Why Was Law And Order Cancelled? | TV & Radio - Daily Express

Law and Order: NBC teases SVU crossover

Law and Order first started back in 1990 on NBC and the show spawned multiple spin-off series, with many of them still running today. A lot of fans are now returning to the show that started it all, but have been left wondering, why was it cancelled?

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Why was Law and Order cancelled?

The news came of Law and Order’s cancellation more than 10 years ago, when NBC confirmed the show would no longer run in 2010.

After 20 solid years as one of NBC’s most popular shows, the move still baffles fans of the drama to this day.

The show lasted for 20 seasons but ultimately fell foul to falling ratings and a crunch on the production budget.

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Originally NBC wanted to renew the show for season 21, however, they wanted to bring production costs down in order to justify the next season.

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The show was produced in-house by NBC, making the financial cost to produce an episode already tight.

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Law and Order: Cancelled back in 2010 (Image: NBC)

Law and Order: Ran for 20 seasons (Image: NBC)

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The seasons leading up to its cancellation were slowly dipping in the ratings, meaning a new season was already in question.

This left the series showrunner Dick Wolf pressured into creating a new season on the smallest budget to date, something he wasn’t willing to do.

There was hope that TNT would assist with the production costs on season 21 as it had been running the show over the previous 20 years.

However, TNT wasn’t interested in another season, squeezing NBC further, pushing the series to the brink.

Eventually, NBC decided to pull the series and announced its cancellation in 2010, according to Deadline.

Law and Order: Premiered back in 1990 (Image: NBC)

The news of the show ending in 2010 came as a shock to fans, as the series looked on track to get its 21st season.

At the time Law and Order: Los Angeles was still ongoing, and NBC decided to move forward with that show instead.

If Law and Order did receive another season it would have made history for the network as the longest-running TV series in its history.

Now it ties with Gunsmoke, a western series that starred James Arness between 1955 – 1975.

Today, fans can enjoy the series through its spin-off’s Special Victims Unit and Organized Crime, with the latter premiering today.

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The franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with NBC confirming the release of a second season for Organized Crime ahead of season one’s finale.

Fans of the series are still talking about why the show was cancelled today, with many taking to Reddit to discuss the long-running drama.

On the Law and Order forum, one fan posted: “How come Law and Order was cancelled? They did plan on having it renewed but then NBC abruptly cancelled it. Do you think they will try to revive the series?”

Another fan responded: “Literally everything returns eventually, so yes, they’ll revive it. Might not be for a while, but there will absolutely be some form of “prestige” Law & Order on streaming.”

Currently, there are no plans from NBC to bring back the original series, with SVU and Organized Crime both enjoying legions of fans.

Yet, there is still plenty of Law and Order content for fans to enjoy, with Law and Order: SVU smashing the original series record.

SVU has been running since 1999 and recently released its 23rd season.

NBC has also confirmed the renewal of the show, bringing it back again for season 24, set for release in 2022.

Law and Order is available to watch on NBC and Peacock.

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