The essential episodes of Law & Order
Watch these 10 in order and you've got Law & Order — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Suzanne Morton dies after a visit to a hospital emergency room during a hectic night shift. Her father, a former army medic in Vietnam, accuses the hospital of negligence and demands a police investigation. Logan and Greevey question a doctor who made adjustments to her chart, but are soon led to the respected Dr. Edward Auster, who they feel may have been drunk on duty. The other residents are reluctant to speak for fear their jobs may be in jeopardy, and Stone is faced with the awkward job of prosecuting a revered physician.
- 02
The body of a teacher, suspected of having an affair, is found in a car trunk and the investigation involves husband and father-in-law, both of whom are psychiatrists.
- 03
The murder of a prep school student points to a mysterious woman who may have been extorting money from the victim's wealthy father who she believed was also her father.
- 04
One of the few episodes that deviates from the usual formula. Briscoe and Green catch four murders and a kidnapping on the same day, and get handed confessions in each case. The DA's office only features minimally.
- 05
In the bloody wake of a massacre of heroin dealers, Detectives Fontana and Green track through a list of international criminals until they target their primary suspect, a drug-dealing Afghan warlord (as Khaleel, Christopher Maher) who's aided U.S. forces in Afghanistan and claims diplomatic immunity. But EADA McCoy and ADA Southerlyn fearlessly prosecute despite State Department pressure and a defense lawyer who claims his Afghan client was forced to push drugs in order to maintain his cover, and ultimately continue to aid American military efforts.
- 06
A car bomb kills the husband of an incapacitated woman shortly before the victim planned to disconnect her feeding tube, and when Detectives Fontana and Green wade into the politically charged case, they find the bombmaker who points them to suspects that include the woman's angry family and clergy. As national media arrive, EADA McCoy and ADA Borgia engage in a frustrating shell game where each suspect seems to have a mutually bulletproof alibi.
- 07
Green and Cassady investigate the death of a cop accidentally killed during a botched robbery which leads them to stolen photographs of a celebrity mother married to a player.
- 08
The investigation into a pair of missing pants leads to the murder of a young lawyer. Lupo and Green soon turn their suspicions to a businessman who works for a shady multinational corporation called SavingsMart.
- 09
A tourist is murdered and the detectives suspect that corrupt law enforcement officers from a small town are involved. Meanwhile, the governor threatens to nominate a new District Attorney for the upcoming election.
- 10
When an aspiring musician is found dead behind a trash can, Detectives Lupo and Bernard find a bag full of cash, leading them to a slew of suspects, including Don Sorenson. Sorenson confesses to shooting the musician when it is revealed that his daughter is thought kidnapped, but the clues don't seem to match up when his daughter, Jill Sorenson, appears back at home after losing her cell phone. Using the stolen cell phone as a guide, the detectives link the case with a bigger terrorist scheme, which could put lives in danger. Meanwhile, Lt. Van Buren begins to seek treatment for her cancer.
Shows like Law & Order
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Drama·Crime·LegalThe essential episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit1999–presentSame network — NBC·
- 02Drama·Crime·LegalThe essential episodes of The Good Wife2009–2016·CBS
The Good Wife follows Alicia Florrick, a wife and mother who boldly assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him… - 03Drama·Crime·LegalThe essential episodes of Better Call Saul2015–2022·AMC
Better Call Saul is the prequel to the award-winning series Breaking Bad, set six years before Saul Goodman became Walter White's lawyer. - 04Drama·Crime·LegalThe essential episodes of Goliath2016–2021
Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. - 05Drama·Crime·LegalThe essential episodes of Bull2016–2022·CBSBull stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of Dr.
- 06Drama·Crime·LegalThe essential episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer2022–presentMickey Haller, an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles.
