Law & Order


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About

From Wikipedia:

Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It originally aired on NBC and, in syndication, on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010. At the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. Its record of 20 seasons is a tie with Gunsmoke (1955–1975) for the longest-running live-action scripted American prime-time series with ongoing characters. Although it has fewer episodes than Gunsmoke, Law & Order is the longest-running full-hour series in primetime television because Gunsmoke was a half-hour in its first six seasons.

Set and filmed in New York City, the series follows a two-part approach: the first half-hour is the investigation of a crime (usually murder) and apprehension of a suspect by New York City Police Department homicide detectives; the second half is the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Plots are often based on real cases that recently made headlines, although the motivation for the crime and the perpetrator may be different.

The show has been noted for its revolving cast over the years. Among the longest-running main cast members were Steven Hill as District Attorney Adam Schiff (seasons 1–10), Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe (seasons 3–14), S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (seasons 4–20), Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green (seasons 10–18) and Sam Waterston as Executive Assistant District Attorney (later District Attorney) Jack McCoy (seasons 5–20).

The success of the series has led to the creation of additional shows, making Law & Order a franchise, with also a television film, several video games, and international adaptations of the series. It has won and has been nominated for numerous awards over the years, including a number of Emmy Awards. On May 14, 2010, NBC announced that it had canceled Law & Order and would air the final episode on May 24, 2010. Immediately following the show's cancellation, Wolf stated that he was attempting to find a new home for the series and would also consider a "last resort" plan to conclude the show with a two-hour TV film to air on NBC. In July 2010, however, he indicated that those attempts had failed and declared that the series had now "moved to the history books".

However, in February 2015 rumors started that NBC was planning to bring the series back for 10 episodes. In May 2015, former star Sam Waterston (EADA/DA Jack McCoy) announced to "The Hollywood Reporter" that he supports and would join a revival of Law & Order, saying, "You're darn right. Sure, I'd love it. Got to break the record." Creator Dick Wolf has expressed wanting to use a L&O revival to do a 'ripped from the headlines' story-line surrounding the murder trial of Robert Durst, Wolf said "[Of all my past projects] I'd bring back Law & Order. Everybody who knows me knows it's something I want to do," he continued, "my only regret looking backward is all the great stories that we haven't been able to do for the past five years." At the 2015 Television Critics Association summer press tour, Wolf noted everyone wants a revival, "It is a question of... most of the people involved are very successful in their careers. To try to get everything in sequence is much more difficult than it looks on the outside. I am always an optimist. I would love to do it if we can make it work."

Highlights
S. Epatha Merkerson on her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren"
05:06
David Shore on writing for Law & Order
06:44
Warren Littlefield on the development of Law & Order
02:58
Allison Janney on her appearances on Law & Order
01:26
Who talked about this show

Lucie Arnaz

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Lucie Arnaz on guest-starring on Law and Order
01:12

Paris Barclay

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Paris Barclay on directing Law & Order
01:11

Judith Crist

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Judith Crist on reviewing a pivotal episode of Law & Order dealing with the bombing of an abortion clinic
02:13

Edie Falco

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Edie Falco on appearing on Law & Order
00:57

Walon Green

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Walon Green on Dick Wolf hiring him to write for Law & Order
05:01
Walon Green on finding story ideas for Law & Order from the headlines and from his own experiences
04:47
Walon Green on Paul Sorvino leaving Law & Order, to be replaced by Jerry Orbach as "Lennie Briscoe," and on writing his first episode
01:36
Walon Green on Dick Wolf casting S. Epatha Merkerson as "Anita Van Buren" on Law & Order
01:16
Walon Green on the relationship between the cast of Law & Order and the writers while he was there
01:37
Walon Green on the popularity of the Law & Order franchise
01:31

Allison Janney

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Allison Janney on her appearances on Law & Order
01:26

Warren Littlefield

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Warren Littlefield on the development of Law & Order
02:58

William H. Macy

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William H. Macy on appearing on the pilot of Law & Order, and the shooting style of the show
00:56

