NBC cancels Law & Order

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

seems confusing, but at 40 years, it just goes to prove my point that NBC should not be making claims about L&O being the longest running cop drama, yet alone longest running drama, when I could name 2 cop shows that have run longer.

Again, the record is for longest-running prime time drama on American network television. Some writers just don't bother writing all that out and use an imprecise shorthand.

 

[The Wormhole]

Didn't The Simpsons already do this?

The Simpsons is a sitcom, and therefore can not break the record for longest running drama.

Doesn't the show have to be funny to be considered a sitcom.

Very few shows labeled "sitcom" are truly funny these days.

 

[Tom]

I'm just waiting for Comcast to come in and fire half these brain dead NBC execs, especially Zucker. GE clearly is not jumping in to clean NBC's house, hopefully Comcast will when the 51% deal is finalized.

How do you not even let L&O have even a partial 21st season? If I was running NBC i would be proud for people to say the longest running prime-time drama is NBC's Law and Order.

 

[John Picard]

I'm just trying to picture the idea of "no new L&O" on tv. I rarely watch primetime but if I do that is one of my go-to choices. The world has turned upside down.

That's what was said when M*A*S*H, Cheers, and The Cosby Show went off the air.

 

[Mistral]

Network
Beyond
Comprehension

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Nutbars
Bullshitting
Constantly

 

[Kirby]

I KNEW that show was going to be cancelled so I never watched it. You get all involved with the characters and the stories and then they yank it right out from under you. Yay me stayin' ahead of the curve!

 

[RandyS]

I really would like to see L&O break the record. I hope this isn't true.

Didn't The Simpsons already do this?

The Simpsons is a sitcom, and therefore can not break the record for longest running drama.

Oh. Okay. I missed the distinction.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Negative
Brain
Capacity

 

[FreezeC77]

Is this 100% official? Last year I remember it being said L&O was canceled, but it ended up coming back.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

It's official: NBC has cancelled Law & Order, renewed Law & Order: SVU, and ordered Law & Order: Los Angeles to series.

Here's NBC's press release:

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – May 14, 2010 – NBC has picked up the new drama “LOLA” (“Law & Order: Los Angeles”) as well as renewed “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for the 2010-11 season. In addition, NBC will end its historic and record-tying “Law & Order” when the mothership series concludes its 20th season on Monday, May 24 (10-11 p.m. ET).

The announcements were made today by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment said, "The full measure of the collective contributions made by Dick Wolf and his 'Law & Order' franchise over the last two decades to the success of NBC and Universal Media Studios cannot be overstated. The legacy of his original ‘Law & Order’ series will continue to make an impact like no other series before."

Bromstad added: “‘Law & Order’ has been one of the most successful franchises in the history of television, which is why it is so critical that we continue this important brand and our relationship with Dick Wolf and his team with ‘LOLA’ and ‘Law & Order: SVU.’”

The brainchild of creator and Emmy Award winner Wolf, "Law & Order" has spawned one of the most successful brands in primetime television. It is the 1997 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series and the record holder for the most consecutive (11) nominations in that category for a primetime series (tied with "Cheers" and "M*A*S*H"). It premiered on September 13, 1990, and eventually tied “Gunsmoke” as the longest-running drama series in television history.

The new “LOLA” (“Law & Order: Los Angeles”) is a procedural crime drama that will follow the theme and storylines similar to the “Law & Order”-brand series on the streets of Los Angeles. The series, from executive producer Dick Wolf and Blake Masters (“Brotherhood”), is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Media Studios. Casting and pre-production work are continuing.

“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” continues to air in its ninth season on USA Network.

 

[wamdue]

and it had been a decent development season for NBC so far, so close to not doing anything stupid.

Have to wonder what they will do if LOLA isnt a hit.

 

[RobertScorpio]

What the fuck are you doing NBC?!?!

Your new drama shows will fucking fail like every other fucking thing you fucking do these days! You are a failure of a network!

