Entertainment
Law and Order SVU Season 28 Premiere Consent Case
Law and Order: SVU's season 28 premiere explores a consent law loophole, with showrunner Michele Fazekas explaining the real statute behind it.
Franchise Hub
Law & Order
Law & Order universe shows, NBC's long-running procedural crime franchise.
About Law & Order
Law & Order is a long-running NBC procedural franchise created by Dick Wolf, built around a two-part structure following police investigation and subsequent criminal prosecution of New York City crimes. The original series debuted in 1990 and became one of the longest-running scripted dramas in American television history, spawning multiple successful spin-offs.
The most enduring spin-off, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, has become one of the longest-running primetime dramas ever produced, while the franchise overall has expanded into other cities and formats over the decades.
History
1990
Flagship series debuts
Law & Order introduces its signature two-part investigation-and-prosecution format.
1999
Special Victims Unit launches
The franchise's most enduring spin-off focuses on a specialized unit investigating sexually based crimes.
2001–present
Continued franchise expansion
Additional spin-offs, including Criminal Intent and Organized Crime, further extend the franchise across different units and storytelling approaches.
Key People
Dick Wolf
Creator of Law & Order and executive producer across its spin-off franchise
Key Law & Order Universe Shows
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Law & Order | 1990 | The flagship series |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 1999 | One of the longest-running primetime dramas in U.S. TV history |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | 2001 | A spin-off focused on criminal psychology and interrogation |
| Law & Order: Organized Crime | 2021 | A more recent spin-off following detective Elliot Stabler |
Financials
How It Compares
| Compared To | Key Difference |
|---|---|
| CSI | Both built long-running crime-procedural franchises with multiple spin-off series, though Law & Order emphasizes courtroom prosecution alongside police investigation, while CSI centers on forensic science. |
| Yellowstone Universe | Law & Order's spin-offs (SVU, Organized Crime) share characters and occasionally crossover, while Yellowstone's spin-offs are largely prequels set in different eras. |
Trivia & Fan Culture
A two-part structure in every episode
The original Law & Order format splits each episode into investigation (the 'law') and prosecution (the 'order'), a structure that became the franchise's signature.
Launched one of TV's longest-running dramas
Spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which premiered in 1999, has become one of the longest-running primetime scripted series in U.S. television history.
Dick Wolf's broader TV footprint
Beyond Law & Order, creator Dick Wolf built additional procedural franchises for NBC, including the Chicago Fire/P.D./Med universe and FBI for CBS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Law & Order spin-offs be watched independently?
Yes, each series largely follows self-contained cases, though Special Victims Unit and Organized Crime share recurring characters and occasional crossover storylines.
Who created the Law & Order franchise?
Television producer Dick Wolf created the original Law & Order series and has overseen its expansion into multiple spin-offs.
How many Law & Order spin-offs are there?
The franchise includes multiple spin-offs, most notably Special Victims Unit and Organized Crime, alongside earlier entries like Criminal Intent and Trial by Jury.
Who created Law & Order?
Dick Wolf created the original Law & Order, which debuted on NBC in 1990.
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