One of the surprises of last week’s TV news was the cancellation of Law & Order after 20 seasons. The venerable NBC drama had been on the cusp of becoming the longest-running primetime drama on American television. Tonight marks the series finale of the show, or does it?
Created by Dick Wolf, Law & Order revolves around criminal investigations by the NYPD 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.
The ratings for Law & Order have been pretty low for awhile but, in part because it is produced in-house and in part because the rest of NBC’s schedule has done so poorly, the series has remained on the air.
It looked like it would certainly be back for season 21 but Wolf and NBC couldn’t come to an agreement over the finances. One potential deal even had NBC paying for eight episodes and TNT (which airs syndicated reruns) paying for another eight but the cable channel wouldn’t go for it.
Last week, NBC announced that a new series, Law & Order: Los Angeles, would be joining the schedule in the fall and that the original Law & Order had been cancelled. TNT released a statement that said the cable channel wasn’t in talks to pick it up.
However, it seems Wolf and NBC aren’t giving up. The veteran producer says that he’s seeking “other offers” for the show to try to keep it going as a weekly series. There are now reportedly meetings set up between NBC Universal and TNT execs to revisit the possibility of the cable channel funding original episodes. The NBC folks are apparently going over the numbers to try to figure out a way to make it work financially.
If these efforts don’t succeed, there has been talk of NBC working out a deal with Wolf to film some sort of wrap up for the show. That would most likely take the form of a two-hour movie.
Whatever happens, it doesn’t sound like tonight’s episode will be the last we’ll see of Law & Order. Despite issuing a statement that the series has been cancelled, NBC is now referring to tonight’s installment as merely the season finale.
What do you think? Do you think the TV show will continue on another station, will wrap up in a movie, or just disappear?
Image courtesy NBC.
Law&Order is an institution. My teenage daughter’s on the phone with a girlfirend and told her friend she could’nt talk because she was watching the final episode, her friend says, “there should be a Law and Order channel”. My sentiments exactly. I was pregnant with my daughter when L&O started. She’s in college now!I have been watching since it began, through all the cast changes, time slot changes…my God I feel as if I have lost a dear friend. I am so saddened. NBC has made a mess of things all year! Tonight’s show was more a send off for… Read more »
WHY DO THE BEST SHOWS GET CANCELED. “L&O” CAN NOT FALL BY THE WAYSIDE, IT’S STILL ONE OF THE BEST ON THE AIR. THIS IS GROWNUP TV. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN “SMITH” AND “WANTED” AMONG OTHERS WERE TAKEN OFF THE AIR. IF THOSE IN CHARGE OF WHAT WE WATCH KEEP CATERING TO THE SIMPLE-MINDED THE REST OF US WILL HAVE LITTLE LEFT TO ENJOY. PLEASE!!! DO NOT CANCEL THIS PROGRAM. AND BY-THE-WAY, WHAT HAPPENED TO KATHERINE ERBE AND VINCENT D’ONOFRIO??? ANOTHER MISTAKE ON SOME ONE’S PART.
The show went off rather wack and I think LAOLA is going to end bad like the last 2 Law & Order shows
I am a die-hard L&O fan and have been watching the program since its inception. I was truly saddened to hear that NBC would cancel the original program and add a new program in its place–in Los Angeles of all places! It is disheartening to see that the series finale is no “finale” at all. The cast, the crew, and the die-hard fans deserve more than this!!!!
I really hope NBC or TNT picks up Law and Order, at least for one more season!
Everyone I’ve talked to was surprised to hear it was being canceled.
There aren’t many TV shows out there with any merit, most are one time, mind numbing throw aways.
Imagine watching a repeat of a reality TV show vs. watching a repeat of Law and Order.
NBC, get your act together, PLEASE.
I felt badly about the cancellation and was hoping for some kind of reprieve. I knew this show would be in trouble when they stuck it in the 8pm EST slot on Fridays for the stupid Jay Leno experiment. Wow, when Jay’s 10pm show was cancelled I thought, hey, maybe Law and Order will finally return to a decent time slot………..Well it did and NBC cancelled it. What a shame..a quality show with a fabulous cast and writers…I don’t think TV has much to offer me anymore. I will go read a book!
I just watched the last episode of L&R and was not disappointed with its ending. Would love to see it on another network. I’ve watched it from the beginning so why not cancel the spinoffs and keep the original.
There’s sooooooooooooo much crap on tv these days.. what are NBC thinking ?
They are deep in the doo doo already with their awful programming decisions, and frankly if they dump L&O too there’ll be no point watching the network at all….
I certainly won’t….
You cannot cancel law and order it has been a part of our lives for as long as it has brrn airing, along with all the reruns on cable channels. It is one of the best drama series channel 4 produces. Please find a way to keep it going. I love all the Law and Order series SVU, Criminal Intent but I miss Vincent and Erbre.
Law and Order is an American and Should not be canceled,If it is I for one will surely miss it, I have watched it from the beginning. Thank You Dick Wolf
Well I wouldn’t mind seeing it for another season honestly. If it beats Gunsmoke, good if it doesnt not quite as good. I mean ever since I heard they canceled 24 and Lost which both looked like it would go on for many years to come, it just figures now nothing is safe except american freaking idol. And 84 shows canceled from this season??? Guess what I counted and over 30 of those were first season shows. Like Trauma and The forgotten just to name a couple good ones. Now that even ratings are down in this veteran show thats… Read more »
I want it to continue. I will give the LA show a shot but I don’t want Ken and Barby trying to solve crime. The characters in the original are real. LA will be so not there.
I was saddened to hear L&O was ending. Disappointed they were going to make, sigh, an L.A. version (geez, let’s copy NCIS L.A. why don’t we??) L&O, despite being ‘ripped from the headlines’, has enough twists and turns (and interesting characters) that it’s always been entertaining. And it’s in NY, for pete’s sake. L.A.’s been done to death.
let it die already
What’s it matter to you… just don’t watch it…
Personally I think if NBC doesn’t want to keep the show; TNT or USA Network should be it’s next candidate. This show has been around 20 years and it hasn’t lost its touch like most shows do around their 10th season (“The Simpsons”, “Law & Order: SVU”). “Law & Order” is still good! It’s broken records and won plenty of awards and I think that it should continue to. “L&O” will survive on cable more so than it will on NBC in my opinion. If Wolf/TNT come on some kind of deal… I’ll keep watching. I wish Wolf/TNT could make… Read more »
I AM SO UPSET THAT THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED>>>>>I REALLY HOPE TNT TAKES IT OVER!!!!
I am upset also. The best thing another station could ever do is pick it up and keep it going, at least for one more season and give it the ending it deserves…… I didnt watch NBC because it was my fav. station. I watched NBC because it had my fav. show on it…….
Please continue the show. It is one of the best on the air……Hope that a deal can be worked out.