93 Fun Facts About Law and Order

Who is the creator of the extensive 'Law & Order' television franchise?

Dick Wolf created the franchise with the original series and went on to build it into more than half a dozen spin-offs plus international adaptations.

In what year did the original 'Law & Order' premiere on NBC, with its bifurcated cops-then-courts format?

1990: it debuted on September 13 and stayed on NBC for its entire run.

Which 'Law & Order' spin-off passed Gunsmoke in 2019 to become TV's longest-running live-action primetime series?

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit passed its parent show and then Gunsmoke to become the longest-running live-action primetime series in American television history.

Which two parts make up the original 'Law & Order' episode structure?

Investigation and Trial: each episode spends its first half with the detectives investigating the crime and its second half with the district attorneys prosecuting the case.

What is the nickname of the 'Law & Order' scene-transition sound effect?

The 'Dun Dun': composer Mike Post calls it 'The Clang', a composite of several sounds that reportedly includes 500 Japanese men stamping on a hardwood floor.

Sam Waterston played which 'Law & Order' prosecutor, first as Executive Assistant DA and later District Attorney, into the revival?

Jack McCoy returned for the 2022 revival alongside Anthony Anderson's Detective Kevin Bernard.

Richard Belzer brought John Munch to SVU only on condition that which actor was cast as his partner?

Dean Winters was contractually tied to HBO's Oz and left after a few season-one episodes; from season 2, Munch's partner was Fin Tutuola.

Jerry Orbach famously played which veteran detective on the original 'Law & Order'?

Jerry Orbach portrayed the wise-cracking Detective Lennie Briscoe, a beloved character who was one of the longest-serving detectives on the original 'Law & Order'.

COVID-19 shutdowns cut the first season of 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' from 13 episodes to how many, premiering April 2021?

Eight episodes, for the only new show on NBC's fall 2020 schedule, which ended up premiering on April 1, 2021.

Which actor played the eccentric, brilliant Detective Robert Goren in 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'?

Vincent D'Onofrio played Goren, the Major Case Squad's brilliant, unconventional investigator, opposite Kathryn Erbe's Alexandra Eames.

Whose voice opens every 'Law & Order' episode with 'In the criminal justice system...'?

Zirnkilton has delivered the voice-over on every series and spin-off in the franchise, which share a similar look, music and credits.

What was the title of the 1988 'Law & Order' pilot that CBS ordered and then passed on?

The pilot was about corrupt city officials in bed with the mob, and NBC eventually aired it as a regular season-one episode.

Richard Belzer jokingly called the show's signature scene-change sound effect what?

'The Dick Wolf Cash Register': Belzer's joke about what the sound earns its creator; composer Mike Post himself calls the effect 'The Clang'.

Which city serves as the primary setting and filming location for most of the 'Law & Order' series?

The entire 'Law & Order' franchise is set and primarily filmed in New York City, giving the shows a distinct urban feel.

Which 'Law & Order: SVU' actress, as Olivia Benson, holds the record for longest-running character in a US primetime drama?

Mariska Hargitay has played Benson since the 1999 premiere, making her the longest-running live-action character in an American primetime series.

What was the initial run length of the original 'Law & Order' series before its hiatus in 2010?

That first run produced 456 episodes and tied Gunsmoke as the longest-running primetime scripted drama before the 2022 revival pushed it past.

Who was Olivia Benson's 12-season Law & Order: SVU partner, played by Christopher Meloni?

Elliot Stabler left after 12 seasons in 2011, then came back a decade later to headline the spin-off Organized Crime.

Steven Hill's District Attorney Adam Schiff was loosely based on which real-life Manhattan DA?

Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan's district attorney from 1975 to 2009, was the model for Adam Schiff; Steven Hill played the part for the show's first ten seasons.

SVU leads Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson were named after whom?

Dick Wolf's children: he named the two detectives after his son Elliot and his daughter Olivia when creating the series in 1999.

Which actor played Detective Joe Fontana, who took over Lennie Briscoe's desk at the 27th Precinct?

Farina, a former Chicago police officer, left after two seasons and Fontana was written off as retiring off-screen.

Michael Moriarty quit the show after a feud with which U.S. Attorney General over television violence?

