Spring of the 2025 TV schedule has been an exciting time for fans of the Law & Order franchise, and perhaps never more so than when the buzz of the original's crossover with SVU has not yet faded. That said, NBC has not yet confirmed whether its two remaining Law & Order shows will return in the fall, and the wait is on for renewal news. When I recently spoke with Hugh Dancy, who plays ADA Nolan Price, about his character's position opposite Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson, he also weighed in on the long-running drama hopefully hitting the 25-season milestone.
While NBC hasn't renewed many shows at this point in the spring, Law & Order, SVU, and all three One Chicago series within the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe had all been renewed for the 2024-2025 TV schedule by this time last year. That's not necessarily a bad sign for the 2025-2026 TV season, and SVU is already said to have landed a new showrunner for Season 27. (The crossover is available streaming now with a Peacock subscription.)
Still, with Law & Order so very close to 25 seasons, I had to ask the Hannibal vet: what are his thoughts on hitting the milestone that SVU reached with great fanfare a couple of years ago? Dancy shared:
It would be an incredible thing for the show. Obviously, I'd like to think well-deserved. I think it's an amazing [achievement] because of the break in the middle there. The period of time that the show has spanned is just remarkable. And there's something really interesting, just on a personal level, about working in a show that's so well-running.
While SVU has already hit the 500-episode and 25-season milestones, Law & Order actually goes back a lot further than its first spinoff. The original series premiered back in 1990, while the SVU pilot didn't air until 1999. Hugh Dancy's show is simply behind in the total season count due to what he referred to as "the break in the middle there," between Law & Order's initial cancellation in 2010 and the revival's premiere in 2022.
Dancy has been part of the main cast since the revival kicked off, so who better to attest that the show has been "well-running" in its return? He continued:
The machine is so well-oiled and formidable, and yet at the same time, trying to find ways to make it your own, and to make sure that it's still alive and breathing right now in 2025. There's no sacred cows, you know. I hope that, if we're lucky enough to keep going, that we can keep making the show that people love and yet keep it fresh at the same time.
Even procedurals have to mix things up from time to time, and I'm guessing plenty of fans can agree with Hugh Dancy's hope that the Law & Order team can keeping delivering on its format while also making "it fresh." Season 24 has already done that to a certain extent, leading to Reid Scott – a.k.a. Detective Vincent Riley – praising the occasionally "unsatisfying" endings, while the drama is still ripping from the headlines every now and then.
So, when can we expect to hear whether or not Law & Order will be back in the fall? Unfortunately, we can only wait and see. It's been more than a year since the renewal for Season 24, and Hugh Dancy also confirmed that the cast has already finished filming this season. There are still several episodes left to air before the finale, however, including one that evidently involves thirteen people found dead. Check out the promo below:
Tune in to NBC on Thursday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET for the "Sins of the Father" episode of Law & Order. The title of the episode leads me to hope that the show might be picking up on Price's storyline with his brother after their father's death. Whatever happens, the installment will be followed by Law & Order: SVU Season 26 at 9 p.m. ET.
The long-awaited premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime also means that fans can enjoy Law & Order Thursdays again... sort of. Christopher Meloni's series is releasing episodes streaming on Peacock rather than after SVU on NBC, but they do go live on the streamer on Thursdays.
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