavino and Demore Barnes co-star. Season twenty-two premiered on November 12, 2020. In 2020, the series was renewed through the 24th season.

Past series

Law & Order

20 seasons, 456 episodes (September 13, 1990 – May 24, 2010)

Law & Order, a crime procedural, features both a police investigation of a crime discovered during the cold open, and a prosecution case set forth by the New York County District Attorney, at the Manhattan DA's office. The first thirty minutes of an episode typically features a lead detective trio (in the final season, Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, and S. Epatha Merkerson), while the second thirty minutes follows their legal counterparts (in the final season, Alana de la Garza, Linus Roache, and Sam Waterston). On May 14, 2010, NBC announced that it was canceling the original series, although various spin-offs will continue. The series finale aired on May 24, 2010.[6] Wolf briefly attempted to continue the series on cable,[7][8] but the series "moved into the history books".[9]

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

10 seasons, 195 episodes (September 30, 2001 – June 26, 2011)

Criminal Intent focuses on high-profile cases investigated by the Major Case Squad, with special focus on the actions of the criminals pursued, often including scenes from the victim's or perpetrator's lives not involving the police, thereby giving a hint as to the "criminal intent". The detectives depicted, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, during the final season, will often attempt to infiltrate the mind of the suspect. Julia Ormond and Jay O. Sanders also star in the tenth season of the series. On July 15, 2011, USA Network co-president Jeff Wachtel confirmed Law & Order: CI would end with its tenth season.[10]

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

1 season, 13 episodes (March 3, 2005 – January 21, 2006)

Trial by Jury, starring Bebe Neuwirth, Amy Carlson, and Jerry Orbach, followed the preparation by the legal teams, both prosecution and defense, for a jury trial. This was the first Law & Order spin-off to be canceled due to low ratings. Orbach's death (which occurred while the show was in production) was another factor in the show's cancellation.

Law & Order: LA

1 season, 22 episodes (September 29, 2010 – July 11, 2011)

Originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, LA was the first American Law & Order series set outside of New York City. As with the original series, the first half hour of the show focused on the police investigation of a crime discovered in the cold open; the second half took place at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and focused on the prosecution of the criminal suspect(s). On May 13, 2011, Law & Order: LA was canceled by NBC after only one season, but because of the hiatus did not air its final episode until July 11, 2011.[11][12][13]

Law & Order True Crime

1 season, 8 episodes (September 26 – November 14, 2017; on hiatus)

In April 2016, Wolf and NBC announced they were working on True Crime,[14] a scripted anthology series that will follow one significant true-to-life case per season. Season one, titled Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders[15] stars Edie Falco as Leslie Abramson,[16] Gaston Villanueva as Lyle Menendez, and Gus Halper as Erik Menendez.[17] It premiered on September 26, 2017 and concluded its first season on November 14, 2017. The series is currently on hiatus.[18]

Future series

Law & Order: Organized Crime

On March 31, 2020, NBC announced that a 13-episode order had been given to an as-yet-untitled Special Victims Unit spin-off starring Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, now the head of an organized crime task force. Meloni had previously starred on SVU from 1999 to 2011.[19] On June 2, 2020, it was announced that the series would be called Law & Order: Organized Crime and writer Craig Gore has been fired.[20] When NBC announced its fall schedule on June 16, Organized Crime was the only new show on the schedule, slotted for Thursdays at 10/9c.[21] However, the series was delayed to 2021.[22]

Law & Order: Hate Crimes

On September 4, 2018, NBC announced that it had given an order of 13 episodes of the latest installment of the franchise entitled Law & Order: Hate Crimes.[23][24][25] However, on March 4, 2019, NBC announced that the series would be heading back into redevelopment to flesh out the concept and such introduction on SVU would not take place.[26] The series was once again touted in 2020 as part of a multi-year contract signed with creator Dick Wolf.[19] On June 5, 2020, it was reported that the series would likely move to Peacock due to language concerns.[27]

Media

TV film

The Law & Order franchise has one TV film, Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998). Chris Noth reprises his role as Mike Logan, as the film explores what happened to the character following his departure from the original series.

TV special

On October 28, 2020, it was announced that a TV special titled The Paley Center Presents Law & Order: Before They Were Stars will premiere on November 12, 2020.[28]

Video games

The franchise has also spawned a series of video games for the PC, which feature appearances by then-current cast members of the TV series.