Janet Reno: after Reno threatened to regulate TV violence in late 1993, Moriarty attacked her publicly, quit in 1994, and Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy replaced his Ben Stone.

What kind of crimes does the Special Victims Unit primarily investigate?

As its name suggests, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' focuses on crimes involving sexual assault, child molestation, and domestic violence.

Which rapper plays Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola on 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'?

Ice-T joined 'Law & Order: SVU' in its second season in 2000 and has since become one of the show's most recognizable and longest-serving characters.

Which network aired 'Law & Order: UK', the franchise's British adaptation?

ITV: Law & Order: UK ran on ITV for eight series from 2009 to 2014, with Bradley Walsh and Jamie Bamber as its first pair of detectives.

Who played ADA Alexandra Cabot on 'Law & Order: SVU' and again in 'Conviction'?

March took the part expecting the show to be short-lived because of its grim subject matter; Cabot was later written into Witness Protection after a hit nearly killed her.

Out of which Manhattan precinct does the SVU squad work?

The 16th Precinct: Manhattan SVU's squad room is set there, while the original series' detectives worked out of the fictional 27th Precinct.

What was the name of Detective Elliot Stabler's wife in 'Law & Order: SVU' and 'Organized Crime'?

Kathy, played by Isabel Gillies, was murdered by gangster Richard Wheatley, the event that pushed Stabler into the Organized Crime Control Bureau.

Which 'Law & Order' series often showed the crime unfold from the perpetrator's perspective?

'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' stood out from other spin-offs by often showing the crime unfold from the perspective of the perpetrator, with detectives Goren and Eames then unraveling it.

Before becoming Lieutenant Van Buren, S. Epatha Merkerson guest-starred in 'Law & Order' as what?

A grieving mother: in the 1991 season-one episode 'Mushrooms' she played Denise Winters, whose infant son was shot dead, two years before she joined as Van Buren.

Which network first ordered 13 episodes of 'Law & Order' on the concept alone, then backed out?

Fox ordered 13 episodes with no pilot; CBS then ordered a pilot but passed too, and the show finally landed at NBC, where it stayed for its entire run.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards did the original 'Law & Order' series win for Outstanding Drama Series?

One: the 1997 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series was its only win in the category, despite eleven consecutive nominations from 1992 to 2002.

In 2002, 'Law & Order' overtook which series as the longest-running police drama on American television?

Hawaii Five-O: its 12 seasons (1968–80) had been the police-drama benchmark until 'Law & Order' began a 13th season in autumn 2002; the Gunsmoke tie came later, in 2010.

DA Arthur Branch actor Fred Thompson left the show in 2007 to pursue what?

The Republican presidential nomination: Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, left in 2007 to run for president in 2008 and lost the nomination to John McCain.

Which of the following actors was part of the original 'Law & Order' cast as Detective Mike Logan?

Chris Noth played Detective Mike Logan in the early seasons of 'Law & Order' and later reprised the role in 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' and a TV movie.

Which original 'Law & Order' detective was partnered with Mike Logan in the very first season?

Dzundza and Chris Noth had been cast as the original pair back in the 1988 pilot, and Greevey lasted only the first season.

Which Dann Florek character was captain in the original 'Law & Order' and then long-time captain of SVU?

Captain Donald Cragen, played by Dann Florek, was a key figure in both the original 'Law & Order' and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' providing leadership to both precincts.

Sharon Stone's ADA Jo Marlowe stepped in during season 11 when Alexandra Cabot left to help rape victims where?

The Congo: Cabot left in the 2010 episode 'Witness' to work with rape victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sharon Stone's Jo Marlowe covered the final episodes of season 11.

Which actor joined the revived 'Law & Order' as Detective Frank Cosgrove?

Jeffrey Donovan joined as Detective Frank Cosgrove when the series returned in 2022, partnered with Anthony Anderson's Kevin Bernard in the first revival season.

Which 'Law & Order' spin-off was the first cancelled, after low ratings and the death of a prominent actor?

'Law & Order: Trial by Jury' had a single season run and was affected by low ratings and the untimely death of Jerry Orbach, who was a main cast member.

