The twenty-first season of Law & Order, an American police procedural and legal drama, was ordered by NBC on September 28, 2021, over a decade after its original cancellation on May 24, 2010. The season began airing on February 24, 2022, as a mid-season replacement during the 2021–2022 broadcast season. Due to such status, the season consists of only 10 episodes. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a twenty-second season.
Newly acquainted partners Kevin Bernard and Frank Cosgrove investigate the murder of a notorious entertainer. A dispute over throwing out a confession creates a rift in the District Attorney's office.
Bernard and Cosgrove investigate the disappearance of a social media star whose case takes the internet by storm; Price and Maroun must weigh their decisions regarding the case against the wishes of the missing woman's family.
After a family court judge is murdered, Bernard and Cosgrove dig into the many grievances against him. When the DA's office is faced with unforeseen challenges, Maroun takes matters into her own hands to save the case.
Bernard and Cosgrove investigate the murder of a congressional candidate. Price and Maroun contend with an extremist plot hellbent on thwarting the candidate's agenda by any means necessary.
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"Wicked Game"
Alex Hall
Teleplay by : Rick Eid Story by : Pamela Wechsler & Art Alamo
When a young man is found dead of an apparent overdose, Dixon fiercely pursues a homicide investigation as an old unsolved case comes back to haunt her. Price and Maroun risk putting a witness in harm's way to expose their suspect and reveal the monster underneath.
Bernard and Cosgrove are confronted with several suspects in the shooting of a headmaster at an elite private school. A teenager's life hangs in the balance as Price and Maroun debate who's more culpable: the shooter or the enabler.
When the CFO of a Fortune 500 company is found strangled in her home, Bernard and Cosgrove work to connect multiple dead ends to find her killer. The prosecution is faced with an uphill battle as McCoy and Price butt heads over a choice that could cost them the case.
Bernard and Cosgrove must sift through fact and fiction to find the killer of a young Manhattan socialite. The murder trial takes a turn that becomes personal for Price and puts Maroun in a compromising situation.
The murder of an off-duty NYPD detective threatens to tear the city apart. Cosgrove mourns the loss of a friend and asks Capt. Benson for help solving the case. McCoy and Price disagree on how to prosecute the culprit, sparking sharp condemnation from all sides.
Final appearance of Anthony Anderson as Detective Kevin Bernard.
Production
Development
The prospect of revivingLaw & Order for a twenty-first season first came about in the more immediate wake of its cancellation, with talks falling through with TNT and AMC.[13] In February 2015, it was reported that NBC was eyeing a limited series of 10 episodes.[14] However, it never made it to active development. In July 2021, NBC scrapped Law & Order: For the Defense, a planned spinoff in the franchise they had ordered straight to series the previous May,[15] and scheduled to lead a Thursday schedule entirely occupied by the franchise, with Special Victims Unit and Organized Crime. It was stated at the time that in its stead new spinoffs were being developed.
On September 28, 2021, NBC officially renewed the show.[16][17][18] Despite being billed as a twenty-first season, NBC gave it the same "straight to series" order they gave For the Defense,[19] which is typically used only for new series.[20] Series creator Dick Wolf returned as an executive producer.[21] Wolf signed an overall deal with NBC and Universal Television in 2020 that will keep him at the network through 2025.[22] In December 2019, Wolf had asked former showrunner Rene Balcer to return to run the show again, but Balcer declined.[23] Wolf then asked other former Law & Order showrunners to take the helm, but they also declined. Finally, Rick Eid stepped down as showrunner of Chicago P.D. to take over showrunning duties of Law & Order.[a][24] Eid became an executive producer during the season and retains that role on Chicago P.D. as well.[24] Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski will also serve as executive producers.[25] Production on the season began on December 8, 2021.[26] On May 10, 2022, the series was renewed for a twenty-second season.[27]
Casting
On November 1, 2021, Jeffrey Donovan was cast as a series regular to portray a New York Police Department detective.[28][29] At that time it was also reported that Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson, who starred in earlier seasons of the series, and additional former cast members were also in talks to return.[30] Waterston previously stated in 2015 that he would be open to returning.[31] Other previous cast members S. Epatha Merkerson, Jeremy Sisto and Alana de la Garza hold starring roles on Chicago Med and FBI, series that both exist within the same fictional universe and are produced by Wolf Entertainment.[32] On November 23, 2021, it was announced that Hugh Dancy had been cast as an Assistant District Attorney and that Anderson had signed a one-year deal to return as Detective Kevin Bernard.[33] On December 10, 2021, it was revealed that Camryn Manheim had been cast as Lieutenant Kate Dixon, the successor to Merkerson's character Lieutenant Anita Van Buren. Manheim portrayed minor characters in previous seasons of the series.[34] On December 15, 2021, Odelya Halevi was announced to be joining the cast as Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun.[35] A day later, Waterston was announced to have finalized a one-year deal to return as District Attorney Jack McCoy.[36] Anderson was confirmed not to be continuing beyond his one year on May 26, 2022.[37]
When announced, it was unclear whether the season would air in the 2021–22 or 2022–23 television season;[41] it was later reported that it would premiere as a mid-season replacement on February 24, 2022.[42] It aired in the 8 PM Thursday timeslot that For the Defense had been scheduled for, alongside SVU and Organized Crime.[43][44]
