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Why is 'Law & Order' and its spinoff not airing tonight— here’s what NBC will show instead

Fans expecting to see their favorite police procedural series, 'Law & Order,' will have to wait a bit due to this major change from NBC.

Fans of ‘Law & Order’ are accustomed to tuning in for new episodes every Thursday on NBC, but tonight brings an unexpected disappointment. Both 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' are shifting into NBC’s summer rerun schedule from its fresh primetime lineup this week. Both series have officially wrapped their respective seasons, moving into the network's traditional summer rerun block. According to NBC Insider, the network will air reruns of both shows on May 21 instead of fresh episodes. At 8:00 p.m. ET, fans will get to see 'Law & Order' Season 25, Episode 6, 'Brotherly Love.' It will be followed by a rerun of 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 27, Episode 6, 'Under the Influence' at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Created by Dick Wolf, the 'Law & Order' franchise has been one of the longest-running procedural fixtures on television, spanning more than three decades on NBC. The show premiered in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons until 2010. After an 11-year break, Season 21 revived the flagship series, featuring a mix of returning original cast members and exciting new faces. The current season stars Maura Tierney, Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi, Reid Scott, David Ajala, and Connie Shi in lead roles.

The massive success of this series gave birth to a sprawling franchise with multiple spin-offs, the first being 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' in 1999. Since 'Law & Order: SVU' has run continuously, it has surpassed the parent series as the longest-running live-action scripted drama in primetime history. Mariska Hargitay leads the cast of 'SVU' as Captain Olivia Benson, alongside regular cast members Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Kevin Kane, Aimé Donna Kelly, Corey Cott, and Kelli Giddish. Season 27 also featured cameos from Elliot Stabler, Donald Cragen, Brian Cassidy, and Joe Velasco.

NBC has officially confirmed that both series will continue for another season, with several major cast members already locked in to return. That includes fan-favorite detective Fin Tutuola of the 16th Precinct, played by Ice-T, whose future on 'SVU' was officially confirmed earlier this week. Looking ahead, showrunner Michele Fazekas recently told TV Line, "I think we'll have Ice-T more," reassuring fans that the franchise is keeping its core team intact. Until new episodes return to NBC later this year, fans can stream all previous seasons on Peacock.