The upcoming Law & Order crossover event may be the most challenging story in the show’s history.
So says Law & Order showrunner Rick Eid as the first trailer for the upcoming crossover that begins on September 22 was revealed.
The brief spot showcases how the three shows will come together, beginning with the Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 premiere, then the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 premiere, before concluding with the Law & Order Season 22 premiere.
While introducing a new detective, the story also shows some great interaction of characters who normally don’t get together for this tale.
Eid has now touched on how tricky it is to handle the logistics and why this may be a one-time-only event this season.
However, this challenge just makes for a better storyline to kick off this season in a wild way.
What is the Law & Order crossover about?
Crossovers in Dick Wolf Entertainment shows are nothing new. The One Chicago series regularly cross over, from characters on different shows making big appearances to crossovers of all three shows together.
Last year, the FBI shows began with a crossover as well. However, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Rick Eid (who wrote the episode) says this is different.
“Unlike most crossovers that we see on network television that are handoffs — one show hands it off to the next show, and then the next show hands it off to the next show — this one is much more integrated, where all the characters are in every hour in an integrated, seamless way.”
The synopsis for the episode touches on how it gathers the teams together as one murder leads to a bigger case involving an international crime ring.
“A girl is shot, and Cosgrove teams with Shaw to track down her killer; Benson and Stabler assist and realize it’s more than a typical homicide; McCoy and Price seek justice against an international crime ring.”
The episode will introduce Jalen Shawn (Mehcad Brooks), who becomes Cosgrove’s new partner, as the first trailer shows some of the action.
What is happening on the crossover?
The storyline begins on the Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 premiere at a special time. Then Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 at its usual time, followed by the Law & Order Season 22 premiere at another special time.
The first trailer released by NBC showcases the various characters interacting. It shows action from Rollins (Kelli Giddish) being shot at, Brooks tackling a running suspect, and Stabler kicking down a door.
It ends with Benson comforting a victim, saying, “I am going to help you.” It concludes with the cops joining together raiding a house.
The trailer has the tagline, “there’s strength in squad numbers.”
Eid had added to TV Insider how “it’s like an All-Star game,” and the case goes from merely human trafficking to stopping a high casualty attack in New York.
He added, “there’s an emotional incident involving the organized crime team.”
Eid continued talking to Entertainment Weekly about the logistics of balancing each show with their large casts and ensuring they worked together well.
When asked if he would do another event like this, he laughed, “for the love of God, no.”
After pausing, though, he admitted, “I think we’re always going to be trying to do things that are a little out of the box that elevate our profile and bring more eyeballs to our shows. So you know, having said that, as I’m talking, it sounds like the answer is yes.”
While fans are excited to see this epic event, the challenge of putting it all together is what makes it a Law & Order moment to remember.
The Law & Order crossover begins with Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 premiere at 8/7c September 22 on NBC.
I remember the Law and order crossovers with Homicide life on the streets from the mud 1990’s