The typical course of most of the games follows the original series' format with the player investigating a crime with interviews of witnesses and examination of evidence. After the arrest is made, the player then prosecutes the case with challenges such as selecting appropriate questions for witnesses on the stand, recognizing improper questions to raise objections and selecting the most persuasive arguments for the judge to allow certain evidence in court.

• Law & Order: Dead on the Money
• Law & Order: Double or Nothing
• Law & Order: Justice Is Served
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent
• Law & Order: Legacies

Crossovers

In the criminal justice system, some killers are so depraved that it takes multiple police agencies to bring them to justice. This is one of those investigations.

          – Special crossover opening narration spoken by Steven Zirnkilton

The following table lists all the crossover stories in the Law & Order franchise.

Crossover between			Episode title	Actors appearing outside their series	Date broadcast	Description	Type
Series A	Series B	Series C
Homicide	Law & Order	N/A	"Law & Disorder" (Homicide S03E15)	Appearing in Series A: Chris Noth	February 24, 1995	Det. Mike Logan meets with Pembleton to hand over a fugitive who fled from Baltimore to New York City troops.	Cameo
New York Undercover	Law & Order	N/A	"Smack is Back" (New York Undercover S03E07)	Appearing in Series A: Carolyn McCormick	November 7, 1996	After an on the job incident, Detective Nina Moreno goes to Dr. Elizabeth Olivet for counseling.	Guest appearance
Law & Order	Homicide	N/A	"Charm City" (Law & Order S06E13) "For God and Country" (Homicide S04E12)	Appearing in Series A: Richard Belzer, Kyle Secor, Andre Braugher Appearing in Series B: Benjamin Bratt, Jerry Orbach, Jill Hennessy	February 7, 1996 February 9, 1996	Briscoe and Curtis clash with Pembleton and Bayliss, who have come to New York to investigate a subway explosion resembling an unsolved bombing in Baltimore from five years ago. The investigation soon leads to a larger conspiracy.	Two–part crossover
Law & Order	Homicide	N/A	"Baby, It's You" (Law & Order S08E06) (Homicide S06E05)	Appearing in Series A: Richard Belzer, Jon Seda Yaphet Kotto, Željko Ivanek Appearing in Series B: Benjamin Bratt, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterston, Carey Lowell	November 12, 1997 November 14, 1997	Falsone and Munch team up with Briscoe and Curtis to investigate the murder of a 14-year-old girl. They trace the suspect from New York back to Baltimore.	Two–part crossover
Law & Order	Homicide	N/A	"Sideshow" (Law & Order S09E14) (Homicide S07E15)	Appearing in Series A: Richard Belzer, Michael Michele, Željko Ivanek Appearing in Series B: Benjamin Bratt, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterston	February 17, 1999 February 19, 1999	Briscoe and Curtis re-team up with Munch and Sheppard to investigate the murder of a government worker and expose a connection to the White House.	Two–part crossover
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order	N/A	"...Or Just Look Like One" (Law & Order: SVU S01E03)	Appearing in Series A: Jesse L. Martin, Jerry Orbach, Carolyn McCormick	October 4, 1999	Detectives Briscoe and Green assist the 16th precinct when their homicide victim was also a witness in an SVU case. Meanwhile Detective Stabler seeks the advice from Dr. Elizabeth Olivet regarding his daughter and anorexia.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order	N/A	"Entitled" (Law & Order: SVU S01E15) (Law & Order S10E14)	Appearing in Series A: Angie Harmon, Steven Hill, Jesse L. Martin, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterston Appearing in Series B: Dann Florek, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer	February 18, 2000	The detectives of Special Victims Unit team with the 27th Precinct to investigate a salesman's murder, leading them to a politically influential family. When the case goes to court, McCoy finds the matriarch to be a formidable opponent.	Two–part crossover
Law & Order	Law & Order: SVU	N/A	"Fools for Love" (Law & Order S10E15)	Appearing in Series A: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni	February 23, 2000	Detectives Benson and Stabler assist the 27th precinct in tracking down a murder suspect.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Law & Order	N/A	"One" (Law & Order: CI S01E01)	Appearing in Series A: Dianne Wiest	September 30, 2001	Detective Goren and ADA Carver work to assure District Attorney Nora Lewin's confidence in their handling of a murder case.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Law & Order	N/A	"Poison" (Law & Order: CI S01E07)	Appearing in Series A: Jesse L. Martin, Jerry Orbach	November 11, 2001	Major Case Detectives Goren and Eames talk to Homicide Detectives Briscoe and Green about a homicide case that may be connected to their cyanide poisoning case.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Law & Order	N/A	"Badge" (Law & Order: CI S01E20)	Appearing in Series A: S. Epatha Merkerson	April 28, 2002	Detectives Goren and Eames question Lt. Anita Van Buren about a former police officer she wrote a letter of recommendation for who is now a suspect in a string of murders.	Guest appearance
Law & Order	Law & Order: Trial by Jury	N/A	"Tombstone" (Law & Order S15E20) "Skeleton" (Law & Order: Trial by Jury S01E08)	Appearing in Series B: Dennis Farina, Jesse L. Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston, Richard Belzer	April 13 & 15, 2005	Green is shot while taking a murder witness to trial, leading Fontana to team up with Salazar and uncover ties to a porn magnate.	Two–part crossover
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order: Trial by Jury	N/A	"Night" (Law & Order: SVU S06E20) "Day" (Law & Order: Trial by Jury S01E11)	Appearing in Series A: Bebe Neuwirth, Kirk Acevedo, Fred Dalton Thompson Appearing in Series B: Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Diane Neal, Tamara Tunie, Carolyn McCormick	May 3, 2005	A man is suspected of rape and facts about his adolescence are revealed at his trial.	Two–part crossover
