It’s going to be another long wait for Law & Order Thursdays.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime will take an extended break for new episodes until February 24.
The good news is that when those shows return, it’ll be alongside the Season 21 revival of the original Law & Order to make this a full Thursday of drama for the franchise.
Why is Law & Order Thursdays going on a break?
Usually, February is a crucial sweeps period for broadcast TV and a time when shows load up on brand-new episodes. But, instead, Law & Order Thursdays are on a break for a solid month.
The obvious reason for the extended break for Law & Order is the same one that affects other NBC series: The Winter Olympic Games.
NBC will be devoting exclusive coverage to the Games from Beijing which begin February 4 and will complete on February 20.
The network will be covering the Games on both its regular network and Peacock. Unfortunately, this means almost all of its regular series will be preempted.
There had been hopes at least one more new episode each of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime could air before the break, but NBC decided to simply hold off until February 24.
While the extended delay may be annoying to fans, it does promise that when the series returns, it’ll be in a bold new lineup.
What to expect when Law & Order: Thursdays return?
The big news when Law & Order Thursdays return is that the night will kick off with the long-awaited Season 21 revival of the original Law & Order.
This will be a true continuation of the iconic series, with Sam Waterston reprising his role as D.A. Jack McCoy. He’s joined by a top cast of Anthony Anderson, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Odelya Halevi, and Camryn Manheim.
While further details are tight, it’s expected the series will continue the original’s formula of “ripped from the headlines” cases seen by both police and prosecutors.
There is no word yet on what plotlines to expect for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, fans are naturally excited about Mariska Hargitay promising developments for a possible romance between Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler.
Speaking of which, Law & Order: Organized Crime ended its last episode with Stabler (Christopher Meloni) ready to turn in his badge if he couldn’t prove nemesis Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) was behind a cyberattack on the New York Stock Exchange.
The absence of new episodes is beyond the control of NBC due to being dedicated to the Olympic Games. However, that just gives the Law & Order producers more time to ensure that the full block of legal drama is worth the wait.
Law & Order Thursdays return with the Season 21 premiere of Law & Order on Thursday, February 24 at 8/7c on NBC.