Law & Order: NBC Revives Original Flagship Series, Orders Season 21 a Decade After Abrupt Cancellation
NBC is going back to the very beginning to complete its Thursday night Law & Order trifecta. [pmc_inline_gallery]
The network announced late Tuesday that it is bringing back the original Law & Order (aka “the mothership”), and the flagship series will pick up right where it left off more than a decade ago — with a 21st season. It remains unclear which cast members will be returning for the revival, although sources confirm that preliminary talks are underway with a handful of franchise vets.
When Law & Order was abruptly cancelled by NBC in May 2010 at the conclusion of its 20th season, the ensemble included Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Linus Roache, Alana De La Garza and Sam Waterston.
“There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” said franchise overlord Dick Wolf in a statement. “This is mine.”
The move comes nearly three months after NBC scrapped its originally conceived third iteration, Law & Order: For the Defense. The ill-fated spinoff received a straight-to-series order last May and was set to premiere this fall alongside Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Law & Order underwent a myriad of cast changes during its 20-season run. Among the longest-running cast members were the late Steven Hill as DA Adam Schiff (seasons 1–10), the late Jerry Orbach as Det. Lennie Briscoe (seasons 3–14), the aforementioned Merkerson as Lt. Anita Van Buren (seasons 4–20), the aforementioned Waterston as DA Jack McCoy (seasons 5–20) and Jesse L. Martin as Det. Ed Green (seasons 10–18).
Back in 2015, NBC flirted with ordering a 10-episode limited series revival of Law & Order, but the project ultimately fell apart.
“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 at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, in a statement. “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”
Added Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman of Universal Studio Group: “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.”
Rick Eid, a veteran of Wolf’s Law & Order and #OneChicago franchises, will serve as showrunner and EP. Additional EPs are Wolf, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski.
But will it have the Real McCoy?
I’d be real surprised to see Jack McCoy still working at his age. Maybe a visit or two, to help kick things off, but the actor is 80 years old.
He has been on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie for 7 seasons. (The final season finishes in 2022.)
I was just going to say this. He’s been working steadily this whole time and he played Jack McCoy on L&O: SVU not that long ago (2018, I think).
I think that the Real McCoy was only on L&O!
Sam Waterston made guest appearances on SVU in Season 1, 9, 11 and most recently in Season 19.
Just in time for this L&O ’21…🤷🏾♂️🤔
Adam was up there on years when he was DA. Sisto’s character was working on his law degree, could he possibly be back on the other side?
He moved to the FBI still in the Dick Wolf universe but as he is co-lead with Alana De Carza on the show I doubt they are moving back. Jack McCoy and Linus Roche might be the two older people that can come back. Any chance Barba or Alex Cabot could come back???
Why not Angie Harmon?
I’d love to see Angie Harmon come back, she was the best. She’s been off TV for awhile now.
I’d love to see her back on this. But she recently signed “a multi-picture development deal” with Lifetime, so she may be too busy to even consider it.
Oh that would fantastic! Love her!
I want Angie back the most. Lord knows I miss her.
I agree, I want Angie back!
I don’t think he [Sisto] would leave FBI, but he could guest star as an attorney,
either in the DA’s office or for the defense. Alana’s character moved to Cali.
If Jack’s not DA, then he should be reoccurring as a Judge or defense attorney.
Jack McCoy as a judge? Please, he’d throw the book at everyone. And as a defense attorney, he’d do the prosecution’s job for them! Look, I love Jack McCoy, but a prosecutor is what he is, down to his bones.
NY has a mandatory retirement age for judges that Sam Waterston passed a while ago…it doesn’t apply to DAs.
I know when Warren Leight took over SVU he had mention of a new DA taking over,but later the DA was arrested in a corruption scandal and when Michael Chernuchin (creator of the McCoy character) was running SVU he had Jack back in office…now Leight is back at SVU…may take Wolf to straighten things out.
He’s a series regular on Wolf’s FBI along with Alana. Epatha is on Wolf’s Chicago Med. I loved Linus Roache and hope he’d come back. Anthony Anderson would be free with Blackish ending. Maybe Jesse would consider a return?
.
Seriously this is my dream come true. I still watch the WE TV marathons. I never liked SVU but I also loved Criminal Intent. Chris Noth worked on that so maybe they could bring Kathryn Erbe as Eames over.