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order	N/A	"Design" (Law & Order: SVU S07E02) "Flaw" (Law & Order S16E02)	Appearing in Series B: Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T	September 27–28, 2005	A mother-daughter con team get away with fraud, then are tried for murder.	Two–part crossover
Conviction	Law & Order	N/A	"Pilot" (Conviction S01E01)	Appearing in Series A: Fred Dalton Thompson	March 3, 2006	When an ADA is assassinated, Alexandra Cabot begins work as a New York Bureau Chief, while District Attorney Arthur Branch rallies the troops.	Cameo
Law & Order: Criminal Intent	In Plain Sight	N/A	"Contract" (Law & Order: CI S07E12)	Appearing in Series A: Mary McCormack	June 15, 2008	When a celebrity gossip columnist is murdered, Deputy Marshall Mary Shannon's investigation into suspect Frank Chess leads her to Logan and Wheeler in New York.	Cameo
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order: LA	N/A	"Behave" (Law & Order: SVU S12E03)	Appearing in Series A: Skeet Ulrich	September 29, 2010	Detective Olivia Benson works with LAPD Detective Rex Winters in Los Angeles to uncover evidence to help convict a rapist back in New York.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order: LA	N/A	"Reparations" (Law & Order: SVU S12E21)	Appearing in Series A: Terrence Howard	April 6, 2011	Deputy District Attorney Joe Dekker heads to New York from LA to defend his cousin when he's accused of rape.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	N/A	"Acceptable Loss" (Law & Order: SVU S14E04)	Appearing in Series A: Kathryn Erbe	October 17, 2012	Following her departure from Major Case, Joint Task Force Lieutenant Alexandra Eames intercepts the NYPD's investigation into sex trafficking, when one of the victims are suspected of terrorism.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	N/A	"Poisoned Motive" (Law & Order: SVU S14E22)	Appearing in Series A: Kathryn Erbe	May 8, 2013	When Rollins becomes the victim of a sniper, Alexandra Eames once again unites with Benson to investigate the Homeland aspects of the case.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Homicide	N/A	"Wonderland Story" (Law & Order: SVU S15E05)	Appearing in Series A: Clark Johnson	October 13, 2013	Baltimore Detective Meldrick Lewis heads to New York to attend the retirement party of his former colleague, Sgt. John Munch.	Cameo
Law & Order: SVU	Law & Order: LA	N/A	"Jersey Breakdown" (Law & Order: SVU S15E12)	Appearing in Series A: Alana de la Garza	January 22, 2014	ADA Barba seeks the help from former LA DDA Connie Rubirosa, who's now an Assistant U.S. Attorney.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Chicago P.D.	N/A	"Comic Perversion" (Law & Order: SVU S15E15) "Conventions" (Chicago P.D. S01E06)	Appearing in Series A: Sophia Bush Appearing in Series B: Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, David Eigenberg	February 26, 2014	Chicago detective Erin Lindsay asks the NYPD for help in solving a series of rapes and murders, so Tutuola and Rollins head to Chicago to help Voight and Antonio catch the culprit.	Two–part crossover
Chicago Fire	Law & Order: SVU	Chicago P.D.	"Nobody Touches Anything" (Chicago Fire S03E07) "Chicago Crossover" (Law & Order: SVU S16E07) "They'll Have to Go Through Me" (Chicago P.D. S02E07)	Appearing in Series A: Jason Beghe, Sophia Bush, Kelli Giddish Appearing in Series B: Jason Beghe, Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer Appearing in Series C: Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish	November 11–12, 2014	When Firehouse 51 rescues the owner of a house on fire, they find him clutching a suspicious box, so the Chicago Intelligence Unit is brought in for further investigation, leading them to work with Special Victims Unit to take down a child pornography ring.	Three–part crossover
Chicago Fire	Chicago P.D.	Law & Order: SVU	"We Called Her Jellybean" (Chicago Fire S03E21) "The Number of Rats" (Chicago P.D. S02E20) "Daydream Believer" (Law & Order: SVU S16E20)	Appearing in Series A: Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Mariska Hargitay, Tamara Tunie Appearing in Series B: Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Jesse Spencer, Eamonn Walker, Nick Gehlfuss Appearing in Series C: Jason Beghe, Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer, Marina Squerciati, Brian Geraghty	April 28–29, 2015	An apartment fire connected to a case of attempted rape and murder in Chicago resembles an unsolved case in New York, so Special Victims Unit and Intelligence work together to find the suspect.	Three–part crossover
Law & Order: SVU	Chicago P.D.	N/A	"Nationwide Manhunt" (Law & Order: SVU S17E14) "The Song of Gregory William Yates" (Chicago P.D. S03E14)	Appearing in Series A: Jason Beghe, Sophia Bush, Jon Seda Appearing in Series B: Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Eamonn Walker, Brian Tee	February 10, 2016	Chicago detectives Lindsay and Dawson come to New York to assist in the hunt for two escaped murderers, one of whom is Greg Yates, who returns to Chicago and commits a triple homicide, so SVU detectives Benson and Fin come to Chicago to join in the investigation.	Two–part crossover
Chicago Justice	Law & Order	Chicago P.D.	"Uncertainty Principle" (Chicago Justice S01E02)	Appearing in Series A: Richard Brooks, Jason Beghe, Marina Squerciati, LaRoyce Hawkins, Amy Morton	March 5, 2017	At the request of Sgt. Hank Voight, Defense Attorney Paul Robinette travels to Chicago to defend Officer Kevin Atwater and faces off against ASA Peter Stone, the son of his former colleague Ben Stone.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Chicago Justice	Law & Order	"The Undiscovered Country" (Law & Order: SVU S19E13)	Appearing in Series A: Philip Winchester, Sam Waterston	February 7, 2018	After traveling to New York to attend the funeral for his father, Ben Stone, Chicago ASA Peter Stone accepts a job offer from District Attorney Jack McCoy to work for the DA's office. His first case is the prosecution of ADA Rafael Barba, who is accused of murdering a terminally ill infant.	Guest appearance
Law & Order: SVU	Chicago Justice	N/A	"Zero Tolerance" (Law & Order: SVU S20E03)	Appearing in Series A: Carl Weathers	October 4, 2018	After an illegal immigrant child is separated from her mother, ADA Stone seeks out the help from his former boss, Chicago State's Attorney Mark Jefferies, to reunite them.	Guest appearance

