Ever since the original long-lasting television franchises of all time. The original series was a riveting crime procedural that followed the case-of-the-week format with most shows broken into two sections -- the first half detailing the police investigation and arrest of the prime suspect and the second half focusing on the prosecutors taking the case to trial.
The simple formula worked for audiences, with them returning year after year, even with the rotating cast throughout its historic run. The rest of the franchise played around with the formula, taking the action to new locations, focusing on specific aspects of the police or legal departments, and crossing over with one another. While some spinoffs fell short of the original, others sured it, making the entire Law & Order franchise fascinating to look back on.
Law & Order: Trial By Jury (2005-2006)
1 Season, 13 Episodes
Considering that half of the Law & Order shows' focus is on the prosecution of crimes, it seemed like a simple idea for a show to revolve entirely around that, which is where Trial by Jury originated. Pitched as a show focused solely on the trial aspect, it highlighted some of the aspects of a criminal case that are glossed over or ignored in the other Law & Order shows, such as jury selection and deliberations by the jury.
10 Law And Order Actors Who Made Cameos Before Landing Larger Roles
The Law & Order series goes through a lot of actors and changes; many actors with cameos have since gone on to larger roles within the franchise.
While some of these aspects are interesting, the show truly loses a lot of the excitement in doing away with the police aspect of the cases. Trial by Jury debuted in 2005 and lasted only for one season, marking the shortest run in the entire Law & Order franchise. Even a crossover with Special Victims Unit couldn't save the show from low performance. However, the short length of the series actually benefits it for rewatches as it provides a nice supplement to the better series in the franchise.
Law & Order: Los Angeles (2010–2011)
1 Season, 22 Episodes
Another show to shake up the Law & Order formula while also getting its start through Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Los Angeles moved from the New York setting to the other side of the country, where it could take what viewers loved about Law & Order to Hollywood's backdoor.
However, the show also jumped around the different areas of Los Angeles, showing the wealth disparity while also proving that crime exists in any neighborhood.
The setting can be quite disarming for Law & Order fans as the grittiness of New York City was always such a big part of the franchise. The setup seemed like a solid new directoion for the franchise, along with a stacked cast that included Alfred Molina, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall, Skeet Ulrich, and Corey Stoll. However, all this talent failed to help the show find its footing among messy storylines. It ended up only lasting a single season.
Law & Order: True Crime (2017)
1 Season, 8 Episodes
While Law & Order helped to inspire countless police procedural shows over the years, it was also not above leaning into the popularity of the time itself. Riding the wave of the mid-to-late 2010s craze for the true-crime format, Law & Order: True Crime sought to capitalize on the trend with its first season taking on The Menendez Murders. Taking as its basis real-life cases and dramatizing them with actors, it takes the Law & Order "ripped from the headlines" approach to a whole new level.
However, the series lacks a lot of the theatrics of other true-crime series while also missing the gripping elements of other Law & Order shows.
Law & Order: True Crime shook up the formula by featuring real-life characters and focusing on one case throughout the course of an entire season. While the first season beat Ryan Murphy's Monsters series by several years in focusing on the Menendez brothers, there is no denying that True Crime is a direct response to the popularity of American Crime Story, even forcing in a cameo from OJ Simpson. However, the series lacks a lot of the theatrics of other true-crime series while also missing the gripping elements of other Law & Order shows.
It makes for a rather by-the-numbers of the ittedly very interesting case. Edie Falco is the highlight of the first season, earning an Emmy nomination for playing defense attorney Leslie Abramson. The show has not officially been canceled but there is also no word on it continuing despite having been off the air for years.
Law & Order: UK (2009-2014)
5 Seasons, 53 Episodes
The only spin-off to carry the Law & Order franchise outside of the United States, Law & Order: UK was more of an adaptation than a spinoff as there was no real connection to the other shows in the franchise. Though a very different procedure, the show handled many of the same cases, often feeling like its own crime series rather than being part of the Law & Order family.
Law & Order: UK had some great episodes, and at times deviated from the franchise formula. It made for a fascinating look at another country's methods of handling similar cases, comparing the similarities and differences. Although it didn't gain as large of a fanbase in the U.S. as some other Law & Order shows, due to it not airing on NBC, it still manages to stand out in the franchise. However, the smaller scale of the show did hurt it in comparison to some of the most exciting episodes of the other spinoff series.
Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021-)
4 Seasons, 65 Episodes
Following 10 years away from his original show, Special Victims Unit, Elliot Stabler returned as a changed man in Organized Crime, after appearing in an episode of SVU where he loses his wife to a car bomb. This leads to the Organized Crime spin-off, where Stabler must solve his wife's murder while continuing to hunt down organized crime operations.
What's most commendable about it, though, is how it deals with Stabler in a world where his previous actions are unacceptable...
Organized Crime leans into its ongoing stories, reflecting the change in TV's focus to serialized storytelling in the wake of shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Netflix originals. What's most commendable about it, though, is how it deals with Stabler in a world where his previous actions are unacceptable, and how it uses his character to reflect greater issues, while also providing compelling drama. The show struggled to let go of its connection to more popular series, but it has continued to excel, leaning into Stabler's complexity and Christopher Meloni's strong performance.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2011)
10 Seasons, 195 Episodes
The second spin-off of the hit Law & Order series, Criminal Intent debuted in 2001, with a focus on moving away from the case-of-the-week format and instead of featuring more character drama and interconnectedness between episodes than had previously been seen. Like Trial by Jury, Criminal Intent changed the formula by only focusing on half of the investigation. Thankfully, the police side of things is the most interesting, with the Major Cases division investigating a wide variety of cases.
The show struggled in the ratings more than the other shows in the franchise, leading to cast changes and network moves that added to a somewhat unfocused feel to the overall series. However, it also featured a standout performance from Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Robert Goren, a dark and introspective detective who was much different and more interesting than the series had featured before,
Law & Order (1990-2010; 2022-Present)
24 Seasons, 509 Episodes
There would be no franchise without Law & Order. Debuting in 1990, the show lasted in its original run until 2010 before returning in 2022. Law & Order created a franchise that not only spans the series carrying its name but also inspired many other shows that took a gritty, no-nonsense look at cases in a grounded way. The divided format of the series also helped the show stay separate from the other police procedural shows, being a thrilling detective show and a riveting courtroom drama all in one.
Although later seasons tend to feel formulaic to some extent, in part because of the show's long run, it still managed to be beloved by viewers around the country and even the world. With such a long legacy, some of the ensembles that made up the show worked better than others, but it also helped introduce some of the franchise's most beloved characters, like Jack McCoy and Lennie Briscoe.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-)
26 Seasons, 559 Episodes
It's no stretch to say that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is the most successful live-action television spin-off in history. Becoming one of the longest-running shows of all time, SVU came to dominate the Law & Order franchise, even eclipsing the iconic stature of the original series. The show was another of the most focused Law & Order shows, dealing with the detectives who investigate sex crimes.
Given the subject matter, many of the best Law & Order: SVU episodes can be quite unsettling, even for fans of the genre, however, they can also be riveting, making for some of the best episodes in the entire franchise. The show was filled with cases based on famous real-life events and featured plenty of notable guest stars over the course of its run so far.
However, while many of the Law & Order shows have leaned into the ensemble aspect, Mariska Hargitay's performance as Olivia Benson is the standout character of the entire franchise, delivering a strong, layered, and endearing hero to root for. Hargitay became the first regular cast member in the Law & Order franchise to win an Emmy for their performance, while also earning seven more nominations.
Law & Order
- Release Date
- September 13, 1990
- Showrunner
- Walon Green, Michael S. Chernuchin, René Balcer, William M. Finkelstein, Artuhr Penn, Barry Schindel, Nicholas Wootton, Rick Eid
- Writers
- Dick Wolf
Cast
George Dzundza
Chris Noth
WHERE TO WATCH
The beginning of the long-running franchise Law & Order is a crime-drama series created by Dick Wolf and launched on NBC in 1990. The series follows the day-to-day lives of detectives and legal professionals in New York who are involved in apprehending and prosecuting dangerous criminals.
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Creator(s)
- Dick Wolf
- Seasons
- 24
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