For many decades, the Law & Order franchise has spread its wings throughout different TV shows that brought some of the best lawyers and detectives to the screen. With several shows in the franchise, the Law & Order world has seen many guest stars come and go such as Bradley Whitford as a guest star on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
These guest stars have joined the long list of recurring characters who have been around long enough to become the longest-running characters on TV, Olivia Benson. There have been incredible storylines and some of those have become the most memorable cases viewers have seen on TV. That is probably why Law & Order, SVU, and OC have been renewed for 2023-2024 season.
10 ‘Law & Order’ Season 6, Episode 23, “Aftershock”
Law & Order was on the air for 20 seasons before its 12-year-long hiatus and its return in 2022 with Season 21. During its first two decades, the show delivered some incredible episodes that made sure to establish the rest of the shows as a strong and popular franchise. One of its most memorable cases happened during Season 6, Episode 23.
The episode was devastating for fans who had to witness the death of ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) who was murdered by a drunk driver. The episode also brought a young Jennifer Garner to the screen to play the woman Detective Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) hooked up with.
9 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Season 12, Episode 3, “Behave”
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is one of those spin-offs that surpassed the original and became extremely popular on its own, beyond the reach of the franchise. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) became two of the most popular detectives in the history of crime TV dramas.
On Season 12, Episode 3, Jennifer Love Hewitt makes an appearance as a woman who is found after being raped. As the detectives investigate her case, they find out a man who had previously raped her, had been stalking her and attacked her again. The investigation takes Benson to Los Angeles where they find the right evidence to capture the attacker.
8 ‘Law & Order’ Season 12, Episode 9, “3 Dawg Night”
Many famous actors who are nowadays known for other TV shows, successful movies, and winning awards saw the camera for the first time or very early on in their career on the Law & Order franchise. A great example of this was Idris Elba and Kerry Washington who appeared on Law & Order Season 12, Episode 9.
This episode isn’t only memorable because it introduced us to these two actors’ great performances, but because of the storyline itself. This time around the detectives and lawyers have to investigate the murder of a nightclub patron. A famous hip-hop star is sent to trial because they believe he is the one who murdered the patron for having accused him of being a sellout.
7 ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ Season 1, Episode 7, “Poison”
Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered in 2001 and was on the air for 10 seasons. Just like every show on the franchise, it also had a long list of famous actors who joined the cast as guest stars. One of them was J. Smith-Cameron before her popularity skyrocketed thanks to Succession and the Gerri-Roman dynamic. During Season 1, Episode 7, she played Trudy Pomeranski.
“Poison” has the detectives investigating a nurse. When there seems to be an angel of death poisoning patients with cyanide, Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) believe it is one of the nurses who is killing patients. In the end, it is Smith-Cameron’s character who was behind the murders.
6 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Season 13, Episode 8, “Educated Guess”
Smith-Cameron has returned to the Law & Order franchise on multiple occasions. One of them included Law & Order: SVU Season 13, Episode 8 when she joined Natasha Lyonne and Tim Guinee. When the detectives arrest a man for running drugged and naked around Central Park, they stumble upon a rape case in a psych ward.
Gia Eskas has been a patient in the psych ward for a long time and that is one of the reasons why the doctors don’t believe she has been attacked. However, as the detectives investigate, they find out Gia has been assaulted multiple times in her life by someone close to her and her family.
5 ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ Season 6, Episode 21, “Endgame”
One thing the TV shows on the Law & Order franchise have been great at is balancing the detectives and lawyers personal lives with the cases they investigate and prosecute. At times, the cases would involve one of them or a family member, hitting close to home and making them entangle their personal and professional lives.
On Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 6, Episode 21, this is what happens with Goren and a serial killer. While he is interrogating the serial killer who is on death row, he finds a connection between him and his dying mother. The serial killer provides a scrapbook with his hidden chronicle that brings this connection to the light.
4 ‘Law & Order’ Season 2, Episode 12, “Severance”
On Law & Order Season 2, Episode 12, the detectives must investigate the murder of three men who were killed before they were due to testify against a defense contractor. While the detectives do the investigation, ADAs Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) file charges against the defense contractor, his lawyer, and the hit-man who was hired to commit the murders.
The main issue that Law & Order faced with every episode was to find a balance between the law and the order, the lawyers and the detectives. Episodes like this one allowed to see more into the ADAs while other episodes may have focused more on the detectives.
3 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Season 23, Episode 9, “People vs. Richard Wheatley”
When Elliot Stabler returned to the Law & Order franchise with his own show, Law & Order: Organized Crime, the main storyline was the chase of the man who had murdered his wife. It was throughout those episodes that Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) became one of the most popular Stabler enemies. Even though the majority of his storyline happened on Law & Order: OC, the trial of Richard Wheatley happened on Law & Order: SVU.
Season 23, Episode 9 not only brought Wheatley to the stand, but it shocked fans with the return of Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza). Instead of being on the side of the good, Barba became Wheatley’s defense attorney, guaranteeing his freedom. It was then that the friendship between Benson and Barba was broken.
2 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Season 15, Episode 1, “Surrender Benson”
As the longest-running character on TV, Olivia Benson has seen and suffered through some of the worst traumas on television. When William Lewis (Pablo Schreiber) showed up, viewers knew he was about to be one of the worst rapists and attackers they had seen in many decades. However, things took a turn for the worst when he went after Benson.
During Season 15, Episode 1, Lewis abducts, attacks, and tortures Benson while the rest of her team goes on a chase to find him. Although she manages to restrain him herself, she is finally safe when her team finds her in a beach house. Afterward, Benson spends many episodes dealing with the aftermath of her attack.
1 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Season 7, Episode 19, “Fault”
One of the major plot lines that has kept fans captivated by the Law & Order franchise is the dynamic and relationship between Benson and Stabler. The “will they/won’t they” has had viewers on the edge of their seats for many years, wondering what will happen between these two characters — especially after Stabler’s return. On many episodes, the two of them have put their relationship first, jeopardizing the cases.
That is what happened on Season 7, Episode 19 when they are investigating a serial pedophile who killed a family and kidnapped the youngest kids. As the investigation goes on, and they come face to face with the killer/kidnapper, Benson is attacked and Stabler runs to help her, which results in one of the kids being killed. Afterward, Benson has to decide whether to shoot the suspect or save Stabler’s life.
