The original “Law & Order” will return to NBC with new episodes for season 21, nearly a dozen years after the series signed off after a 20-year run.
Rick Eid will host the new season of Wolf Entertainment’s series. “Law & Order” Dick Wolf is the original creator. He has worked tirelessly for years to return the mothership series with new episodes in primetime.
“There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” Wolf said. “This is mine.”
There’s no word yet from NBC on casting or a premiere date. Over the years, the original series featured a rotating ensemble that allowed actors to move between roles in criminal justice and law enforcement.
“Law & Order” More than a dozen spinoffs were created by NBCUniversal and have earned billions in licensing revenue. “Law & Order: SVU,” This series, which aired on NBC in 1999 and ended its run in the 23rd season, has outlasted the original series.
“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” It also enjoyed a long run both on NBC as well as USA Network. Most recently, former “SVU” star Chris Meloni rejoined the Wolf pack by signing on for the series “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” which had a successful midseason launch in April.
NBC had ordered another “Law & Order” branded series for the 2021-22 season — “Law & Order: For the Defense” — but it was scrapped over the summer. The series would have looked at the defense side the criminal justice system in a deeper manner than the franchise had done in the past. At the time there were rumblings of still another “L&O”-branded series in the works.
” ‘Law & Order’ is quite simply one of the most iconic shows in television history, and the idea of continuing its legacy and partnering with Dick on an all-new season is nothing short of exhilarating” said Susan Rovner, chairman of Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”
With its unique procedural format, the original series has been a part of popular culture for decades. Reruns are available on all major television channels and also on the Peacock streaming service.
“The return of the flagship ‘Law & Order’ series for a pivotal 21st season is a proud moment for Dick and a proud moment for us, his studio partners,” Chairman of Universal Studio Group, Pearlena Igbokwe.
Eid will executive producer the new “Law & Order” along with Wolf, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski.