Law & Order

Law & Order aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on September 13, 1990, and completing its 20th season on May 24, 2010. On September 28, 2021, after an 11-year hiatus, NBC announced that the series would be revived for a 21st season, which premiered on February 24, 2022. The revival saw the debut of new regular cast members, and the reprise of two roles by series veterans: District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), and Detective Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson). Afterwards, the series was renewed for three additional seasons. The twenty-fifth season premiered on September 25, 2025. In May 2026, the series was renewed for its twenty-sixth season, which premiered on October 8 of the same year.

Set and filmed in New York City, the series follows a two-part approach: the first half hour is the investigation of a crime (usually murder) and apprehension of a suspect by New York City Police Department homicide detectives, while the second half is the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan district attorney's office. Plots are based on real cases that recently made headlines, although the motivation for the crime and the perpetrator may be much different. The show started using revolving door casting in season two. The progression of the record for longest serving main cast members of the series is: Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe, S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren and Sam Waterston as Executive Assistant District Attorney/District Attorney Jack McCoy.

Law & Order's twenty-five seasons are second only to its spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–present) for the longest-running live action scripted American primetime series. The success of the series has led to the creation of additional shows, making Law & Order a franchise, including a television film, several video games, and international adaptations of the series. It has won and has been nominated for numerous awards over the years, including a number of Primetime Emmy Awards.