The one that started it all! Law & Order premiered in 1990 and helped make creator Dick Wolf one the biggest names in television — and the revival is only going to make his legacy that much greater.
Wolf had already established himself in the entertainment world, working on Miami Vice, Swift Justice, Dragnet and Crime & Punishment among others, before pitching the idea for Law & Order.
However, when the drama premiered, it changed his life, forming a long-lasting partnership with NBC that would eventually lead to spinoffs Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: LA, Law & Order: UK, Law & Order: True Crime and most recently, 2020’s Law & Order: Organized Crime, starring Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler.
The flagship show, which ran for 20 seasons before its abrupt cancelation in 2010, had a simple premise: a crime, usually pulled from current headlines, is viewed from two separate viewpoints. Both the police detectives and the prosecutors at the district attorney’s office break down what happened and the consequences.
The idea was a smash among viewers, earning more than 50 Emmy nominations and winning 1997’s Outstanding Drama Series award.
After the show went off the air, many of its stars stayed in the Wolf Entertainment universe, including S. Epatha Merkerson (who played Anita Van Buren), who is currently playing Sharon Goodwin on Chicago Med and pops up on both Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. — all of which exist in the same world as the original Law & Order.
Alana De La Garza (who played A.D.A Connie Rubirosa) and Jeremy Sisto (Detective Cyrus Lupo) are now lead actors on FBI, while OG Law & Order star Dan Florek (Captain Donald Cragen) reprised the role on SVU for 16 seasons before his 2015 exit.
Despite the success of his other series, Wolf felt as though he had some unfinished business with Law & Order, which is why when it was announced in September 2021 that it was coming back for another season, he was very happy.
“There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true. This is mine,” Wolf said in a statement after NBC revealed it was greenlit.
Chairman of Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Susan Rovner weighed in on the news as well.
“Law & Order is quite simply one of the most iconic shows in television history, and the idea of continuing its legacy and partnering with Dick on an all-new season is nothing short of exhilarating,” she said in a statement via Deadline. “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”
Scroll down to see what we know so far about the Law & Order revival:
The revival will debut on NBC on February 24, 2022. NBCU Photo Bank
The series ran for 20 seasons from 1990 to 2010. Universal Tv/Wolf/Kobal/Shutterstock
George Dzundra (Sergeant Max Greevey), Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan), Florek (Captain Cragen), Michael Moriarty (Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone), Richard Brooks (Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette) and Steven Hill (District Attorney Adam Schiff) were the season 1 stars on Law & Order. Throughout its original 20-season run, the drama’s six-person ensemble was played by 29 different actors, including Sam Waterson as Jack McCoy, Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe, Angie Harmon as Abbie Carmichael and Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green. Universal Tv/Wolf Film/Kobal/Shutterstock
NBC announced in September 2021 that Law & Order was greenlit for Season 21 following more than a decade off the air. Wolf, who was the show’s creator, will work with writer and showrunner Rick Eid on the revived series. Eid previously worked as a co-executive producer and writer on the original show and has been part of the Wolf Entertainment universe for more than 15 years. He is currently an executive producer and showrunner for Chicago P.D. and the showrunner on FBI. Wolf Entertainment’s Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski are also on board to executive produce the season with Wolf and Eid. Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The fresh season will again focus on “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.” Universal Tv/Wolf Film/Kobal/Shutterstock
News broke in November 2021 that Donovan was cast as a new detective for the upcoming revival. “Dun-dun,” the Burn Notice alum tweeted at the time, referencing Law & Order’s iconic intro sound. Matt Baron/Shutterstock
In November 2021, Hugh Dancy joined as an assistant district attorney. Shutterstock
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