The new season of Law and Order, along with its multiple spin-offs, got a new update about their release schedules across 2024.
The Dick Wolf-produced Law and Order spent 20 years as one of NBC's top-rated shows after its premiere in 1990, taking an 11-year hiatus before returning for Season 21 in 2022.
During that time, an incredible six spin-off series have added to the ever-expanding story on top of a seventh new show that will make its debut in 2024.
The early months of the new year will bring the premieres of four Law and Order franchise series: the 23rd season of its flagship show, Law and Order; Season 25 of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Season 4 of Law and Order: Organized Crime; and the first season of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.
Due to the delays caused by the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes, all of the aforementioned seasons will have shortened episode counts, with Deadline reporting that all Law and Order series returning at the start of 2024 are expected to have 13-episode seasons.
Law and Order Season 23 Release
The original Law and Order series returns for its 23rd season in 2024 with new episodes airing every Thursday at 8 p.m on NBC.
Season 23 kicks off with Episode 1 on Thursday, January 18, and Episode 2 is confirmed to follow one week later on Thursday, January 25.
Titled "Freedom of Expression," Episode 1 will show the NYPD and New York District Attorney's department handling the aftermath of a school shooting, likely taking inspiration from similarly tragic real-world killings
This story will also see the police, lawyers, and the public handle the ever-sensitive line between free speech and hate speech in this university setting.
Episode 2 ("Human Innovation") will show a prominent tech CEO meeting his end as Mechad Brooks' Detective Jalen Shaw and Reid Scott's Detective Vincent Riley uncover a plot for retribution through some intriguing leads.
Law and Order: SVU Season 25 Release
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, the longest-running live-action spin-off in United States history, is back for its 25th season on NBC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET in the slot right after its parent series, Law and Order.
As is the case with Law and Order, SVU's first two episodes debut on NBC and Peacock on January 18 and January 25.
Going under the title "Tunnel Blind," Episode 1 features an emotional moment for Kelli Giddish's Detective Amanda Rollins and Peter Scanavino's ADA Sonny Carisi as their child is finally born.
However, the SVU team will not have long to celebrate that moment as another child goes missing in broad daylight in New York City.
The following week's episode is called "Truth Embargo," as Episode 2 sees Mariska Hargitay's SVU Captain Olivia Benson team up with the FBI on a mysterious unsolved case.
Meanwhile, Ice T's Sergeant Fin Tutuola and Octavio Pisano's Detective Joe Velasco investigate a flash mob robbery that ends in a sexual assault, the SVU's specialty.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Release
Christopher Meloni continues his comeback to the Law and Order-verse in a leading role as Detective Elliot Stabler for Law and Order: Organized Crime, which returns for Season 4 on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
Completing NBC's three-hour-long Law and Order block, Organized Crime also debuts on January 18 with its second episode coming on January 25.
Episode 1 ("Memory Lane") will see Stabler handling major changes both at home after coming back from the dangerous undercover mission teased in the Season 3 finale, which saw him reunite with Olivia Benson after their time together in SVU.
Meanwhile, Danielle Moné Truitt's Sergeant Ayanna Bell brings on an advisor with an AI tech program that could change the game for police investigation. In another subplot, Ainsley Seiger's Detective Jet Slootmaekers and Rick Gonzales' Detective Bobby Reyes have a hard time handling the absence of their coworker, Brent Antonello's Detective Jamie Whelan.
Episode 2, titled "Deliver Us From Evil," Stabler meets an officer who's convinced that a deadly bombing, which kills a spiritual leader, is part of a much larger conspiracy across the city. Elsewhere, things get heated within Slootmaekers' task force as she struggles to get her team to work harmoniously on a new program.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Season 1 Release
The newest Law and Order show is a Canada-centric series entitled Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, as its run begins a few weeks after its comrades on Thursday, February 22.
The show airs at the same time as Law and Order (8 p.m. ET), although it will not be on NBC, instead taking its story to Citytv for its weekly run.
In October 2023, Variety confirmed the cast of actors that will lead this series, marking the first time an international story from the Law and Order-verse will be told.
The fully Canadian cast features Aden Young (Det. Sgt. Henry Graff), Kathleen Munroe (Det. Sgt. Frankie Bateman), Karen Robinson (Inspector Vivienne Holness), K.C. Collins (Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester), Nicola Correia-Damude (Forensic Pathologist Dr. Lucy Da Silva), and Araya Mengesha (tech expert Mark Yohannes).
While no information is known about the show's pilot episode yet, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent will have a 10-episode first season showing cases of corruption and criminality in Toronto based on real-world headlines.
The Law and Order franchise returns to NBC on Thursday, January 18, with the first episodes of Law and Order Season 23, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Season 25, and Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 debuting back-to-back-to-back. This three-hour block will begin at 8 p.m. ET. All Law and Order series can also be streamed on Peacock.