In what year did Mariska Hargitay win her Lead Actress Emmy for playing Olivia Benson?

Mariska Hargitay won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2006, the first acting Emmy won by a series regular anywhere in the 'Law & Order' franchise.

Which actor filled in as Detective Nick Falco while Ed Green recovered from being shot?

The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli played Detective Nick Falco for five episodes in 2005 while Jesse L. Martin's Ed Green recovered from being shot.

Channel Five replaced the Law & Order theme with 'I'm Not Driving Anymore' by which artist?

Rob Dougan: Five laid his 2002 track 'I'm Not Driving Anymore' over its own 'Law & Order' titles for years, before restoring Mike Post's theme for seasons 17 to 20.

The fictional New York Ledger from 'Law & Order' was the basis for which other Dick Wolf series?

Deadline, Wolf's 2000 NBC drama, starred Oliver Platt as a columnist at the New York Ledger, the tabloid that turns up throughout 'Law & Order'.

In the 'Law & Order' universe, which fictional university is often referenced?

Hudson University is a frequently mentioned fictional institution that serves as a connecting link and common setting across various 'Law & Order' shows.

Who played 'Law & Order' Detective Rey Curtis, hired to be 'even sexier' than Chris Noth?

Benjamin Bratt joined the cast of 'Law & Order' in 1995 as Detective Rey Curtis, partnering with Jerry Orbach's Lennie Briscoe.

What working title did the creator toy with before settling on 'Law & Order'?

Night & Day was Dick Wolf's 1988 working title for the two-part cops-then-courts concept, pitched with the prosecution rather than the defence as the hero, before it became Law & Order.

A Universal executive noted the concept resembled which one-season 1963 series?

Arrest and Trial (ABC, 1963–64): each 90-minute episode had Ben Gazzara's detective make the arrest and Chuck Connors' defence attorney fight the case in court.

Who was first seen as the 'perfect' Detective Logan before losing the part in a final reading?

Producers felt his mannerisms were repetitive in the last read, so the role went to the other finalist.

NBC pressure to add what led to two cast members being dropped after season 3?

Dick Wolf called the two phone calls the hardest he ever made; one of the dismissed actors later returned as a director and then as a spin-off captain.

Angie Harmon beat 85 other women to the ADA Carmichael role after Wolf heard her what?

Her Texas accent won it; Vanessa Williams was among the other candidates, and Carmichael was conceived as louder and more outspoken than any predecessor.

Which ADA's abrupt 2005 exit scene had her ask if she was being fired for being a lesbian?

Serena Southerlyn: Elisabeth Röhm's ADA was fired by Branch in the January 2005 episode 'Ain't No Love' and asked 'Is this because I'm a lesbian?', a line nothing earlier had set up.

Jesse L. Martin left mid-season 15 to film which movie musical?

Rent: Martin had originated Tom Collins on Broadway and reprised him in the 2005 film; Ed Green was written out as shot in the line of duty while he was away.

Which humorist had recurring cameos as a judge on the original series?

Fran Lebowitz played Judge Janice Goldberg in several episodes between 2001 and 2007, one of many real New Yorkers, including mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg, to appear on the show.

The theme was written for electric piano, guitar and which third instrument?

Clarinet: Mike Post scored the theme for electric piano, guitar and clarinet, keeping it deliberately sparse to match the show's clipped, documentary style.

Which actor played ADA Rafael Barba on 'Law & Order: SVU' from 2012 to 2018?

Raúl Esparza played ADA Rafael Barba from 2012 to 2018 and later returned as a guest; Peter Scanavino's Dominick Carisi afterwards took over as SVU's prosecutor.

Repeats first aired weekdays on which cable network in the 1994-95 season?

A&E: its weekday reruns from 1994 were credited with building the audience for NBC's new episodes; TNT took the rerun rights in 2001 after the price rose sharply.

Lawyer Ravi Batra sued the show for libel in 2004 over which season 14 episode?

Floater (2003): its corrupt lawyer 'Ravi Patel', shown bribing a judge, resembled Batra closely enough that he sued NBC and Dick Wolf for libel in 2004.

Which actor played police psychiatrist Dr. Emil Skoda in 41 episodes from 1997?

