A quick mental calculation estimates many television shows last between four to six seasons. However, there are those that can be proven to last longer than the competition. When television shows make it past five years, it is considered a long-running series. It is destined to be labeled as a classic if it goes past a decade. However, when shows reach fifteen years and counting, they are beyond impressive. Drama TV series that have achieved this level of success include Criminal Minds, NCIS, Law & Order: SVU, and of course, the original Law & Order franchise.
NBC made the decision to bring the final show out of retirement to give fans something they enjoyed for over two decades. With that said, can Law & Order regain the audience it originally had for its twenty-year spot with NBC?
Reboot or Revival?
NBC
First, there is a point that must be clarified before getting too deep into this discussion. The fans have used the terms reboot and revival interchangeably with the return of Law & Order. The accepted definition of reboot is when a movie or television show is restarted with a new cast, new plot, and in a sense is reborn. Previous characters and stories are put to the side to create something new from an old idea. The term revival means a movie or television show is brought back to life, and generally, the same characters and plots come back to move forward with the original canon of that story.
What does this have to do with the price of tea? Well, Law & Order, which initially aired on NBC from 1990 to 2010, is a revival, not a reboot. The originally featured characters (and the original actors) are on the show, picking up storylines as if no significant time has passed. Some stars were initially unsure if they would reprise their original roles. One such actor is Anthony Anderson. The Black-ish star played Detective Kevin Bernard on the drama for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. When asked whether he would reprise the role, Anderson told Entertainment Tonight in October 2021 that “anything is possible.” He added: “I did have a conversation with Dick Wolf about them bringing back Law & Order for the 21st season, and like I said, anything is possible.”
Speaking of the cast, one fascinating addition is British actor Hugh Dancy, who will be playing a new assistant District Attorney. Recently, the actor was known for playing FBI Agent Will Graham on NBC’s television adaptation of Hannibal, opposite Mads Mikkelsen as the incorrigible Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Will Dancy’s character meet anyone as formidable as the Doctor? Only time can tell.
Why a Revival?
Some fans are curious as to why it is vital to have the show revived. While series creator Dick Wolf has enjoyed decades of success with other shows, he has always felt as though he had some unfinished business with the cast of the parent show that has been responsible for so many spin-off series. Additionally, the executives at NBC felt it was the right thing to do.
Chairman of Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Susan Rovner weighed in on the news as well:
The Secret to Success
The main elements that will help the revival of Law & Order be successful this season are the characters’ continuity, sticking to the “ripped from the headlines” formula of storyline creation, and simply doing what Dick Wolf and company does best. What would that be, specifically? Creating engaging episodes with real-life situations and characters everyone in the audience can relate to. It has been the formula for success used by Dick Wolf since 1990, and there is no reason to stop now.
“Law & Order is quite simply one of the most iconic shows in television history, and the idea of continuing its legacy and partnering with Dick on an all-new season is nothing short of exhilarating,” she said in a statement via Deadline. “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”
While some shows such as Law & Order: SVU have technically lasted longer than the first series, Dick Wolf has a reason to be proud his original child has been resurrected after a twelve-year hiatus. Many fans think of this as a reboot, but nothing significant has been altered or ignored from the show’s previous history. If anything, this revival suggests Law & Order is a classic example of American pop culture and modern 20th-21st century history. The show has been a major inspiration to law and criminal justice students over the years as they enter the profession. Can the revival continue to inspire future audiences?
