Law & Order: Trailer, Release Date, Cast, and Everything to Know

The original Law & Order is coming back this week, and that means Thursday nights are going to be dedicated to the Law & Order franchise on NBC. As we get closer to the show's return for Season 21, we've found out which original cast members are reprising their roles and how the District Attorney's office is functioning in the year 2022. What is even more exciting is waiting to see how they could potentially cross over with Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Chris Meloni) on SVU and Organized Crime, respectively. 

FBI and Chicago P.D. showrunner Rick Eid will be overseeing the day-to-day responsibilities on the Law & Order revival. Eid worked on the original series and the popular spin-off, Law & Order: SVU. 

Before Law & Order went off the air, it was in the running to become the longest running live-action drama in TV history, an honor that has now been taken over by SVU. The revival will allow the show to finally pass Gunsmoke in the rankings, though. To help us make it until the show officially returns, TV Guide has compiled everything we know about the Law & Order revival so far. 

TRAILER

Get to meet the new district attorneys and detectives in the department in the full-length trailer for the revival. Things have certainly changed since we were last in the precinct, but it's remarkable to see what hasn't as well. 

CAST

Sam Waterston, who led the cast of Law & Order for 16 years will officially return as District Attorney Jack McCoy for Season 21, TV Guide has confirmed. Law & Order mastermind Dick Wolf said in a statement that the return of Waterston and actor Anthony Anderson means the series can pick off exactly where it left off.

Anderson was the first original Law & Order star to confirm his return to the series. He will reprise his role as Detective Kevin Bernard, whom he played during the last three seasons of the show's original run. He will be joined by newcomers Hugh Dancy as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price, Camryn Manheim as Lt. Kate Dixon, and Odelya Halevi as Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun. 

Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan was the first confirmed new cast member to join the revival, and he'll be playing Det. Frank Cosgrove. 

RELEASE DATE

Law & Order will return to kick off L&O Thursdays starting on Feb. 24 at 8/7c on NBC. It'll be followed by Special Victims Unit at 9/8c and Organized Crime at 10/9c.

NEW STORIES

Just like Law & Order always has, the show will continue to pull directly from the headlines, meaning it will now be reflecting the "new reality" of 2022, Eid said during the show's Winter TCA panel. Waterston praised him for being willing to go there. "There would be a way to dodge the conflicts that [are] going on, but he's walking straight up to one after another," the star said. "Every show is a shock, and it's really cool." 

In a separate statement, Wolf promised, "As always, we will be ripping crimes from the headlines while also reflecting the zeitgeist of present-day America." 

OLD PRECINCT

Some things are changing, but not all things. Manheim said that while everything has been "updated and very current" in terms of storylines, the precinct will still look quite familiar. "It is still that same old precinct. Nothing is updated. The phones are still from Edison's time, so it just feels like you're home." 

WHAT THE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN UP TO 

While Waterson and Anderson are reprising their original Law & Order characters — and will be joined eventually by some surprising and familiar faces — it does not sound like there's much to catch the audience up on in terms of what those characters have been up to personally. "I think the magic of the show is that you never really know or get into these characters' personal lives, which allows you to pick up this show at any given moment, any given time, no matter where you are, and still be that much invested in the show and not be lost," Anderson said. "Because it's not so much about us. It's about the crime. It's about solving it, it's about moving it along and bringing law and order to the world." 

POTENTIAL CROSSOVERS 

While no crossovers with the other Dick Wolf shows are currently planned, that doesn't mean they won't be happening. "Crossovers have been very successful in the Dick Wolf universe. They're fan favorites," said Eid. "There's a chance there'll be a three-part or a two-part Law & Order crossover somewhere along the way. Anything is possible in this universe." 

HOW TO WATCH

If you can't find the Law & Order episode you want airing via one of the show's plethora of syndication deals, you can watch the final eight seasons any time you want on Peacock. 

Law & Order Seasons 13-20 are now streaming Watch on Peacock