John Munch crossovers

The character John Munch, who originated on Homicide: Life on the Street, is notable for either appearing in or being referenced in a wide variety of other series, ranging from appearing in the science fiction series The X-Files, to the sitcom Arrested Development, to being referenced by name in the UK crime drama Luther. Whether this places these series in the Law & Order universe is a matter of debate.

Other related series

New York Undercover (1994–1998)

Co-created by Kevin Arkadie and Dick Wolf, NYU was implicitly a part of the same universe as the franchise, as psychologist and psychiatrist characters from L&O appeared in the series.

Deadline (2000–2001)

Also created by Dick Wolf, featured reporters based at the franchise's fictional newspaper, the New York Ledger.

Conviction (2006)

This series starred Stephanie March as Alexandra Cabot, Anson Mount as Jim Steele, Eric Balfour as Brian Peluso, J. August Richards as Billy Desmond, Milena Govich as Jessica Rossi, Julianne Nicholson as Christina Finn, and Jordan Bridges as Nick Potter. March reprises her role of Cabot originally from SVU and is now the Homicide Bureau Chief ADA. Cabot would return to SVU after this show's end. The series features a larger ensemble cast of young ADAs, with no police, therapists or medical examiners in lead roles. After its cancellation, two of the show's actresses, Milena Govich and Julianne Nicholson, went on to star in Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent respectively as Detectives Nina Cassady and Megan Wheeler.

