Law & Order

Law & Order is a one-hour NBC legal drama that depicts the lives and work of police officers and prosecutors in New York City. The program formula consists of two parts, the first half hour is dedicated to the investigation of a crime and the second half features the prosecution.

Law & Orders success has created a franchise of popular spin-off shows: Law & Order: SVU (1999) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001). It is the second longest-running drama series ever behind Gunsmoke and Lassie, both of which aired for 20 seasons.TV Guide: Dick Wolf Previews Law & Orders 19th Season (November 2, 2008)

• Each episode begins with a narration by Steven Zirnkilton: '"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."

Law & Order is able to reinvent itself and stay fresh with an always revolving cast. Besides big name guest stars such as Julia Roberts, Claire Danes, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson, many noted actors have appeared on the show for several seasons before moving on to other projects.

• "When you get into current events, you want to do something that makes people think. The perfect episode is yet to be written because that would have all six of the regulars on slightly different sides of the same question. And as you listen to the various arguments, you think, My God, they're all right."—Dick WolfTV Guide: Dick Wolf Previews Law & Order's 19th Season (November 2, 2008)

• Sam Waterston as District Attorney Jack McCoy
• S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. Anita Van Buren
• Linus Roache as Executive ADA Michael Cutter
• Alana de la Garza as ADA Connie Rubirosa
• Anthony Anderson as Detective Kevin Bernard
• Jeremy Sisto as Detective Cyrus Lupo