Law & Order 

Follows a crime (usually a murder), 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

Won 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 41 wins & 203 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Filmed on location in New York, the drama showcases the sometimes-complex process of determining guilt or innocence, while lives hang in the balance. Often inspired by the latest headlines, the plots highlight legal, ethical or personal dilemmas to which people can relate.

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Plot Keywords:

shared universe | copaganda | profanity | ampersand in title | punctuation in title | 

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Taglines:

The toughest cases requires the toughest justice when dealing with the worst criminals meet the people who deal with them on their level.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2017, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) actor Ice-T broke the record for the longest-running Black character on TV with his role of Detective Odafin Tutuola for 18 seasons. The person who held the title before him was S. Epatha Merkerson, who played Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on "Law & Order" for 17 years.

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Goofs

When witness or suspects are brought to the station and interrogated sometimes it's pretty clear they didn't want to come. If there is no probable cause for an arrest or an active arrest warrant, the police can't make you go anywhere against your will. Once in a while, a wealthy or educated person will assert this, but mostly the cops just walk up to people, put the cuffs on them, and place them in the car.

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Quotes

Capt. Donald Cragen: [repeated line, annoyed every time someone calls] WHAT?

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Crazy Credits

At the start of the season one episode "Torrents of Greed, Part 2" the customary "In the criminal justice system..." opening monologue and screen title were replaced with a monologue and screen title about manipulation of the legal system.

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Alternate Versions

The version of the show shown in the UK on Channel Five has a completely different version of the opening credits with different music. Also UK satellite channel Sky One has a different version of opening credits to the US and Channel 5 versions and music.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Dwayne Johnson/Katy Perry (2017)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

One of the best television shows ever.

In my opinion Law and Order is probably one of the best written and beautifully crafted shows around. The characters seem full of life and their own inner demons.I truly enjoy how the show lets the characters have their own feelings about matters. Even if the feeling isn't always a politically correct one.McCoy,Briscoe,Logan,and Schiff will always be my favorites.Their comments were always the best and face it Briscoe and Schiff could be hilarious at times.Hopefully the writing will stay interesting and the characters rich.So far this show has managed to skirt being to redundant.Which is a big feat for a show that's been on 15 years.Here's to many more years of a great show. In memory of Jerry Orbach.You will be missed.

Details

Official Sites:

Bravo [Canada] CBS Justice [UK]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Law & Order Prime

Filming Locations:

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