‘Law & Order’ Crossover Teases Intense 3-Show Event in New Trailer

The first Law & Order three-way crossover will kick off the three shows’ new seasons this September. NBC released the first teaser for the epic premiere, which will involve a single crime that unfolds during the first Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Organized Crime episodes of the fall. The event begins with the murder of a mysterious young girl, which turns out to be more than just another homicide. The event starts on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

At the start of the episode, Det. Frank Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan) and his new partner, Det. Jalen Shaw (Mehcaf Brooks), arrives at the murder scene for a young girl. Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are called in when the Law & Order detectives need help. Some important evidence leads D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) think an international crime ring is involved, but they soon learn there is more afoot.

The episode was written by Law & Order showrunner Rick Eid with Chicago P.D. veteran Gwen Sigan. Jean de Segonzac directed the first two hours, with Alex Hall directing the last hour. It will be presented as a single episode, so there will be no credit sequences at the top of the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours. DVR viewers should record all three hours to get the full story. It will also be available to stream on Peacock.

“Nothing demonstrates the power of the Law & Order brand more than an ambitious three-hour event with a story that is truly ripped from the headlines that starts on Organized Crime, then migrates to SVU and finally the trial on Law & Order,” creator Dick Wolf said in a statement. “Rick and Gwen did an amazing job writing a compelling script and I can’t think of a bigger and better way to launch the new season of Law & Order Thursday.”

“This unprecedented scheduling block is a tribute to all the Law & Order fans who’ve been watching this iconic brand for four decades on NBC,” Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Programming, NBCU Television, and Streaming, added. “We couldn’t be more excited to open our season with such a historic event.”

Although Law & Order shows have crossed over in the past, this is the first time three shows will be involved in one story. Wolf has overseen three-way crossovers with his Chicago and FBI franchises, so it is possible to bring casts from three shows into one case. During the early days of the franchise’s history, Law & Order crossed over with Homicide: Life on the Streets, and SVU has crossed over with Chicago shows.