Uncategorized

If Law & Order Gets Canceled But Other Law & Orders Don’t…

Next Day Update: It seems to be inching closer to being “official,” to the point that the Hollywood Reporter can call it “official.” Since NBC is simultaneously ordering Law and Order L.A., that’s a victory for California over New York. And they can make right turns on red lights!

Next Day Update # 2: More seriously, this cancellation — now officially confirmed — is going to be a pretty big blow to New York, particularly the many theatre actors who were able to get national/international exposure with guest roles as a) criminals b) suspects c) witnesses who don’t feel like talking about what they saw and continue to do their work while the detectives interrogate them.

I never really thought about the possibility that Law & Order might go off the air before its many other spinoffs, but if this Deadline Hollywood Daily rumour is true (“if”), it might happen. I’ll post a link if it’s officially announced or if it’s officially denied, but at the moment, the word appears to be that while “negotiations are ongoing” (perhaps over the possibility of moving the whole thing to TNT), it’s not looking good for the show’s chances to beat Gunsmoke‘s record for most live-action seasons.

Update: TNT has announced that they’re not bidding for first-run episodes.

There have of course been spinoffs that stayed on the air after their parent shows got canceled, but I can’t think of a lot of precedents (in the U.S. anyway) for “franchise” spinoffs, with same format and title, outlasting the original — at least in the sense of being on after it’s canceled, not actually having more seasions. But of course that’s because the L&O, CSI type of franchise is a fairly new thing. I don’t think we can rule out the possibility that CSI: Miami might someday wind up running longer than CSI.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.