Jesse is still committed to The Flash (CW) which films in Canada. After he’s done with that show I doubt he’ll come back to L&O since he has an back issue since 2018. So he’s going take an role that doesn’t require alot of physicality.
He could be the Lieutenant. That’s pretty much a desk job. But Flash would have to (mercifully) die for that, first.
Criminal Intent was always my favorite. I don’t know how SVU has lasted so long.
ABSOLUTELY ELLEN!! I loved criminal intent! Now I’d loved to see Goran and Eames!! By far my favorite episode! I hope they take that into consideration!!!😊
I completely agree with you! Chris Noth & Kathryn Erbe would be wonderful additions. I hope Linus Roche would consider coming back along with Angie Harmon. There are so many possibilities.
YESSSSSSSSSS!! ME TOO!! I LOVE both law and Order & Criminal Intent! Jack Mcoy and Van Buren are my FOLKS! LOVE IT!!
Get ready for a shock! He’s currently working and his main costars are also 80ish and above
And your question is? Ronald Reagan. Joe Biden, Chuck Grassley, A few members of the Supremes, court that is. They were in they’re were in the 70’s & 80’s. It would be interesting to see how it would play out., Ding, Ding.
Seen on Netflix in Grace and Frankie.
Yessssss!
I will watch it if Sam Waterston is involved in some way.
Yep
Agree! Only cast member I care about returning. Wasn’t a fan of the cast when it was canceled so happy if they start fresh with everyone else or bring back some of those pictured.
Ditto!!! If not as a DA (not really realistic), but as someone above said, as a judge. That would work really well.
–
Never liked Anthony Anderson on L&O (he’s def. more of a comedian). And Jeremy Sisto and Alana de La Garza are in the FBI universe. S. Epatha Merkerson is on Chicago MD. That doesn’t leave many … Can Alex Cabot come to L&O (even tho she was on SVU???)
Angie Harmon and Elisabeth Rohm!
Anyone but Elisabeth Rohm. She was stiff and awful and couldn’t even pull off her exit properly.
Agreed! I was surprised to see there was a person out there that actually liked her. If I catch a rerun and see that she is on it I change the channel.
YESSSSSSSSSS!!
Anthony was awesome in S3 of The Shield. Definitely not a comedy.
Yep, he was awesome there. But then they only hired awesome performers. I’d be happy to have him back (and if he could bring Dutch with him….).
Also didn’t like Anthony Anderson on L&O. Only thing he’s done I didn’t like him in. Sisto was good, but his character worked a lot better opposite Martin. Rubirosa was all right, and Cutter was great. If they bring back anyone, they should try to get Waterston and Roache. And–long shot here–what’s Chris Noth doing? How did we leave Mike Logan? Did he get fired again? I honestly can’t remember.
Chris Noth recurs on The Equalizer but not nearly often enough for me.
Chris Noth’s character resigned off screen on L&O CI. I agree he and Kathryn Erbe had great chemistry and the last time we saw her character was on SVU and she was part of Homeland Security. Just as long as they don’t bring Jeff Goldblum in. I’ve always loved him as an actor but his character was so annoying on CI it was like 48 minutes of fingernails scratching on chalkboards.
In NY law realism is the opposite…judges must retire at the end of the year they turn 70 but Robert Morgenthau stayed Manhattan DA until age 90.
Linus Roache please?
Yep
I hope not! He’s risen in the EnlightenNext cult, which has been described as a ‘very troubling cult.’
What a wonderful piece of news. Omg I’m so shocked and happy.
No update to the theme song. Give us the last version. Snatch up Anthony Anderson as Bernard. He can play the senior detective or lieutenant role. Start the show with taking the reins from Van Buren if S. Epatha Merkerson if she doesn’t want to come lead the next generation.
I was thinking that, as he’s wrapping up on Blackish.
Merkerson can’t come back as she’s a series regular on Chicago Ames which is in the same universe as Law and Order
Well if they are in the same universe, than don’t both characters already exist? So they look alike, who cares.
SVU already had a show years ago where a new character had taken over Van Buren’s job at the 27th precinct.
As long as they remaster the original series for High def
I would rather see a new one. Because the good actors are gone I was never a McCoy. Fan but might watch to see how it is
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the phrase “I was never a McCoy fan” before. That is honestly a first.
Great news!