Foreign adaptations

The franchise, as a result of its popularity, has led to the adaptation of scripts from the American series into foreign-produced series. These are:

Paris enquêtes criminelles (Paris Criminal Investigations)

3 seasons, 20 episodes (May 3, 2007 – November 6, 2008)

Paris Criminal Investigations follows the format of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, adapted to Paris and the French legal system, with detectives from the Prefecture of Police DRPJ and the Ministère public attempting to secure a conviction. The series stars Vincent Pérez, Sandrine Rigaux, Jacques Pater, Hélène Godec, Laure Killing, and Audrey Looten. The show is also aired in Germany on ZDF, under the title Law & Order: Paris.

Закон и Порядок. Отдел оперативных расследований (Law & Order: Division of Field Investigations)

4 seasons, 84 episodes (2007–2011)

Division of Field Investigations follows the format of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, set in Moscow and adapted to the Russian justice system. The series stars Ivan Oganesyan, Alisa Bogart, Dmitry Brusnikin, Alexander Naumov, Valery Troshin and Xenia Entelis.

Закон и Порядок. Преступный умысел (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)

4 seasons, 84 episodes (2007–2011)

Criminal Intent follows the format of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, set in Moscow and is adapted to the Russian Justice System. The series stars Mikhail Homyakov, Igor Lagutin, Elena Kovalchuk and Boris Mironov.

Law & Order: UK

8 series, 53 episodes (February 23, 2009 – June 11, 2014)

UK follows the format of the original Law & Order show but adapts it to the new setting of London, with detectives from the Metropolitan Police CID and the Crown Prosecution Service attempting to secure a conviction. The series stars Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber, Harriet Walter, Ben Daniels, Freema Agyeman, Bill Paterson, Paul Nicholls, Dominic Rowan, Georgia Taylor, Peter Davison, Sharon Small, Paterson Joseph, and Ben Bailey Smith.

Series overview

Series	Television seasons																															No. of episodes
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	2011–12	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19	2019–20	2020–21
Franchise																																1,227
LO[O 1]	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20												456
SVU[O 2]										1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	480
CI[O 3]												1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10											195
TBJ[O 4]															1																	13
UK[O 5]																				1	2/3	4/5	6	7	8							53
LA[O 6]																					1											22
TC[O 7]																												1				8
Universe																																683
HLOTS[O 8]			1	2	3	4	5	6	7																							122
NYU[O 9]					1	2	3	4																								89
DL[O 10]											1																					13
Con[O 11]																1																13
IPS[O 12]																		1	2	3	4	5										61
Jo																							1									8
Fire[O 13]																							1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	181
P.D.[O 14]																								1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	150
Med[O 15]																										1	2	3	4	5	6	105
Justice[O 16]																											1					13
FBI																													1	2	3	43
MW[O 17]																														1	2	16
Total																																1,988

Location

Setting

Most of the American series have been filmed almost entirely in the New York City area. The original Law & Order series has filmed a few episodes in the Los Angeles area and Baltimore; these episodes or portions of episodes were set in the cities in which they were filmed and concerned multi-jurisdictional investigations or extradition.

Law & Order: LA expanded the franchise to a new main city, the new series' namesake. L&O: LA was canceled after one season.

Effects on casting

With some frequency, actors have appeared on the various series that make up the franchise, usually as different (sometimes very different) characters. This is because filming occurs in the New York City area and thus draws from the same pool of actors. Some prominent examples of the same actor playing different roles in different episodes are:

• S. Epatha Merkerson playing a maid whose child was killed in a season 1 episode of the original L&O before joining the cast in season 4 as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren and going on to be the longest-serving cast member of the parent series. Merkerson also plays Sharon Goodwin in the Chicago franchise which has shared numerous crossovers with SVU
• Diane Neal playing a female rapist in an earlier season of Special Victims Unit before becoming the Assistant District Attorney for that series.
• Annabella Sciorra playing a criminal defense attorney in Trial by Jury and later Det. Mike Logan's (Chris Noth) partner in Criminal Intent
• Jerry Orbach playing a defense attorney on the original series before joining it as Det. Lennie Briscoe
• Ice-T playing a pimp known as Seymour Stockton in the franchise's only film, Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, before taking on the role of Tutuola on SVU
• Anthony Anderson playing Detective Lucius Blaine in a seventh-season episode of SVU before playing Bernard on the original Law & Order
• Jeremy Sisto played a defense attorney in the last episode of season 17 before joining the cast as Cyrus Lupo at the start of season 18.
• Kelli Giddish played two different characters on Criminal Intent and SVU before joining the show in season 13 as Amanda Rollins.
• Raúl Esparza played different characters on Law & Order and Criminal Intent before joining SVU in its 14th season as Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba.
• Peter Scanavino played multiple characters in Law & Order, Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury and SVU before joining the last in season 16 as Dominick Carisi.

