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Law & Order is one of the longest-running TV shows in the history of television and the first episode of season 22 will be released on Thursday, September 22, 2022, on NBC. The show premiered in 1990 and has managed to gain a steady viewership ever since.
Law & Order is a police procedural and legal drama known for creating a narrative around true crime or news that has made it to the headlines. The show investigates cases in two parts. The first part of Law & Order includes the procedure that goes into solving the crime and putting the puzzle together while the second part is engaged in the prosecution and the sentencing of the accused.
Law & Order explores the details of systemic procedures and makes for an interesting watch. Read on to find out more about some popular television dramas like Law and Order.
More television dramas like Law & Order
1) Mindhunter
Mindhunter is a show that boasts technical brilliance, nuanced writing, and splendid performances all at once. The Netflix original show, which has been made into two seasons, is one of David Fincher's finest works. The show follows members of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI who begin criminal profiling by conducting organized conversations with serial killers.
Mindhunter, like Law & Order, recreates the characters of real-life criminals through bone chilling conversations that the protagonists have with them. The show is as interested in the psychological roots of its characters as it is in creating a thrilling experience for the audience. It stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv in lead roles as they effortlessly establish the world of the characters.
Despite the second season ending with a cliffhanger, Mindhunter was canceled before the third season, owing to its low viewership and high production value. Mindhunter, however, is a highly acclaimed show and has a passionate audience of its own.
2) Broadchurch
Broadchurch is another fine crime drama like Law & Order that taps into themes of crime, punishment, grief, and community. The show features some spectacular performances from Jodie Whittaker, Olivia Colman, and David Tennant. The entirety of Broadchurch's first season revolves around the death of an eleven-year-old and the consequences of that death.
Similar to Law & Order, Broadchurch switches between the psychological conflict within the characters and the systemic procedure of law. The show was made into three seasons from 2013 to 2017, with each season adding new stories to the lives of the characters. The soundtrack of the show also became extremely popular and complemented the genre of the stories.
3) The Killing
There are barely any crime shows that explore a crime in as many ways as The Killing does and probably none that explore it with as much patience and at such a slow pace. The Killing takes its own time to get to the resolution of each of the cases it explores, revealing the political, psychological, social, and cultural factors that motivate a crime, one by one.
The characters in The Killing, unlike in most mainstream crime shows like Law & Order, are significantly gray. While all the characters are fairly troubled, the show doesn't bother to explain their behavior. Instead, it builds a dark world that their troubles are consistent with.
The Killing has been made into a total of four seasons. While the first two seasons are the finest of the four, the other two make for an entertaining watch as well.
4) Orange is the New Black
Orange is the New Black doesn't concern itself with being likeable as much as it does with creating characters that are first-hand victims of systemic injustice and the institutions put in place by law. The show is one of Netflix's most successful and longest-running shows with seven seasons. Unlike Law & Order and other names on the list, Orange is the New Black is a comedy-drama.
However, the genre doesn't limit the show from saying what it wants to say. In fact, the comedy genre almost empowers Orange is the New Black to bring about honesty in their portrayal of the legal system. Orange is the New Black received twelve Primetime Emmy Nominations and won three of them. The show is available to stream on Netflix.
5) The Act
The Act is another true crime series, like Law & Order, that is curious about its characters' psyche more than the details of the crime itself. The Act is a single-season series that investigates the life of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, whom Gypsy murders as a consequence of prolonged abuse. Joey King plays the character of Gypsy, for which she received an Emmy nomination.
The Act is as much a drama as it is a crime show. It explores the personal and domestic troubles of individuals which, when put into context, may translate into larger structural issues. The show premiered on Hulu in 2019 and received a lot of critical acclaim for the performances and the production. Its treatment of true crime was widely appreciated.
The 22nd season of Law & Order will be released on NBC on Thursday, September 22, 2022.