I LOVE THIS! We’ll need Jack McCoy as DA, Connie Rubirosa as the executive ADA, and Anita Van Buren back in the NYPD, although maybe she can get a promotion, too. I would definitely take Green and a new person as the main officers, too.
McCoy is around 80 now-Connie is on FBI and Anita is on Chicago Med-sadly I dont think any of them will be on the new “old” show.
I love it!! Can’t wait! STILL WATCHING OLD ORIGINAL SHOWS.
Every chance I get!!! 💕
It shouldn’t have been canceled in the first place.
TOTALLY AGREE!!!!
NEW YORK GRIDDY POLICE/ LAW DRAMA. GREAT STORIES, ACTING REAL PEOPLE. ”RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES” OVER THE YEARS NY WAS ALWAYS THE BEST FOR THESE KIND OF SHOWS.THANK GOD A REAL SHOW!!!!!!!!!!
Holy cow! I’d love to see McCoy as the DA, and Ed Green was always one of my favorite detectives, if he can somehow split time with The Flash. Any chance they bring in Goren and Eames!!
And I really would love to see Barba from SVU as an ADA again. I liked him a lot better than Cutter.
He’d have to step up in competence—Barba was always getting undercut by the SVU squad which made him seemingly always lose in court.
On the mothership, Stone, Cutter, McCoy all won almost all the time
I’m really excited as I love Law and Order but I wonder how the cast is going to shape up? What will the ratio of new to old cast members will there be? Will it be like the new CSI?
A handful of l &O vets are now on other Wolf Franchises. De La Garza and Sisto are on FBI and Merkerson is on Chicago Med.
Anderson is finishing up on Blackish and has TTTT on ABC. Will he be want to or be able to make the move?
Sam Waterston is unknown. I know he’s still working, but will he want to go back or will he choose to retire after Grace and Frankie?
Is Linus Roache back in the UK?Last time I saw him, he was acting with his dad in the UK.
Another old show. Same old same old. Cancel all the new and different good shows to make way for the stale old shows.
Network’s are dead!!
After several decades of programming, original concepts that are considered to be good enough to take a risk on will realistically be hard to come by since a lot of the “new and good shows” don’t end up having a good quantity of viewers to match the quality of the programming. Fortunately there still are sometimes prominent examples successful new shows over the years.
I would love seeing this come back. I have been watching reruns of it all summer.
Abby Carmichael for DA and Jack McCoy as her friend and mentor…
Angie Harmon doesn’t have an acting credit on her IMDB since 2018, so I guess she’s free. I imagine Detective Bernard could come back since he’s done with Blackish now, but I’d rather have Logan.
She is engaged, so she may not want to work in NY, she and her fiancee don’t live in the area. It would mean a lot of changes for her, I don’t know how old her daughters are and about their schooling.
Angie Harmon is not free. She just inked a multi movie deal with Lifetime TV in which she will be an executive producer, writer and star in the show. Deadline announced it on June 2nd
Retooling for today’s television tastes featuring Lenny Briscoe returning as a zombie!
Um…no.
please thank you absolutely not
The Walking Deadtectives?
So excited about this news
You know who would be a good elected DA? Judith Light’s SVU character.
YEAH!!!! Now, if they’d bring back Criminal Intent, I would be a SUPER happy camper. I really don’t like SVU (or SUV, as I call it). I LOVED this series…I still watch the reruns.
Not at all related to this story, but I figured I would ask. Do you know whenDC Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 and Legacies Season 3 coming to Netflix? Thanks you for taking the time to answer my question.
Would have preferred Criminal Intent with Goren & Eames.
Criminal Intent was always my favorite, but we are in the minority with that opinion.
I’m not so sure. As much as I loved the original series, I’ve gotten a bit tired of its reruns, but I still will almost always stop and watch a CI episode if it features Goren and Eames.
my fave too still watch on Peacock
We would as well – the actors make the show, and they were hard to beat.
Plus I think quirky detectives are my jam.
It would have to be a half season. D’onofrio had health issues with the full 22-episode season, which is why he was 1/2 and 1/2 with the “second team” and left the series altogether at one point.
Never say never. With streaming services out there, pretty much anything that was ever even remotely popular has a chance at being revived.
Donofrio is in Godfather of Harlem with Forrest Whitaker and he is excellent in it.
Cool
I’d really like to see this work but at this point it just feels like a mind numbingly painful reminder that so many OG cast members are now playing completely different characters in the same shared universe.