'Law & Order’ gets new time slot as NBC chief dishes on ‘11th hour renewal’
With the recent announcement of NBC's upcoming fall 2026 broadcast schedule, the fate of 'Law & Order' is finally certain. The long-running police procedural, which has also spawned a veritable universe of spin-offs, was the last major series whose fate remained undecided until the end of last week. It was arguably during the final hours before the network unveiled its upcoming slate that the show was renewed for a Season 26. However, things would scarcely be the same now as 'Law & Order' has been moved from its usual 8 p.m. Thursday slot.
According to a Deadline report, deliberations over renewing 'Law & Order' for Season 26 lasted until the last minute, as significant budget issues for the show were on the table. It is a known fact that several long-running drama shows have been reeling in the throes of budget reductions lately, and 'Law & Order' is no exception. Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, was asked about the nature of the trims fans of the franchise can expect from the upcoming installment. She answered, "Obviously, there are budget concerns, but I don’t think there’s anything drastic coming that I’m aware of."
Apart from budgetary restraints, the renewal announcement was further delayed by scheduling considerations, as well as the coveted 8 p.m. Thursday slot going to 'The Traitors US.' The flagship show will now air new episodes at 10 p.m. on Thursdays. It is believed that the change in broadcast slots affected the magnitude of the series order and was one of the foremost reasons behind the renewal delay. It has also been deduced that it might now be producing a full season order in its new 10 p.m. Thursday slot. Jeff Bader, who happens to be NBCUniversal’s President of Program Planning Strategy, remarked in this regard, "When you have shows that are as compatible, obviously, as the two 'Law & Order' shows are, it’s an easier marketing lift; we know that we will improve our 10 o’clock time period, it just was a very easy decision."
Bader further mentioned, "It allows us to put more marketing towards the new shows when we’re not putting all the new shows in the fall, which is one of the reasons that Rockford is in January. It just lets us really focus our marketing.” On the other hand, both 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' have remained on NBC's fall schedule, while the youngest spinoff, 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' starring Christopher Meloni, has been given the ax. The series aired the first four seasons on NBC before moving to Peacock for Season 5.
