Law & Order

"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."

Law & Order, the longest-running crime series and the second-longest-running drama series in the history of television, was cancelled after its record tying 20th season in the spring of 2010 on NBC.

The brainchild of creator Dick Wolf, "Law & Order" is the most successful brand in primetime television. It is the 1997 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series and the record holder for the most consecutive (11) nominations in that category for a primetime series (tied with "Cheers" and "M*A*S*H"). It has also become one of entertainment's preeminent brands, with its successful spinoffs "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent".

Filmed entirely on location in New York, the realistic program looks at crime and justice from a dual perspective. In the first half-hour, Detective Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and his new partner, Detective Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson), investigate crimes and apprehend suspects under the supervision of their precinct lieutenant, Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson). In the second half-hour, the focus shifts to the criminal courts as Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter (Linus Roache) and the Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) work within a complicated justice system to prosecute the accused under the guidance of the newly appointed District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston).

Some cases may be simple, but most are multi-faceted. The investigations are challenging, prosecutions are complicated, and decisions about legal procedures and plea-bargaining are vexing. In the arduous and complex process of determining guilt and innocence, lives often hang in the balance.

"Law & Order" is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Media Studios. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer; Rene Balcer, Fred Berner and Peter Jankowski are the executive producers.

Special:
Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998)
●Detective Mike Logan seeks to solve the murder of a prostitute, and thereby help regain his old job in Manhattan.

Spinoffs:
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999- )
---Conviction (Law & Order Universe, has Stephanie March from SVU) (2006)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2011)
Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)
Law & Order: LA (2010-2011)

Non-Fiction:
Arrest & Trial (Syndicated nonfiction television program which follows individual criminal cases via a combination of reenactments and real trial footage.) (2000-2001)
Crime & Punishment (The Real Life Law & Order) (2002-2004)

Adaptations outside the U.S.:
Paris Enquêtes Criminelles (Paris Criminal Investigations) (2007-2008)
●The show follows the format of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, adapted to Paris and the French legal system under the Napoleonic Code.
Zakon i Poryadok. Otdel operativniykh rassledovaniy (Law & Order: Operative Investigations Unit) (2007- )
Zakon i Poryadok. Prestupniy umiysel (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) (2007- )
●These shows follow the format of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, set in Moscow and adapted to the Russian justice system.
Law & Order: UK (2009- )
●This show follows the format of the original Law & Order show but adapts it to the new setting of London, England, with detectives from the Metropolitan Police CID and the Crown Prosecution Service attempting to secure conviction.
Law & Order: Cape Town (2012- )
●This show follows the format of the original Law & Order show but adapts it to the exotic setting of Cape Town, South Africa.

Similar Shows:
Homicide: Life on the Street (Same Universe as Law & Order, Detective John Munch comes from this show.) (1993-1999)
L.A. Dragnet (From Dick Wolf, creator of the long-running Law & Order franchise, comes this modern-day take on the classic police drama.) (2003-2004) (Source: NBC)