NBC cancelled this show in 2010 and revived it over a decade later. It’s done well in the ratings and has helped establish a whole night of shows from the franchise. Could Law & Order be cancelled again, or is it sure to be renewed for season 24 and beyond? Stay tuned. *Status Update Below.
A legal drama series, the Law & Order TV show stars Sam Waterston, Hugh Dancy, Camryn Manheim, Odelya Halevi, Mehcad Brooks, and Reid Scott. Set in New York City, the stories follow the police investigating crimes and the district attorneys prosecuting the offenders. The characters include District Attorney Jack McCoy (Waterson), Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun (Halevi), Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price (Dancy), Lieutenant Kate Dixon (Manheim), Senior Detective Jalen Shaw (Brooks), and Junior Detective Vincent Riley (Scott). Stories are often based on real cases, and episodes are split between a criminal investigation and the following trial.
The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s chances of staying on the air. The higher the ratings, the better the chances of survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available.
5/17 update: You can see the latest night’s ratings in context.
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For comparisons: Season 22 of Law & Order on NBC averaged a 0.45 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 4.38 million viewers.
Note: These are the final national ratings, including all live+same day viewing and DVR playback (through 3:00 AM). Early fast affiliate ratings (estimates) are indicated with an “*”. While these numbers don’t include further delayed or streaming viewing, they are a very good indicator of how a show is performing, especially when compared to others on the same channel. There can be other economic factors involved in a show’s fate, but typically the higher-rated series are renewed and the lower-rated ones are cancelled.
What do you think? Do you like the Law & Order TV series on NBC? Should it be cancelled or renewed for a 24th season?
*3/21/24 update: Law & Order has been renewed for a 24th season on NBC.