How to watch every ‘Law & Order’ series in order of release

For crime show fanatics, there’s nothing quite like Law & Order to scratch that insistent itch. Created by Richard Wolf, this franchise has easily become one of the most popular in the U.S. and the world, typically following police detectives as they attempt to solve criminal cases.

Proof of the franchise’s success is how long it’s been around for — over 30 years. During all this time, the Law & Order universe has grown exponentially, counting now with several spin-offs and over 60 collective seasons. Granted, not all the spin-offs have that “it” factor that makes the franchise so great, but there’s merit to them as they definitely have a lot of good content to be enjoyed.

While having no shortage of episodes to go through is any fan’s dream come true, for anyone who is looking to get into Law & Order, this can be intimidating. More often than not, people don’t know where to begin or how to enjoy the franchise in its proper order. Worry not, though; in this article, readers can find every Law & Order show, listed by release order.

Law & Order (1990)

The very first show in this franchise was the 1990 Law & Order, which premiered on Sept. 13 and ran for 20 seasons before being canceled in May of 2010. This came as a disappointment to loyal viewers who couldn’t get enough, but fortunately, an announcement that the show would be picked back up eventually came, 11 years later. Clearly, whoever said that good things come to those who wait was dead on. Law & Order‘s 21st season premiered on Feb. 24, 2022. Understandably, the original cast was replaced, but it didn’t take too long for the new protagonists to grow on viewers. This series will continue to be around until season 23, at the very least.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)

Nine years after the original series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was released. With a focus on sexual crimes, as well as crimes against particularly vulnerable populations, this spin-off is by far the most widely known, following NYPD’s captain, the passionate Olivia Benson, and her team. By now, Special Victims Unit surpasses the original series in both the number of episodes and seasons, having already been renewed for a 25th installment, and luckily for fans, there is no end in sight.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001)

Special Victims Unit had just started airing its third season when Criminal Intent came around. The show debuted on Sept. 30, 2001, and focuses on the Major Case Squad’s investigations, which involve high-profile people such as Government officials and those of high social status. Unlike other shows in the franchise, Criminal Intent stands out for highlighting the motives behind the crimes, giving the audience glimpses at the suspect’s and victim’s lives leading up to the main events. Sadly, unlike the previous entries, Criminal Intent came to a conclusion after 10 seasons, on June 26, 2011.

Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)

Piggybacking off the success of its predecessors, Law & Order: Trial by Jury premiered on March 3, 2005, but unfortunately, luck was about to run out. This show is distinctly different from others in the franchise, taking on the challenge of portraying the legal procedures that other Law & Order series don’t: all the preparations that go into taking a case to court. These preparations are depicted from both the defense’s and the prosecution’s ends, but as interesting as that might sound, it was a miss with its audience. The show was canceled due to low ratings after only 13 episodes, with the last airing on Jan 21, 2006.

Law & Order: UK (2009)

Unlike the other entries on this list, Law & Order: UK is more than a simple spin-off. This series is a British adaptation of the original show, taking place in London but following the exact same formula. It premiered on Feb 23, 2009, and due to its success, it ran for eight seasons before entering a hiatus. During that time period, the show aired 53 episodes, with the latest having debuted on June 11, 2014. Unfortunately for fans, at the time of writing, there has been no announcement regarding the series’ return.

Law & Order: LA (2010)

As one can easily guess, this Law & Order spin-off steps away from the franchise’s typical setting, switching the Big Apple for the City of Angels. The show premiered shortly after the original Law & Order finished its first run, on Sept 29, 2010, and aired 22 episodes until July 11 of the following year. Unlike other spin-offs, there is nothing particularly different about the series’ structure when compared with the original. In every episode, the first half was dedicated to investigating a crime, with the second showing viewers the prosecution. Perhaps because it was so similar to the original, Law & Order: LA was quickly axed.

Law & Order: True Crime (2017)

Law & Order: True Crime stands out within its franchise for being an anthology series that dramatizes real-life cases. With only one season made up of eight episodes, True Crime is the franchise’s shortest-lived show — for now, at least. The spin-off debuted on Sept 16, 2017, and aired its latest episode on Nov 14 of the same year, before going on a hiatus. Since then, there has been no word about when the show will return, but until it gets officially canceled, there is still hope.

Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021)

The most recent Law & Order series is Organized Crime, and it serves as both a spin-off of the original show and Special Victims Unit. In it, Christopher Meloni reprises his role as Elliot Stabler, the Detective from SVU who abandoned the show after its 12th season and, following his wife’s demise, returns to duty in the Organized Crime Task Force. The series premiered on April 1, 2021, and is still ongoing, with three seasons under its belt at the time of writing, and a fourth on the way.

Law & Order shows can be found available for streaming on many different platforms, such as Hulu, Peacock, and DIRECTV.

However, if you run into any location-based restrictions trying to stream through either of these platforms, you might want to consider using a VPN (or Virtual Private Network). VPNs allow you to alter your viewing location to another country and access more shows & movies across your preferred streaming platforms. The easiest way to get a VPN is by signing up for a paid VPN service, such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Even better, both options offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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