Law & Order 

Follows a crime, usually adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points, the police investigation and the prosecution in court.

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Stars:

Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina

Nominated for 6 Golden Globes. Another 46 wins & 196 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Anita Van Buren / ... 391 episodes, 1991-2010
Sam Waterston	...	Jack McCoy 368 episodes, 1994-2010
Jerry Orbach	...	Lennie Briscoe / ... 274 episodes, 1991-2004
Steven Hill	...	Adam Schiff 229 episodes, 1990-2000
Jesse L. Martin	...	Ed Green 198 episodes, 1999-2008

Storyline

The show follows a crime, ususally adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points. The first half of the show concentrates on the investigation of the crime by the police, the second half follows the prosecution of the crime in court.

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Plot Keywords:

copaganda | profanity | police | evidence | court | 

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Taglines:

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Bravo [Canada] Channel 5 [UK]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Law & Order Prime

Filming Locations:

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studios USA Television, NBC Universal Television, Universal Network Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min (456 Episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jesse L. Martin was absent from the last four episodes of the fifteenth season. He left the show temporarily to work on Rent (2005). His character, Detective Green, was shot in the line of duty. For those four episodes, Martin was replaced by Michael Imperioli as Detective Falco.

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Goofs

Number of times "ballistic fingerprinting" has been used to ID a murder weapon in New York = 0.

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Quotes

[a victim has died, apparently during S&M sex]
Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers: No defensive wounds.
Det. Lennie Briscoe: That's odd.
Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers: Yeah, the fun part for these guys is the struggle AFTER they've been tied up.
[pause]
Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers: Or so I've heard.

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Crazy Credits

Some (but not all) episodes show a disclaimer emphasizing the fictional nature of the story just prior to the closing credits. This is particularly important on those episodes that were inspired by well-known real-life legal cases.

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Connections

Referenced in The Middle: Halloween VII: The Heckoning (2016)

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Soundtracks

I'm Not Driving Anymore
(Instrumental)
Written and Performed by Rob Dougan
(UK Version)

User Reviews

Still compelling after all these years

I only started watching L&O a few years ago, and am hooked on the brilliant writing, acting, and direction that have made this show so popular for so long. Jerry Orbach is great as Lennie, and I was stunned to learn that he also played the voice of Lumiere, the French candlestick in Beauty and the Beast! His sarcastic one-liners never fail to get me laughing, and he and his new partner, Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green, have a good rapport and are believable as partners. On the "Order" side, Sam Waterston, Dianne Wiest, and Elisabeth Rohm are equally compelling. New cast member Rohm has gotten better as she's gone along; she had big shoes to fill as Angie Harmon's replacement. Because the stories are all driven by the plots, and not the characters' personal lives, it makes the constant cast turnover more believable. It's a testament to Dick Wolf and co. that such a smart, sharp show has stayed on the edge after almost 12 years! My only beef is I'm tired of hearing "Ripped from the headlines" in every promo. That, though, is a minor quibble. Wednesday nights wouldn't be the same without it!