'Law & Order' Season 21: Release date and all about NBC's renewal of original series

The original 'Law & Order' series has been renewed for its 21st season near a dozen years after it was canceled abruptly by NBC
UPDATED SEP 29, 2021
Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy), Tom Everett Scott (Governor Donald Shalvoy) and Angie Harmon (Abbie Carmichael) in 'Law & Order' (NBC)
Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy), Tom Everett Scott (Governor Donald Shalvoy) and Angie Harmon (Abbie Carmichael) in 'Law & Order' (NBC)

In 2010, NBC took the shocking decision of abruptly canceling the original ‘Law & Order’ series after 20 seasons, even when it was one of the top-performing shows for the network. At the time of its cancellation, the show was just one season away from breaking ‘Gunsmoke’s 20-season record as TV’s longest-running primetime drama series.

The cancelation made Dick Wolf, creator of the ‘Law & Order’ franchise, really angry and he tried reviving the series multiples times but failed to do so. But, it seems his dream is finally coming true because NBC has done the unexpected and renewed the original ‘Law & Order’ series for an epic Season 21. Yes, the show will be making a return to NBC nearly a dozen years after it was canceled.

The show was an instant hit among the viewers and averaged more than 11 million viewers during each season. However, the last two seasons saw some dip in the viewership, but the show was still one of the top-performing ventures for NBC. During its run, the show was nominated for 50 Primetime Emmys and won the Outstanding Drama Series accolade in 1997. The series gave birth to many spin-offs such as 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' and most recently, 'Law & Order: Organized Crime'. 

It will be interesting to see how the network and makers would be reviving the show after such a long break. Here’s everything we know about the revival.

Cast of the original 'Law & Order' cast (NBC)

Release date and how to watch

The network hasn’t come out with a premiere date as of now, but it is being reported that the show might make its way to NBC in the second half of 2022. Once again, the series will be premiering exclusively on the network where it enjoyed so much success. Viewers can download the NBC App from Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store to watch their favorite shows. On the other hand, the network is also available on devices such as Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Xbox, and Samsung TV.

If you are based out of the US, then you might need a VPN to access it.

Plot

"Law & Order is typically segmented into two parts, roughly at the halfway point; the first part follows police and detective work, and the second follows the legal and courtroom proceedings of the case. The show dwells little on the characters' back-stories or social lives and focuses instead mainly on their involvement in the cases presented in each episode."

Spoilers and news

The revival of the original series has brought a lot of joy for Dick Wolf as he always wanted to revive it. While talking about the show, Wolf said it is a “dream come true” for him to see the original ‘Law & Order’ making a comeback.

However, the series renewal comes after NBC scrapped another ‘Law & Order’ spin-off ‘Law & Order: For the Defense’ over the summer.

Cast

Although there has been no official information about the cast, sources reveal that some of the original cast members might make a return for the upcoming season. It will be interesting to see which actors make a return because the show has seen a lot of new faces since its inception.

Over the years, the show has seen actors like Steven Hill (Adam Schiff), Jerry Orbach (Lenny Briscoe), Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy), Angie Harmon (Abbie Carmichael), Elisabeth Rohm (Serena Southerlyn), Richard Brooks (Paul Robinette) and more taking over our screens and enthralling us with amazing stories.



 



Hill and Orbach are the only two people from the batch who are not in this world anymore.

Creators

The show was created by Dick Wolf and the renewed series will be developed under Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television. However, Rick Eid, one of Wolf’s frequent collaborators, will serve as showrunner this time around.

Eid will also serve as an executive producer on the show along with Wolf, Arthur Forney, and Peter Jankowski.

Executive producer/writer Rick Eid speak onstage during the "Hostages" panel discussion at the CBS, Showtime and The CW portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 29, 2013, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Trailer

We will update the story once the trailer arrives.

If you like this, you'll love these

‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’

‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’

‘Chicago PD’

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