# List of Law & Order episodes
The episodes of *Law & Order* are the installments of the NBC crime drama that premiered on September 13, 1990 with "Prescription for Death" and has continued, with one interruption, into a fourth decade of production[1](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/i-watched-law-and-orders-pilot-first-time-for-milestone-25th-season-totally-different-show). The series ran 20 seasons from 1990 to 2010, returned in 2022, and by the end of its 25th season had accumulated 538 episodes[2](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/) • [3](https://telly-tracker.com/shows/law-order-1990).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First episode | "Prescription for Death", NBC, September 13, 1990[1](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/i-watched-law-and-orders-pilot-first-time-for-milestone-25th-season-totally-different-show) |
| Format | Each hour splits in two: NYPD detectives investigate and apprehend a suspect, then the Manhattan District Attorney's office prosecutes[2](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/) |
| Original run | 20 seasons, 1990–2010; Season 1 aired 22 episodes from September 1990 to June 1991[2](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/) • [4](https://thetvdb.com/index.php/series/law-and-order) |
| Revival | Seasons 21 onward from 2022; Season 25 ran 21 episodes from September 25, 2025 to May 14, 2026[2](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/) • [5](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order/seasons/official/25) |
| Total episodes | 538 across 25 seasons as of the 2025–26 season[3](https://telly-tracker.com/shows/law-order-1990) |
| Current season | Season 26 premiered October 8, 2026, airing Thursdays on NBC and streaming next day on Peacock[6](https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/law-and-order) |
## Episode format
Every episode follows the series' bifurcated structure: the first half is a murder investigation and the apprehension of a suspect by NYPD detectives, and the second half is the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney's office[2](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/). Stories are known for being ripped from the headlines, drawing on real events[2](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/). Each episode is a self-contained mystery, so viewers can generally watch them in any order[7](https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/46406/1/Sabrina%20Moro%202021.pdf).
A few episodes depart from the template. Season 1's "The Violence of Summer" is one of the few episodes in which the "Order" segment preceded the "Law" segment[8](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/562/law-order/episodeguide). The sixth-season finale "Aftershock" reworked the established episodic structure, beginning with a murderer's execution and tracing its effects on the police and lawyers[9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2.pdf).
## Season history
Season 1 ran 22 episodes from September 1990 to June 1991[4](https://thetvdb.com/index.php/series/law-and-order). Through the original run, seasons typically contained 22 to 24 episodes; season 18 was the shortest of the original run at 18 episodes, and seasons 11 through 15 each ran 24[10](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/law-order/bWSEj3xpiWzdX4UNwW2k46/seasons/). After cancellation in 2010, the show returned in 2022 with a 10-episode season 21, followed by a 22-episode season 22 and a 13-episode season 23[10](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/law-order/bWSEj3xpiWzdX4UNwW2k46/seasons/).
**Milestones.** Season 25 opened on September 25, 2025, just over a week after the franchise's 35th anniversary[1](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/i-watched-law-and-orders-pilot-first-time-for-milestone-25th-season-totally-different-show). Its 21 episodes ran to the finale "Liberty" on May 14, 2026[5](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order/seasons/official/25). Season 26 began on October 8, 2026, with episodes including "Ghost in the Machine" and "Into the Mystic" airing in October[6](https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/law-and-order) • [11](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/562/law-order/episodes).
## Crossover episodes
Although most episodes are self-contained, some connect to other series in the franchise. The crossover "Entitled" aired its first half as *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* season 1, episode 15 and its second half as *Law & Order* season 10, episode 14[12](https://recapshelf.com/guides/crossovers/). Later, "Snowflakes" (season 25, episode 9) was part 1 of a two-part crossover with season 27, episode 9 of SVU[13](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order/allseasons/official); the episode "Purity" on SVU was also marketed as a crossover with "Snowflakes"[14](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/Crossover). A 2026 two-hour crossover with SVU's Olivia Benson opened the season, described by the showrunner as different from a typical episode of either series[15](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/law-and-order-boss-starting-2026-crossover-with-svu-olivia-benson).
## Where the episodes stream
Distribution splits across services. Hulu hosts the entire original run, seasons 1 through 20, while the revival episodes from season 21 onward stream on Peacock, which also carries legacy episodes back to season 13[16](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/want-to-cancel-peacock-after-its-price-rise-but-cant-live-without-law-and-order-heres-where-you-can-stream-the-nbc-show). New season 26 episodes air Thursdays on NBC and stream the next day on Peacock[6](https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/law-and-order).
## References
1. [I Watched Law And Order's Pilot For The First Time For The Milestone 25th Season, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/i-watched-law-and-orders-pilot-first-time-for-milestone-25th-season-totally-different-show)
2. [Law & Order, Wolf Entertainment](https://wolfentertainment.com/television/current/law-order/)
3. [Law & Order (1990) — Episode Guide & Where to Watch, Telly Tracker](https://telly-tracker.com/shows/law-order-1990)
4. [Law & Order, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/index.php/series/law-and-order)
5. [Law & Order — Season 25, TheTVDB.com](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order/seasons/official/25)
6. [Watch Law & Order, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/law-and-order)
7. [Sabrina Moro (2021), 'Ripped from the headlines' and transmedia production, NTU IRep](https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/46406/1/Sabrina%20Moro%202021.pdf)
8. [Law & Order — Episode Guide, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/562/law-order/episodeguide)
9. [Law & Order, Encyclopedia of Television, Vol. 2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2.pdf)
10. [Law & Order (1990) Seasons, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/law-order/bWSEj3xpiWzdX4UNwW2k46/seasons/)
11. [Law & Order — Episode List, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/562/law-order/episodes)
12. [Law & Order and SVU Crossovers in Viewing Order, RecapShelf](https://recapshelf.com/guides/crossovers/)
13. [Law & Order — Aired Order — All Seasons, TheTVDB.com](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order/allseasons/official)
14. [Crossover, Law and Order Fandom](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/Crossover)
15. [Law And Order Boss Talks Starting 2026 With A 'Two-Hour, Movie-Type' Crossover With SVU's Olivia Benson, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/law-and-order-boss-starting-2026-crossover-with-svu-olivia-benson)
16. [Want to cancel Peacock after its price rise, but can't live without Law & Order?, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/want-to-cancel-peacock-after-its-price-rise-but-cant-live-without-law-and-order-heres-where-you-can-stream-the-nbc-show)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Installment collections and reference › Scripted live-action episode lists › Live-action episode lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license