Created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment,Law & Orderis one of the most successful TV franchises in the history of television. The long-running police procedural launched in 1990 and continues to go strong 34 years later, with the Season 23 premiere scheduled to air on Jul 29, 2025. With roughly 500 episodes produced in the main series alone, it’s easy to lose track of all the variousLaw & Orderspinoffs that have been produced since 1999.
To date, there have been fiveLaw & Orderspinoffs produced in conjunction with the main series, with a sixth slated for release in February 2024. While it’s important to note that many crossover episodes take place within the overarchingLaw & OrderUniverse and tie each series together, the best way to watch the entireLaw & Orderfranchise is to begin in linear chronological order.
Law & Order (1990-Present)
Law & Order
The beginning of the long-running franchise Law & Order is a crime-drama series created by Dick Wolf and launched on NBC in 1990. The series follows the day-to-day lives of detectives and legal professionals in New York who are involved in apprehending and prosecuting dangerous criminals.
Shot on location in New York,Law & Orderdebuted in 1990 and immediately established the structure of the popular police procedural. The series revolves around two NYPD detectives assigned to solve crimes, with the first half of each episode depicting the investigation and the second half portraying the legal trial in court. Apart from the popular formula, the criminal cases featured on the show were often taken from real-life headlines, which gives the show a sense of authenticity.
The originalLaw & Orderseries ran from 1990 to 2010 before being revived in 2022. Despite the 12-year hiatus, the revival was popular enough to warrant a 23rd season due in February 2024. The main series has won 6 Primetime Emmy Awards to date. For those interested in watching the entireLaw & Orderfranchise from beginning to end, it’s paramount to start with the original 1990 series and become familiar with suchiconic characters and long-running cast membersas Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach).Law & Orderis available to stream on DirecTV.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-Present)
Launched in 1999,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU)has surpassed the main series to become the longest-running live-action scripted drama in American television history. With 541 episodes and counting, the drama centers on Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), a shrewd detective who climbs the ranks of the NYPD by solving a rash of sexually explicit crimes with her revolving partners.SVUhas also won 6 Primetime Emmy Awards, most recently for Ann-Margret’s 2010 guest appearance.
With season 25 of SVU slated to premiere on NBC on July 19, 2025, SVU continues to be the most popular and well-knownLaw & Orderspin-off thus far. Even after original star Christopher Meloni exited the series after a 12-year run as lead Detective Elliot Stabler, the show has continued to reinvent itself with the outstanding casting of Ice-T, Richard Belzer, BD Wong, and more. Thankfully, there are no signs of the show ending anytime soon.Law & Order: SVUis available to stream on Hulu.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2011)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
By the timeLaw & Order: SVUwas into its third season, Dick Wolf createdLaw & Order: Criminal Intent. The series follows NYPD detectives Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe) who often disagree on how to solve cases. Throughout the series, Goren and Eames become closer by understanding their personal and professional differences. As the subtitle suggests, the series attempts to get into the minds of the assailants by justifying their crimes.
RELATED:10 Best Spinoff Prequel Shows
Law & Order: Criminal Intentlasted for 10 seasons and 195 episodes from 2001 to 2011. Thanks to its tried-and-true formula of ripping real crimes from the headlines and due to the outstanding supporting cast that includes everyone from Courtney B. Vance and Eric Bogosian to Chris Noth and Jeff Goldblum, Law & Order: Criminal Intent remains one of the high-water-marks for the overarchingLaw & Orderfranchise.Law & Order: Criminal Intentis available for purchase on Apple TV+.
Law & Order: Trial By Jury (2005-2006)
A more obscure spinoff,Law & Order: Trial By Juryis along-forgotten crime showthat lasted for only one season and 13 episodes. In a bold formula shakeup, the premise of the show focused expressly on the criminal court case rather than breaking each episode in half. Instead of depicting the inciting crime, the corresponding detective work, and then the court case,Trial by Juryportrays both sides of the defense and the prosecution, making for a traditional courtroom procedural.
