- Network
- NBC
- Creator
- Dick Wolf
- First series
- Law and Order, September 1990
- Current seasons
- Flagship season 26, SVU season 28
- Shared premiere
- October 8, 2026
- Studio
- Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television
- Longest run
- Special Victims Unit, since 1999
Watch Order
0 / 7 watchedShows in release order. Crossovers in airdate order.
About Law and Order
Law and Order began in 1990 with the police-then-trial format that defines the franchise, and the flagship ran twenty seasons before a revival run in 2022 brought it back as Law and Order: Organized Crime. Special Victims Unit spun off in 1999 around Benson and Stabler's unit and became the longest running of the shows, reaching season 28 in October 2026.
Both premiere October 8, 2026. The flagship is in its twenty-sixth season, with Rick Eid back as showrunner, and Reid Scott leaving as Detective Vincent Riley after the second episode to be replaced by James Badge Dale as Senior Detective Rob Calvino. SVU's twenty-eighth season is also in, with Michele Fazekas returning as showrunner and production on the show's 600th episode having started on September 22, 2026.
Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury and LA each ran shorter variations, True Crime covered Menendez as an anthology, and Organized Crime brought Stabler back serialized for five seasons ending in 2025. The shows cross over constantly, so series level release order with airdate crossovers is the guide here.
Good to know
This guide lists shows rather than seasons, since SVU alone runs past twenty-seven seasons and would double the length of every list.
Organized Crime is the serialized exception and should be watched with its SVU crossover episodes in airdate order. LA was introduced through SVU season 12, episode 3, so watch the SVU episode first. Organized Crime was cancelled in April 2026 after its Peacock move. Trial by Jury and True Crime are short self contained runs.
Since the flagship and SVU now premiere on the same date each autumn, pick one of them per season rather than trying to keep every crossover lined up in the same week.
