Dick Wolf’s procedural Law & Order dramas have a decades-long legacy. There are seven U.S. shows total in the franchise, which translates to well over 1,000 episodes — with more on the horizon. Seriously, when is the last time you checked the channel guide and didn’t see an episode of Law & Order playing? That alone speaks to the brand’s ubiquitous power.
So, what’s your favorite Law & Order spin-off? Let’s review the seven U.S. ones, below, starting with the flagship series that launched a cultural phenomenon.
McCoy and Marlowe Face Off | Law & Order: SVU
The O.G. Law & Order, starring Sam Waterston as DA Jack McCoy, follows the lives of the officers and attorneys handling cases within NYPD’s 27th Precinct. The series was revived in 2022, with Law & Order veteran Waterston reprising his iconic role alongside a revamped cast, including Jeffrey Donovan as Detective Frank Cosgrove, Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw, and Hugh Dancy as lawyer Nolan Pierce. In April, Law & Order was renewed for Season 23, returning to NBC this fall.
Bensler Get Steamy and Almost Kiss | NBC’s Law & Order: SVU
While the flagship series is certainly binge-worthy, many Law & Order fans would agree that SVU is one of the most beloved of the spin-offs. Starring the spellbinding Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson, the series focuses on the squad of Manhattan’s SVU, which deals with “especially heinous” sexually-based crimes. Surpassing the O.G. series in episode count, SVU is a must-see for any franchise fan.
Following the outstanding success of SVU, Wolf created another addictive spin-off, Criminal Intent.
Criminal Intent dives deeper into a perpetrator’s motivations, leading to some seriously complex cases throughout the series’ 10 seasons. For those times you’ve screamed “Why?” at the TV screen, Criminal Intent is here to provide the answers — with some grim discoveries along the way.
Many Law & Order spin-offs are equal parts criminal investigation and trial. But this series emphasizes the latter, with each episode starting with a criminal arraignment. The series starred Jerry Orbach, Amy Carlson, and Bebe Neuwirth and showcased legal teams for both the prosecution and defense of jury trials.
This series is the first Law & Order spin-off to take place outside of the Big Apple, featuring the captivating cast of Terrence Howard, Corey Stoll, Alana De La Garza, Rachel Ticotin, and Alfred Molina. Set in the beautiful Californian landscape, it’s never a boring day for the officers at the LAPD.
Until 2017, the Law & Order franchise boasted a primarily episodic format in which the squad arrests a new criminal each week. Law & Order True Crime deviated from this, using an entire season to deep-dive into one real-life case. Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders stars the endlessly entertaining Edie Falco, Gaston Villanueva, and Gus Halper.
The latest Law & Order spin-off to send fans into a frenzy is the jaw-dropping Organized Crime, also renewed for Season 4. Starring SVU veteran Christopher Meloni, Elliot Stabler has returned to NYC and has joined the Organized Crime Control Bureau. The series follows Stabler and the OCCB as they dismantle criminal empires, arrest crime lords, and identify and eliminate potential terrorist attacks. The series also features several delicious OC and SVU crossover episodes, where we see Benson and Stabler bac
