The original 'Law & Order' is coming back for Season 21

Jolie Lash
·2 min read
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Long before Netflix had TUDUM, NBC had DUN-DUN, and the network is about to get even more of it. Law & Order — no colon, no subtitle — is coming back.

Wolf Entertainment announced Tuesday that the original incarnation of its flagship series will be returning to air for a 21st season, more than a decade after it initially handed in its badge and gun.

"There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true," Wolf Entertainment boss Dick Wolf said in a statement. "This is mine."

LAW AND ORDER
LAW AND ORDER

Everett Collection S. Epatha Merkerson, Jerry Orbach, Dianne Wiest, Jesse L. Martin, Angie Harmon, and Sam Waterson on 'Law & Order'

Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, added, "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. This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere."

No premiere date or casting information was made available, but the original Law & Order, which launched in September 1990, featured a host of memorable characters over the years, drawn from "the police who investigate the crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders," as the narration at the start of the show memorably noted.

The police side of the cast featured the late Jerry Orbach as Det. Lennie Briscoe, The Flash's Jesse L. Martin as Det. Ed Green, Chicago Med's S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt.. Anita Van Buren, Sex and the City's Chris Noth as Det. Mike Logan, and Benjamin Bratt as Det. Rey Curtis, to name a few. On the legal side were Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy, who held various positions, Jill Hennessy as ADA Claire Kincaid, Angie Harmon as ADA Abbie Cramichael, Elisabeth Rohm as ADA Serena Southerlyn, Alana de la Garza as ADA Connie Rubirosa, and more.

During its initial run, Law & Order was nominated for more than 50 Emmys and won Outstanding Drama Series in 1997. It also remains one of the longest-running dramas to ever air on television. Gunsmoke, which ran from 1955 to 1975, still has the most episodes at 635, but the L&O spin-off Law and Order: SVU is now the longest-running scripted live-action TV series, as it's now in its 23rd season.

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