Also due to the New York filming, a number of actors appearing in Law & Order shows have had regular or recurring roles on soaps. Most notable is Tamara Tunie, who simultaneously played both medical examiner Melinda Warner on SVU as well as (until 2007) District Attorney Jessica Griffin on As the World Turns. Likewise, New York theater actors have also been frequently cast.

Also as the result of sharing the same pool of New York-based television actors, the series' casts have had significant overlap with that of the former HBO series Oz. This is perhaps most pronounced in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, whose cast has included three regularly credited actors (Christopher Meloni, BD Wong and Dean Winters), as well as two recurring actors (J. K. Simmons and Mike Doyle) who were also regularly credited actors on Oz, also Kathryn Erbe from Oz starring in Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Similarly, Law & Order: UK sees significant overlap with other programs' casts; most prominently series regulars Freema Agyeman and Peter Davison, who starred in Doctor Who as companion Martha Jones and the Fifth Doctor as well as Bradley Walsh who joined the show at the same time as Jodie Whittaker the Thirteenth Doctor as her companion Graham O'Brien.

Characters in the franchise

Police

Series	Character	Portrayed by	Law & Order franchise					Universe		Chicago franchise
			L&O[O 1]	SVU[O 2]	CI[O 3]	TBJ[O 4]	LA[O 6]	HLOTS[O 8]	Con[O 11]	Fire	P.D.	Med
Law & Order	Max Greevey	George Dzundza	Main
	Mike Logan	Chris Noth[N 1][N 2]	Main		Main			Guest
	Donald Cragen	Dann Florek[N 3][N 2]	Main	Main
	Phil Cerreta	Paul Sorvino	Main
	Lennie Briscoe	Jerry Orbach[N 4][N 2]	Main	Guest	Guest	Main		Guest
	Anita Van Buren	S. Epatha Merkerson[N 2]	Main		Guest	Guest
	Rey Curtis	Benjamin Bratt[N 2]	Main					Guest
	Ed Green	Jesse L. Martin	Main	Guest	Guest	Guest
	Joe Fontana	Dennis Farina	Main			Guest
	Nick Falco	Michael Imperioli	Main
	Nina Cassady	Milena Govich	Main
	Cyrus Lupo	Jeremy Sisto	Main
	Kevin Bernard	Anthony Anderson	Main
SVU	Olivia Benson	Mariska Hargitay	Guest	Main		Guest				Guest	Guest
	Elliot Stabler	Christopher Meloni	Guest	Main		Guest
	John Munch	Richard Belzer[N 5]	Guest	Main		Guest		Main
	Donald Cragen	Dann Florek[N 3][N 2]	Main	Main
	Monique Jeffries	Michelle Hurd		Main
	Odafin Tutuola	Ice-T	Guest	Main							Guest
	Chester Lake	Adam Beach		Main
	Amanda Rollins	Kelli Giddish		Main						Guest	Guest
	Nick Amaro	Danny Pino		Main							Guest
	Dominick Carisi Jr.	Peter Scanavino		Main							Guest
Criminal Intent	Robert Goren	Vincent D'Onofrio			Main
	Alexandra Eames	Kathryn Erbe		Guest	Main
	James Deakins	Jamey Sheridan			Main
	Mike Logan	Chris Noth[N 1][N 2]	Main		Main			Guest
	Carolyn Barek	Annabella Sciorra			Main
	Megan Wheeler	Julianne Nicholson			Main
	Danny Ross	Eric Bogosian			Main
	Nola Falacci	Alicia Witt			Main
	Zack Nichols	Jeff Goldblum			Main
	Serena Stevens	Saffron Burrows			Main
	Zoe Callas	Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio			Main
	Joseph Hannah	Jay O. Sanders			Main
Trial by Jury	Hector Salazar	Kirk Acevedo		Guest		Main
	Lennie Briscoe	Jerry Orbach[N 4][N 2]	Main	Guest	Guest	Main		Guest
	Chris Ravell	Scott Cohen				Main
LA	Rex Winters	Skeet Ulrich		Guest			Main
	Tomas Jaruszalski	Corey Stoll					Main
	Arleen Gonzalez	Rachel Ticotin					Main
	Ricardo Morales	Alfred Molina					Main

1. Chris Noth joined the main cast of Criminal Intent following his departure from Law & Order.
2. Additionally, the characters of Mike Logan, Lennie Briscoe, Rey Curtis, Don Cragen and Anita Van Buren appear in the 1998 TV film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
3. Dann Florek joined the main cast of SVU following his departure from Law & Order.
4. Jerry Orbach joined the main cast of Trial by Jury following his departure from Law & Order.
5. Belzer starred as Detective John Munch in all 122 episodes of Homicide prior to joining the cast of SVU. He also appeared in Homicide: The Movie.

