Extremely popular crime drama series created by Dick Wolf. Unlike most such shows, which usually focus on either detectives or the criminal suit itself but never both, each Law & Order episode usually covers one murder case from discovery of the body, through the police investigation and resulting trial(s) and ends with a conviction, acquittal, or plea bargain.

Also unlike most police shows it does not show the process in a stylized or purely glamorous light but tries to portray it with more realism; dirty DA politics and bringing the wrong person to trial are not rare subplots.