The Original ‘Law & Order’ Revived For Season 21 By NBC
NBC is bringing back the big guns, as they revive the original ‘Law & Order‘ for a 21st Season, over 11 years after they cancelled the series.
The Emmy-winning series from Dick Wolf was a blended police procedural and courtroom drama with a two-part approach: The first half focused on NYPD homicide detectives investigating a crime – often derived from a real-life headline – and apprehending a suspect. The second half took place in the courtroom, with the district attorney prosecuting the defendant. The series starred Sam Waterson as Jack McCoy, S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. Anita Van Buren, Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe, Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff, Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green.
Whilst there is currently no casting in place for the revival, they are planning on trying to bring back a number of the beloved original cast. Top name on the hit list is Sam Waterson (‘The Newsroom’, ‘Grace & Frankie’) as Jack McCoy who did 16 Seasons on the show, but Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment are expected to reach out to former cast members shortly. They are not short of people to call on, as the series had something of a revolving cast over the years. S. Epatha Merkerson (‘The Closer’, ‘Deception’) takes the crown for the longest run at 17 seasons, although she is currently appearing on one of Wolf’s (many!) other shows, ‘Chicago Med’.
“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, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”
The drama was tied with ‘Gunsmoke’ as the longest-running primetime drama series when NBC opted to cancel the show back in 2010. That record has now been beaten, ironically by the spin-off series ‘Law & Order: SVU’, but Wolf himself always felt, due to the cancellation, there was “unfinished business” with the main series. “There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true. This is mine,” he commented about the news today. The series was also nominated for over 50 Emmys during its run.
Wolf will executive produce the new season, with longtime collaborator Rick Eid (‘Law & Order’, ‘Law & Order: SVU’, ‘FBI’, ‘Chicago P.D.’) taking the reins as writer and showrunner. Wolf Entertainment’s Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski also exec produce with Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, producing the show in association with Wolf Entertainment.
“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,” adds Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman, Universal Studio Group.
No premiere date has been set for ‘Law & Order‘ Season 21, but it will air on NBC in the USA. We don’t technically know where it’ll land in the UK, however, I’d be very surprised if it airs anywhere other than Sky Witness. We’ll let you know when we hear more!