J. K. Simmons, later an Oscar winner for Whiplash, played Skoda while also appearing as Vern Schillinger on HBO's Oz, one of many actors the two shows shared.

Which nickname was given to the EADA introduced in the season 5 premiere 'Second Opinion'?

'Hang 'em High McCoy': the reputation Jack McCoy arrived with in the 1994 premiere 'Second Opinion'; he later calls himself a 'junkyard dog' of a prosecutor.

Which relative of Briscoe was murdered after testifying against a drug dealer?

His daughter Cathy: she was murdered in the 1998 episode 'Damaged' after testifying against a dealer, a rare private-life storyline written to give Orbach an 'Emmy moment'.

Detective John Munch was based on which real Baltimore homicide figure?

Jay Landsman, a Baltimore homicide sergeant profiled in the 1991 book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, was the model for Munch, who debuted on the TV adaptation in 1993.

Who is paid royalties every time Munch appears in an SVU episode?

David Simon: Munch sprang from Simon's book Homicide, so Simon has said he receives a small payment each time the character turns up on another show.

Munch earned his SVU sergeant's promotion after taking the exam on what?

On Homicide, a 'comedy of errors' had stopped him even showing up for the Baltimore sergeant's exam.

What was SVU's original working title?

Sex Crimes: the working title was dropped after a studio executive objected, and Wolf attached the Law & Order brand even though some feared a flop could damage the original.

Which studio executive objected to SVU's original working title and forced a change?

The same executive had earlier, as head of Fox, reversed that network's 13-episode order for the original series.

SVU's concept grew from the 1986 'preppie murder' case of which killer?

Robert Chambers, who killed Jennifer Levin in Central Park in 1986, inspired the season-one episode 'Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die' and later Wolf's wish to explore the psychology of sex crimes.

Which future Mad Men star was a finalist for SVU's male lead in 1999?

Tim Matheson and Nick Chinlund were the other finalists before the role went to the actor then starring on HBO's Oz.

The rapper cast as Fin originally agreed to how many SVU episodes?

He grew attached to the ensemble and relocated to New York before the short contract was even up.

Why did SVU production move from New Jersey back to New York in 2010?

Tax credits were suspended: New Jersey froze its film tax-credit programme in 2010, so SVU left North Bergen for the Chelsea Piers stages the original series had just vacated.

Tamara Tunie played SVU's medical examiner while also playing a DA on which soap opera?

As the World Turns: Tunie played lawyer Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap while working as SVU's Dr. Melinda Warner, and in 2002 also recurred on 24 as Alberta Green.

Which comedian was hired as a more comedic tech expert during the 'SVU 2.0' retool?

Gilbert Gottfried played TARU technician Leo Gerber in season 13 (2011–12), when new showrunner Warren Leight retooled the show and dropped the medical examiner from the main cast.

Kelli Giddish's detective transferred to Manhattan SVU from which city's police department?

Atlanta: Rollins joined Manhattan SVU from the Atlanta Police Department in 2011; a Georgia native from Loganville, she keeps the Braves' schedule on her fridge and dotes on her dog Frannie.

Which actress played Sheila Porter, the grandmother of Benson's adopted son Noah?

Brooke Shields played Sheila Porter across season 19 (2017–18); the other three options all earned SVU guest-actress Emmy nominations, and Nixon and Ann-Margret won.

Christopher Meloni's SVU detective served in which branch of the military?

Marine Corps: Stabler served in Operation Desert Storm as a Marine hand-to-hand combat specialist and has the Corps' Eagle, Globe and Anchor emblem tattooed on his forearm.

On Organized Crime, Dylan McDermott's crime boss Richard Wheatley was born with which surname?

His father was the mobster Manfredi Sinatra; Wheatley ran an online pharmaceutical company as a front for his second life.

Organized Crime moved from NBC to which streaming service for its fifth season?

Peacock: after four seasons on NBC, Organized Crime's fifth season premiered on NBCUniversal's streamer Peacock in April 2025.

Which longtime Law & Order writer co-created Criminal Intent and ran its first five seasons?

René Balcer, a 'Law & Order' writer from its first season and later its showrunner, co-created Criminal Intent with Dick Wolf and ran its first five seasons; he later created Law & Order True Crime.