L&O on a Friday night with no ads on a forth place network got over seven million viewers! Sure the demo sucked, but that's 7 million viewers on a network no one give a fuck about! If they become any worse they would have to change their name is CW!

13 episode 21st season to "close" the show off, that's it. Break the record, have tons of ads about it, and when ALL of NBC's new dramas do horrible because they are crap then they have a back up to fill in the wholes.

I mean really, in the last several years the only hour long shows that made it more than a season have been Heroes and Chuck, really sad.

QFT! I could not agree with you more...what is wrong with the morons at NBC??? They have the best cast in YEARS, the writing has been terrific, and they are ONE year from breaking the record and NBC wants to cancel it? It makes no sense!

The show did very well on Fridays, like you said. The fans followed it there. Then they shuffle it to Mondays against Castle and CSI Miami. Of course NBC isn't going to get the same demos...if they cancel it because of this, I'll blow a gasket.

After the way they treated Conan over the Tonight show, I will be SOOO done with NBC if they cancel L&O....and I don't care if next fall's hit show is somehow, miraculously, on their network, I will not watch ever again.

Stupid NBC! I really hope that they will see the light and give it one more year... I'm so angry about this.

Being a fan of Matt Dillon? I hope he pulls out his six-shooter and kills L/O once and for all...

And the reason I think GUNSMOKE is still the longest running show even if L/O gets its record breaking year? The cast. James Arness was at the start, and at the end, and was THE star the entire way.

Rob

 

[doubleohfive]

Oh well. Thanks for 20 great years. *raises glass*


dunk-dunk.

 

[MichaelDornFan]

I've resisted for quite a while now, but...

*officially jumps on the anti-NBC bandwagon*

 

[Robert Maxwell]

and it had been a decent development season for NBC so far, so close to not doing anything stupid.

Have to wonder what they will do if LOLA isnt a hit.

They killed Trial by Jury and Conviction pretty quickly, I suspect they'll shitcan Los Angeles in a heartbeat if it doesn't deliver the demos they want. Both of the aforementioned shows lasted 13 episodes, so that's what you can probably expect from Los Angeles if it isn't an instant hit.

 

[Gaith]

It's official: NBC has cancelled Law & Order, renewed Law & Order: SVU, and ordered Law & Order: Los Angeles to series.

So, what you're saying is... there'll still be a cop show or two on tv this fall! Thank goodness! I was about to fall into a deep, dark pit of despair...

 

[KB24]

This is pathetic. I can't believe NBC has no time slot that they couldn't put the original for 13 eps. Saturday at 10 pm for goodness sake! Imagine what the ratings of a highly publicized record breaking final show would be! A two hour ethereal retrospective or such with all living cast returning and a nod to the late stars! Way to take a historic series out with a whimper people!

'LOLA' will die after 8 eps because I suspect the 5 million remaining LO fans will boycott now out of spite for this cancellation. I do hope now Wolf can perhaps find something else on TNT or elsewhere. Even if that may technically lose any historical records, I'd just like to see a proper conclusion or such to prove NBC wrong.

SVU has been subpar in recent years. They should have just combined shows for one year and then let LO go out properly. This is stupid.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The original L&O has so many excellent actors in it that I hope some of its characters can be moved to other L&O shows. CI has been in need of a DA for some time now; why not move Cutter there (Cutter is, IMHO, the best ADA they've had in years), and Rubirosa to SVU? Hell, why not move Lupo and Bernard to CI as well, and make it a two-pairs-of-cops show like it used to be?

 

[doubleohfive]

It's also been on for 20 years. This isn't a show that's being chopped off in it's hey-day, it isn't a brand new series that's not being given a chance, never mind the fact that it has (to my best recollection) spawned five (FIVE!!!!) spin-off series since it's inception.

They made a business decision. While it will be hard to think of TV without Law and Order, it's really not that big a deal.