Industry News

How the TV business has changed since the first episode of “Law & Order” in 1990

23 February, 2022

Tonight, a new episode of “Law & Order” will air on NBC for the first time in more than a decade. The original series ran for twenty years, and inspired a whole universe of spinoffs. Now, the original is back with the same format and the same sonic signature.

“Law & Order” may not have changed much in 30 years, but the business of television certainly has. When “Law & Order” premiered in 1990, it was groundbreaking. There had been lots of shows about police: that would be the “law” side of things. But this one added the drama of the courtroom, the “order” part. 

The show also made these public officials relatable, said Julia Alexander, a media industry analyst with Parrot Analytics.

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