Law & Order and two of its spin-offs will soon release brand new seasons even though all three already premiered their previous seasons in 2024.
Coming from the mind of Dick Wolf (Once Chicago, FBI, etc.), Law & Order and its current spin-offs are centered around different branches of the NYPD in New York City.
The flagship show will be going into Season 24, while Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (which features Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T as they continue to be the longest-running male and female duo in television history) begins Season 26.
Some of Wolf's other shows, like the FBI franchise, are also gearing up to release new seasons on October 15 on CBS.
When Does Law and Order Return In 2024?
NBC recently confirmed that Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will be officially returning for new seasons.
The new episodes will premiere back-to-back on NBC in a two-hour block on Thursday, October 3. Every week after that, fans can continue to expect new episodes of each show to be released right next to one another each Thursday.
It is important to note that Law & Order: Organized Crime was confirmed to be receiving a new season, but it will air on Peacock instead of NBC.
The previous seasons of each Law & Order show were released earlier in 2024 but were shortened largely due to the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes.
The upcoming installments will likely go back to having 19-23 episodes each, which is historically the standard for Law & Order shows.
Law & Order Season 24
Law & Order was the first of any of the shows to ever be released, but it took a lengthy hiatus after Season 20 ended in 2010 before returning for Season 21 in 2022.
Law & Order Season 24 will premiere on NBC on Thursday, October 3 at 8 p.m. ET during the first one-hour block. When Season 23 was released, new episodes were available to stream the next day on Peacock. It has not been officially announced if that will be the case for Season, but it will likely be the same as it was for Season 23.
The title of the Season 24 premiere is "Catch and Kill," and the official synopsis teases what fans can expect from the return of the flagship Law & Order:
"When a Brooklyn prosecutor is found slain in her apartment, Maroun takes drastic action to convince an eyewitness to come forward. Riley struggles to adjust to the new lieutenant in charge."
Law & Order: SVU Season 26
Despite beginning much later than the original Law & Order, Special Victims Unit has released more seasons and is getting ready to premiere Season 26 on NBC.
The Season 26 premiere will come on Thursday, October 3 at 9 p.m. ET during the second one-hour block dedicated to Law & Order. It will begin just after the Season 24 premiere of Law & Order and will end at 10 p.m. ET.
"Fractured" will be the title of the SVU Season 26 premiere and will follow "a brutal attack on a group of law students:"
"The SVU investigates a brutal attack on a group of law students; Benson hopes the discovery of a hidden camera will crack the case open; Carisi's best chance at conviction is catching the defendant in a lie."
Like Law & Order, new SVU Season 25 episodes were available to stream on Peacock the day after, and that release plan could also be followed for Season 26.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5
Law & Order: Organized Crime is the newest of any Law & Order spin-off and follows SVU veteran Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler who is now working in the Organized Crime unit.
Unlike the other two Law & Order shows, Organized Crime will not be releasing its new season on NBC. Instead, it will premiere the new season directly on Peacock.
An official release date for Organized Crime Season 5 has not yet been given, but it will likely come out sometime soon as episodes of the flagship show, and especially SVU cross over with Organized Crime fairly regularly.
It is also important to mention that Organized Crime Season 5 will only include 10 episodes. Other Law & Order shows tend to include more episodes than that, but Organized Crime follows the style of more modern streaming projects than it does classical episodic TV.
While an official synopsis for the first episode of Organized Crime has not yet been revealed, the episode will be titled "Lost Highway."
The entirety of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime are available to stream on Peacock, and the nine most recent seasons of Law & Order are available to stream on that platform as well.