Criminal Intent left NBC for which cable channel in its seventh season?

USA Network: Criminal Intent moved there for season 7 in 2007, having already been rerun on USA the week after each NBC airing; the move shared costs as ratings fell.

Jeff Goldblum joined Criminal Intent in season 8 as which detective?

Zack Nichols: Goldblum's detective arrived in season 8 (2009), paired with Megan Wheeler and then Serena Stevens, before Goren and Eames returned as sole leads for the tenth and final season.

Who played Nicole Wallace, the con artist Goren came to call his 'white whale'?

Olivia d'Abo played Nicole Wallace from the 2002 episode 'Anti-Thesis', returning through season 7 and eventually murdering Goren's drug-addicted brother Frank.

Which actress played Goren's schizophrenic mother Frances on Criminal Intent?

Rita Moreno, a Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for West Side Story, played Frances Goren, whose symptoms surfaced when Goren was seven and who died of lymphoma at the Carmel Ridge facility.

Bebe Neuwirth led the 2005 courtroom-focused spin-off as which bureau chief?

Tracey Kibre: Neuwirth's bureau chief led Trial by Jury, which uniquely showed jury selection and deliberations; its final episode aired on Court TV in 2006 after NBC cancelled it.

Which future Oscar winner played ADA Sigrun Borg in the 2005 courtroom spin-off?

Jessica Chastain, later a Best Actress winner for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, played Borg; Candice Bergen and Carey Lowell recurred as judges, Lowell reprising her ADA Jamie Ross.

After Law & Order: LA's overhaul, what did Alfred Molina's prosecutor Ricardo Morales become?

A police detective: Morales quit the DA's office in frustration and rejoined the LAPD as a detective, replacing Skeet Ulrich's Rex Winters, who was killed off in the retool.

In Law & Order True Crime, Edie Falco played which real attorney for the Menendez brothers?

Leslie Abramson: Falco played the combative defense attorney who led Erik Menendez's defense across the eight-episode 2017 season.

Which Doctor Who writer adapted the first 13 scripts for Law & Order: UK?

Chris Chibnall, later Doctor Who's showrunner, adapted the first 13 scripts from the 'Law & Order Bible' of synopses; one had to be scrapped as incompatible with English law.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent premiered in 2024 on which Canadian network?

Citytv: Rogers' network launched Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent in February 2024, the franchise's first Canadian series, with Aden Young and Kathleen Munroe as its lead detectives.

Screenwriter Charles Kipps won which prize for the 1998 TV movie Exiled?

An Edgar: Kipps's script for Exiled, which followed Mike Logan's banishment to Staten Island, won the Mystery Writers of America's award; Ice-T made his franchise debut in it as a pimp.

Which CBS procedural routinely beat Conviction in the Friday 10 p.m. ratings in 2006?

Numb3rs: CBS's Friday-night procedural routinely beat Conviction at 10 p.m. in 2006, a year after helping sink Trial by Jury in the same slot; Conviction reused many of that show's sets.

Camryn Manheim played which lieutenant in the 2022 revival?

Kate Dixon: Manheim took the 27th Precinct's squad-commander role for the 2022 revival, having played three different minor characters in the original run's early seasons.

Hugh Dancy joined the 2022 'Law & Order' revival as which Executive Assistant District Attorney?

Nolan Price: Dancy's EADA led the prosecution from the 2022 revival alongside Odelya Halevi's ADA Samantha Maroun; Tony Goldwyn arrived as DA Nicholas Baxter in 2024.

Dr. George Huang (BD Wong) was a forensic psychiatrist on loan to SVU from which agency?

FBI: Huang was a Bureau forensic psychiatrist assigned to SVU from 2001; Wong was hired for four episodes and stayed eleven years, until the character was reassigned to Oklahoma City in 2011.

Before DA Nicholas Baxter, Tony Goldwyn appeared in Criminal Intent as whom?

Goren's brother Frank: Goldwyn played the drug-addicted, sometimes homeless Frank Goren in seasons 6 and 7 of Criminal Intent, before returning to the franchise as DA Nicholas Baxter in 2024.