Law & Order franchise
From The Law & Order Wiki
The term Law & Order franchise is commonly used to describe a number of related American television programs created by Dick Wolf and originally broadcast on NBC, all of which deal with some aspect of the New York City criminal justice system.
- Law & Order: The first half hour of the show focuses on the police investigation; the second half takes place at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and focuses on the prosecution involving the criminal(s).
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit : The show's focus is on detectives who investigate sexually-based crimes.
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent : This show focuses on high-profile cases investigated by the Major Case Squad, with special focus on the actions of the criminals pursued.
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury : This series mostly followed the jury's side of a case, and was the first Law & Order series that was cancelled due to low ratings.
Shared people and resources in a common fictional setting are the connecting links between the shows, e.g., Hudson University and the New York Ledger tabloid newspaper. Many supporting characters, such as District Attorneys, psychologists and Medical Examiners are also shared among the shows. Occasionally, crossovers of main characters and/or shared storylines between two of the shows will occur. A few major characters have also left the cast of one show within the franchise only to eventually join another. The franchise also crossed over on several occasions with the independently conceived Homicide: Life on the Street.