Prosecutors

Series	Character	Portrayed by	Law & Order franchise					Universe		Chicago franchise
			L&O[O 1]	SVU[O 2]	CI[O 3]	TBJ[O 4]	LA[O 6]	HLOTS[O 8]	Con[O 11]	Fire	P.D.	Med	Justice
Law & Order	Benjamin Stone	Michael Moriarty	Main
	Paul Robinette	Richard Brooks	Main[S 1]										Guest[29]
	Adam Schiff	Steven Hill	Main	Guest
	Claire Kincaid	Jill Hennessy	Main					Guest
	Jack McCoy	Sam Waterston[S 2]	Main	Guest		Guest		Guest
	Jamie Ross	Carey Lowell	Main[S 3]			Guest		Guest
	Abbie Carmichael	Angie Harmon	Main	Guest
	Serena Southerlyn	Elisabeth Röhm	Main
	Nora Lewin	Dianne Wiest	Main	Guest	Guest
	Arthur Branch	Fred Dalton Thompson[S 4]	Main	Guest	Guest	Main			Guest
	Alexandra Borgia	Annie Parisse	Main
	Connie Rubirosa	Alana de la Garza[S 5]	Main	Guest			Main
	Michael Cutter	Linus Roache	Main	Guest
SVU	Alexandra Cabot	Stephanie March[S 6]		Main					Main
	Casey Novak	Diane Neal		Main		Guest
	Kim Greylek	Michaela McManus		Main
	Rafael Barba	Raúl Esparza		Main
	Peter Stone	Philip Winchester		Main							Guest	Guest	Main
Criminal Intent	Ron Carver	Courtney B. Vance			Main
Trial by Jury	Tracey Kibre	Bebe Neuwirth		Guest		Main
	Kelly Gaffney	Amy Carlson				Main
	Arthur Branch	Fred Dalton Thompson[S 4]	Main	Guest	Guest	Main			Guest
LA	Connie Rubirosa	Alana de la Garza[S 5]	Main	Guest			Main
	Jonah Dekker	Terrence Howard		Guest			Main
	Lauren Stanton	Megan Boone					Main
	Evelyn Price	Regina Hall					Main

1. Richard Brooks left Law & Order after the first three seasons and made guest appearances in "Custody", "Birthright" and "Fear America". In those episodes, Paul Robinette serves as a defense attorney.
2. Additionally, the character of Jack McCoy appeared in the 1998 TV film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
3. Carey Lowell starred in Law & Order in seasons seven to eight and made guest appearances in "Justice" and "School Daze". In those episodes, Jamie Ross serves as a defense attorney.
4. Fred Dalton Thompson starred consecutively in both Law & Order and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
5. Alana de la Garza joined the main cast of Law & Order: LA following the cancellation of Law & Order.
6. During a four season absence from SVU, March headlined the short-lived Conviction as ADA Cabot.

Medical professionals

Series	Character	Portrayed by	Law & Order franchise					Universe			Chicago franchise
			L&O[O 1]	SVU[O 2]	CI[O 3]	TBJ[O 4]	LA[O 6]	HLOTS[O 8]	NYU[O 9]	Con[O 11]	Fire	P.D.	Med
Law & Order	Elizabeth Rodgers, M.D.	Leslie Hendrix[P 1]	Guest	Guest	Guest	Guest
	Elizabeth Olivet, Ph.D.	Carolyn McCormick	Main	Guest	Guest	Guest			Guest
SVU	Melinda Warner, M.D.	Tamara Tunie		Main		Guest					Guest
	George Huang, Ph.D.	BD Wong		Main
Criminal Intent	Paula Gyson, Ph.D.	Julia Ormond			Main

1. Additionally, the character of Elizabeth Rogers appears in the 1998 TV film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.