S. Epatha Merkerson

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S. Epatha Merkerson on her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren"
05:06
S. Epatha Merkerson on getting an audition for Law & Order
01:50
S. Epatha Merkerson on Dick Wolf wanting her for the role of "Lt. Anita Van Buren" on Law & Order and production on the show
12:14
S. Epatha Merkerson on picking her battles in script meetings for Law & Order  
04:24
S. Epatha Merkerson on coming to Law & Order after it had been on for four seasons (two female characters were introduced the year she came on)
03:26
S. Epatha Merkerson on wearing a wig to cover her natural hair when portraying her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren"
02:57
S. Epatha Merkerson on how her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren" evolved over the course of the show
01:25
S. Epatha Merkerson on the reflection of African-American culture in New York on Law & Order
00:57
S. Epatha Merkerson on screen time for her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren"
00:38
S. Epatha Merkerson on cops and fans approaching her with compliments while she was cast on Law & Order
04:21
S. Epatha Merkerson on how 9/11 affected Law & Order
05:41
S. Epatha Merkerson on a typical production week on Law & Order
02:18
S. Epatha Merkerson on her character fatally wounding a child on Law & Order
02:22
S. Epatha Merkerson on the storylines on Law & Order
02:10
S. Epatha Merkerson on working with the cast members of Law & Order and her friendship with Jesse Martin and Dennis Farina; on cast transitions
10:27
S. Epatha Merkerson on the tone on the Law & Order set during heavy scenes
01:45
S. Epatha Merkerson on her job security on Law & Order
01:33
S. Epatha Merkerson on censorship on Law & Order
01:19
S. Epatha Merkerson on crossover episodes of Law & Order
03:39
S. Epatha Merkerson on her decision to leave Law & Order
03:54
S. Epatha Merkerson on the cancellation of Law & Order
00:46
S. Epatha Merkerson on shooting the final episode of Law & Order
01:07
S. Epatha Merkerson on keeping her Law & Order character fresh over the course of fifteen years
01:41
S. Epatha Merkerson on her favorite episodes of Law & Order
01:48
S. Epatha Merkerson on the legacy of Law & Order
00:41

Don Ohlmeyer

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Don Ohlmeyer on loving Law & Order
01:06

Lori Openden

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Lori Openden on her (non) involvement in casting the pilot of Law & Order and adding talent to the show over the years
02:11

Mike Post

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Mike Post on writing the theme for and scoring Law & Order
05:11

John Rich

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John Rich on acting with Julia Roberts on Law & Order
01:20

Sid Sheinberg

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Sid Sheinberg on MCA's syndication and television business in the '80s and the series Law & Order
03:43

Judith Sheindlin

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Judith Sheindlin on Law & Order
02:12

David Shore

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David Shore on writing for Law & Order
06:44
David Shore on writing for Law & Order
02:10
David Shore on being nominated for an Emmy for an episode of Law & Order
00:54

Jeffrey Tambor

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Jeffrey Tambor on various guest appearances 
03:22

Dick Wolf

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Dick Wolf on the pilot for Law & Order directed by John Patterson
04:33
Dick Wolf on casting Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and on dealing with actors leaving the shows
04:20
Dick Wolf on how Law & Order came about with development by Brandon Tartikoff
10:15
Dick Wolf on how Law & Order changed from it's initial pitch to when it aired
04:14
Dick Wolf on the bi-coastal production of Law & Order
07:04
Dick Wolf on casting Law & Order
03:51
Dick Wolf on basing Law & Order scripts on real-life events
04:38
Dick Wolf on the controversial Law & Order episode "Life Choice" and on other controversies during the show's run
05:06
Dick Wolf on how 9/11 impacted Law & Order
01:10
Dick Wolf on trademark elements of Law & Order including the theme song by Mike Post
01:57
Dick Wolf on the pacing on Law & Order and audience attention spans
01:49
Dick Wolf on the dialogue of Law & Order
Dick Wolf on the popularity of procedural shows like Law & Order
00:42
Dick Wolf on the feedback he's gotten from law enforcement for his shows like Law & Order
02:34
Dick Wolf on how the legal profession has reacted to his series like Law & Order
01:02

Jeff Zucker

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Jeff Zucker on the importance of Law & Order and its spin-offs to NBC
01:42

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