Despite the daring attempt to shake things up and give viewers a full-fledged glimpse into the courtroom proceedings, the show failed to resonate among fans of the series.Law & Order’s primary appeal is depicting a crime at the start of each episode and working toward a legal resolution in court at the end.Trial By Juryspent too much time inside the courtroom and robbed viewers of the detective prowess of Lennie Briscoe that made the original series so compelling.Law & Order: Trial by Juryis available for purchase on Prime Video.
Law & Order: UK (2009-2014)
For those interested in the differences between the American and British legal systems,Law & Order: UKis the next series to watch in chronological order. Technically an adaptation of its American counterpart, the series takes place in the United Kingdom and follows the basic format of the originalLaw & Order. However, after introducing the central crime and the detective procedure before depicting the legal resolution, the show focuses on the mechanics of the English legal system.
RELATED:10 Underrated British Crime Drama Series
Law & Order: UKlasted for eight seasons and 53 episodes were produced between 2009 and 2014. Unlike its American counterparts, the low frequency of episodes (roughly six per season) fell in line with how British TV shows favor quality over quantity. Alas, the show ran out of steam by its eighth and final season. Although ITV has not officially canceledLaw & Order:UK, as of 2024, the show is reportedly on an indefinite hiatus.Law & Order: UKis available to stream on Spectrum.
Law & Order: LA (2010-2011)
In another bold departure from New York City,Law & Order: LAtook the iconic TV franchise from the East Coast to the sunny shores of Los Angeles.The premise of the TV police proceduralfollows a whole new crop of detectives who investigate crimes in the greater Los Angeles area, with investigators Tomas Jaruszalski (Corey Stoll), Jonah Dekker (Terence Howard), and Ricardo Morales (Alfred Molina) leading the way. Despite the remarkable cast, creative differences between the writers and original star Skeet Urlich led to his untimely demise on the show, which many attribute to the show’s cancelation.
Regardless,Law & Order: LApremiered in 2010 shortly after the mainLaw & Orderseries ended its 20-year run. The short-lived spinoff lasted for just 1 season and 22 episodes. Despite the exciting change of environment from New York to Los Angeles, the unaltered format of introducing a crime and showing its prosecution began to run its course. Meanwhile, Law & Order: UK was running concurrently withLaw & Order: LA, which may have hurt its viewership.Law & Order: LAis available to stream on Freevee.
Law & Order True Crime (2017)
Law & Order True Crime
Launched in 2017,Law & Order: True Crimeis the next franchise series to watch in chronological order. Much different than the tried-and-true formula,True Crimeisan anthology TV miniseriesthat focuses on one central crime for the duration of the season. The inaugural chapter concerns the infamous Menendez Brothers' 1996 murder case, with Edie Falco playing real-life defense attorney Leslie Abramson. Falco earned a Primetime Emmy nod for her stellar performance.
AlthoughLaw & Order: True Crimehas not been officially canceled by NBC, the show remains on an undetermined hiatus. The show took inspiration from such other crime anthologies asAmerican Crime Story, taking a long view of one authentic high-profile criminal case rather than introducing a new crime in each episode. While the results may be uneven, creator Rene Balcer continues to push the creative boundaries of the long-running crime drama and its various spinoffs.Law & Order: True Crimeis available to stream on Tubi.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (2024)
Finally, it’s worth noting that a newLaw & Orderspinoff is slated for release in February 2024. TitledLaw & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, the series will take place in the capital of Ontario, Canada. Similar to theCriminal Intentseries set in New York, the Canadian spinoff will focus on the psychological motivations behind the criminals featured on the show. The first season will include 10 episodes and air on Citytv.
After the newLaw & Orderspinoff was announced in June 2023, casting details became public the following October.Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intentis set to star Aden Young as Detective Sgt. Henry Graff, Kathleen Munroe as Detective Sgt. Frankie Bateman, Karen Robinson as Inspector Vivienne Holness, K.C. Collins as Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester, Nicola Correia-Damude as Dr. Lucy De Silva, and Araya Mengesha as Mark Yohannes. Until more spinoffs are announced,Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intentis the final series to watch when completing the franchise in chronological order.