Abbreviations

1. Law & Order
2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent
4. Law & Order: Trial by Jury
5. Law & Order: UK
6. Law & Order: LA (previously Law & Order: Los Angeles)
7. Law & Order True Crime
8. Homicide: Life on the Street
9. New York Undercover
10. Deadline
11. Conviction
12. In Plain Sight
13. Chicago Fire
14. Chicago P.D.
15. Chicago Med
16. Chicago Justice
17. FBI: Most Wanted

True Crime

Series	Character	Portrayed by	True Crime
			Menendez
The Menendez Murders	Leslie Abramson	Edie Falco	Main
	Erik Menendez	Gus Halper	Main
	Lyle Menendez	Miles Gaston Villanueva	Main

References

1. "Ask the Editors"; TV Guide; April 19, 2010; Page 6.
2. Dan Gunderman (13 September 2016). "Examining the legendary 'dun, dun' sound from 'Law & Order' on the anniversary of the pilot episode". New York Daily News.
3. Jodha, Michael (October 3, 2012). "There's no shortage of crimes for 'SVU,' says executive producer". CTV. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
4. Gelman, Vlada (February 6, 2015). "Report: NBC Eyeing Law & Order Revival, With Original Stars". TV Line. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
5. Andreeva, Nellie (February 6, 2015). "NBC Eyes 'Law & Order' Limited Series". Deadline. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
6. Scott, Andrew (May 13, 2010). "Law & Order officially cancelled". TV Squad (AOL). Retrieved May 14, 2010.
7. Carter, Bill (May 17, 2010). "'Law & Order' Creator Still Looking to Bring Original Back". The New York Times.
8. "AMC Investigates Reviving Law & Order". Vulture. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
9. Levin, Gary (July 30, 2010). "'Law & Order' is L.A.-bound". USA Today. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
10. Mitovich, Matt (July 11, 2011). "No Reprieve for Law & Order: CI: 'It Was a Good Series Finale,' Says USA Network Boss". TV Line. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
11. Mirkinson, Jack (May 13, 2011). "'Law And Order: LA' Canceled By NBC". Huffington Post.
12. Levin, Gary (May 13, 2011). "NBC renews 'Chuck' for final season". USA Today.
13. Carter, Bill (May 13, 2011). "Upfronts: Networks Order New Shows and Cancel Others". The New York Times.
14. Andreeva, Nellie (April 6, 2016). "NBC & Dick Wolf Developing 'Law & Order: True Crime' Anthology Series; 1st Season To Tackle Menendez Brothers Murders". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
15. Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders Trailer Promises to Finally Tell the True Story
16. Gelman, Vlada (February 3, 2017). "Law & Order: True Crime: Edie Falco Cast as Menendez Brothers' Attorney". TVLine. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
17. https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/law-order-true-crime/254348/law-order-true-crime-the-menendez-murders-trailer-drops
18. Porter, Rick (May 14, 2018). "'Law & Order True Crime' isn't canceled, but it's also not coming back next season". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
19. Andreeva, Nellie (March 31, 2020). "Christopher Meloni As 'SVU' Character Elliot Stabler To Headline New Dick Wolf Drama Series For NBC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
20. Throne, Will (June 2, 2020). "Dick Wolf Fires Writer From 'Law & Order' Spinoff for Threatening to 'Light Up' Looters". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
21. Andreeva, Nellie (June 16, 2020). "NBC Fall 2020 Schedule: Addition Of 'Law & Order: SVU' Spinoff Starring Christopher Meloni Marks Only Change". Deadline Hollywood.
22. Andreeva, Nellie (August 27, 2020). "NBC Sets Premiere Dates For Tweaked Fall Schedule; Scripted Series Delayed; 'New Amsterdam', 'Brooklyn', 'Manifest', 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' Held For 2021". Deadline Hollywood.
23. "NBC orders new 'Law & Order' series that focuses on hate crimes". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
24. Blistein, Jon (2018-09-05). "NBC Orders 'Law and Order: Hate Crimes'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
25. "NBC orders new Law & Order series that focuses on hate crimes". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
26. Andreeva, Nellie (March 4, 2019). "'Law & Order: Hate Crimes' Series Pushed At NBC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
27. "Law & Order: Hate Crimes Spinoff Likely Bound for Peacock Streaming Service Due to Language Concerns". TVLine. June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
28. ""The Paley Center Presents Law & Order: Before They Were Stars" Looks Back at Franchise's Legacy of Actors". The Futon Critic. October 28, 2020.
29. "(#102) Uncertainty Principle". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 7, 2017.

External links

• Law & Order – TNT's reruns website
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – NBC's official website
  • USA Network's reruns website
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent – USA Network's official website