Well, now we can say it for sure. The original Law & Order TV show has been cancelled after 20 years. No special last episode, no beating Gunsmoke’s record, and no season 21. What the heck happened?
Created by Dick Wolf, Law & Order was revolves around NYPD crime investigations and the trials that follow. The current performers include Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Linus Roache, Alana de la Garza, and Sam Waterston.
If you look merely at the ratings. Law & Order should been cancelled awhile ago but it’s produced in-house and is lucrative in syndication. Last spring, Wolf reportedly made concessions to NBC so that the show could stay on the air in order to tie Gunsmoke’s number of seasons on the air.
A few months ago, NBC entertainment president Anglea Bromstad said that she intended to renew it for year 21. It was later revealed that NBC really needed TNT to pick up the additional episodes in syndication to help with the production costs. TNT already has 20 seasons of episodes to draw from and the agreement stipulates NBC couldn’t shop season 21 elsewhere.
According to Deadline, NBC had told Wolf in March that they would negotiate a new agreement with TNT to include financing for some new episodes. Supposedly, NBC opted not to do that.
According to NYMag, NBC was still interested in bringing the show back next season for between six and 10 episodes. To do that, NBC execs wanted him Wolf to find a way to trim costs even further, including potentially trimming his profits, to align more closely with the show’s low ratings.
It seems that Wolf balked at that idea and negotiations fell apart. Several people in the cast and crew were told that the deal wouldn’t be moving forward and that’s how the cancellation news leaked out. NBC claimed that they hadn’t made a final decision yet but ultimately decided to pass.
There was some speculation that TNT might pick up the show and finance first-run episodes. However, the cable channel made it known pretty quickly that they weren’t interested in that.
Law & Order has now been officially cancelled and won’t be back for season 21. The last episode will air on Monday, May 24th. It won’t have any closure though it will serve as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren’s swan song. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson was set to leave the show anyway.
Word is that the network and Wolf will meet to discuss some kind of closure for Law & Order. Characters might appear on another Law & Order series or there could be a wrap-up movie of some kind.
What do you think? Are you sad to see Law & Order go or has it overstayed its welcome? Would you like to see any of the characters transfer to other shows?
Image courtesy NBC.
Law and Order hit the skinds when Branch fired Liz Rohm, then making McCoy the DA and giving a part to Dennis Farina–he was real bad…The current cast is down right horrible, especially the cop Lupo—looks and acts like some dirty, lazy actor–2005 was when the show took an oblivious turn for the worse–liberal political undertones were injected, the content was boring and sour. The casting did not help…I can not imagine this show going much further as it is just boring and bad–as for SVU and criminal Intent–bad casting, boring story content and too much Olivia–very over rated–Once a… Read more »
Hope they bring it back with Michael and Connie
I will MISS this show. One of mt favorites!!
I will MISS Law and Order!! One of my all time favorite shows. Why do the good shows leave?
the current shows are really bad, bad casting and real bad acting—the content is boring and too much liberal politics injected..as if we would not catch on…you want a good cops show–Blue Bloods is outstanding–McCoy was a bad DA–Connie acts like some pompous arrogent actress who is belter than everyone—Lupo is so bad you turn the channel when he is featured..Vanburen has run her course–Dick Wolfe must have thrown in the towel around 2005 as the show went into the toliet from 2005 to current–the other Law and Order shows–SVU and Criminal Intent are very boring and stale casting–too much… Read more »
Im very sad to see the show cancelled
A finer crime drama just does not exist
They set the gold standard
Shows like criminal minds we’re nothing compared to the original law and order
Yes I am sad that Law and Order has finished. I have watched it from the very beginning and still love to watch the re-runs. I know they have spin offs, but Law and Order is still the original and the Best. I’d wish they would change their minds and bring it back.
It seems like every show I like has gone bye bye csi law an order criminal intent criminal minds now the listener is on hate it. Mod squads short run cancelled for family another crappy show why can’t tv at least give us reruns of house. The new shows have no Drama just boreing done to death predecessor it’s like someone who loved teen pop stars took over. Why not at least show reruns to seasons end. Net Felix is same foreign films an horror movie galore or 20 year old movies come on people do better please…
I wish there was more law and order. It was the best show ever!
totally agree
It’s too bad they don’t keep good shows going just because of the office politics. Maybe some day corporate America will actually listen to their customers. Nah, probably not.
I think Law and Order is one of the best shows on tv. I have watch it for years. I hate to see it be cancelled. Isn’t there any way that the show can be put back on tv. Take a poll and you will find that there are a lot of people very disappointed because the show is cancelled. Please do some Mr. Wolf
Count me in.. Come on Mr Wolf listen to the listeners
I would love to see the show returned to prime time TV. Take off the reality show that aren’t really reality and put real shows on. How can you request a particular show be aired? I would love to see the episode where Detective Ed Green is injured.
best show ever, not much left
It is so sad all the good tv shows are always being cancelled. Take these sorry reality shows off tv and spend money on show like all the law and orders for several more seasons. anyone with common sense should know those shows are fake. All series of all the law and order was educational and entertaining. Please run more law and order as long as the cast live. It would also be wonderful to see some of the cast on another law and order. Make the public happy for once.
I love Chicago P.D. and Criminal Minds.
To bad! If not broken , do not fix?????
When you have a great series it is cancelled and replaced by junk which later is cancelled anyway, so sad, I love Law and Order and the actors and actresses, what a shame , I will watch the reruns over and over because there is nothing worth looking at anymore.