Law & Order

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order (1990-2026) is an American network crime drama created by Dick Wolf for NBC. Its episodes are built around cases ripped from the headlines, following New York police detectives who investigate serious and often deadly crimes, then handing the evidence to district attorney's office lawyers who must prove each suspect guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Joe Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Nicholas Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) anchor the stories across many seasons, with Anthony Anderson as Kevin Bernard and Paul Sorvino as Phil Cerreta adding further weight to the investigative and courtroom work. The show runs for twenty-six seasons and hundreds of episodes, using a case of the week format in which each hour is self-contained. The stories unfold in the city's precincts, interrogation rooms and courtrooms, with a brisk and matter-of-fact tone that prizes procedural detail over melodrama. Its atmosphere is gritty and urban, with a steady sense of civic duty. Fans of Homicide: Life on the Street, The Practice and The Wire will find resonance in its blend of police work and legal drama.

Viewers broadly regard Law & Order as a consistently solid, well-crafted procedural whose dual police and prosecution structure delivers reliable investigative and courtroom drama across decades.

• Homicide: Life on the Streetshared procedural crime structure, case of the week investigations, police and prosecutor partnership
• The Wireshared ripped from the headlines crime procedural with police and courtroom halves
• The Practiceshared legal drama tone, courtroom focus and grounded New York crime stories
• Criminal Mindsshared long-running episodic crime format with rotating casts and procedural rigor

Created by

Dick Wolf

Release Date

1990-09-13

Episode runtime

47 min

Rating

7.8 / 10 (735)

What is Law & Order about?

Police detectives and prosecutors work each New York crime from the headlines through to a courtroom conviction.

What is Law & Order like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Law & Order as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Law & Order violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Law & Order as moderate.

What did critics think of Law & Order?

Viewers broadly regard Law & Order as a consistently solid, well-crafted procedural whose dual police and prosecution structure delivers reliable investigative and courtroom drama across decades.

Which shows are like Law & Order?

Shows with a similar feel include Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire, The Practice, and Criminal Minds.

How long is Law & Order?

Law & Order: 26 seasons, 549 episodes.

Is Law & Order still running?

Yes, Law & Order is still running.

Where can I watch Law & Order?

In United States, Law & Order streams on Netflix, Hulu, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, YouTube TV, NBC, Netflix Standard with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus.