15th best Law & Order episode, ranked

After over two decades on television, the original Law & Order Has many high-quality episodes, but some stand out more than others. When the long-running procedural began, the idea of ​​splitting the show in half between the police and courtroom aspects of each case was novel and exciting. The series was so popular that it was brought back for a 21st season 10 years after its cancellation and Law & Order Season 24 is on its way, proving that the series is still going strong.

Law & Order is known for focusing on the case of the week rather than the personal lives of the characters. However, many of the most powerful episodes involve the cops and prosecutors dealing with personal issues, including character deaths. One of its most memorable episodes includes the death of Law & Orders Claire Kincaid, an assistant district attorney who was later revealed to have a romantic relationship with the iconic Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston). The series also offered many strong stories based on real-life cases, making it difficult to narrow down its extensive episode list to the best of all time.

15

hot pursuit

Season 6, Episode 5

Law & Order Ripped one of the most infamous cases from the headlines for this season 6 story: The Patty Hearst case, which involved the daughter of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, who was kidnapped and later arrested for participating in bank robberies with her captors. The best Law & Order Episodes take liberties with the source material so that it’s clear what it’s based on without being obvious. The episode achieves this by making the fictionalized version of Hearst a woman caught after a spree of local business robberies, including one that left two people dead in a nightclub.

McCoy’s doubts about the woman’s claim that she had no choice led him to be charged with murder, although not everyone agreed with him. The argument about this during court and in the DA’s office allowed the audience to make up their own mind as to whether justice had been done. The strong writing and acting, along with Amanda Peet playing the woman in question, is what earned it a solid 7.9 rating on IMDB.

14

Working mom

Season 7, Episode 14

Before he is known for her role on Desperate housewivesFelicity Huffman played a desperate prostitute Law & Order. The episode is memorable not only for her performance, but for the subject matter; Law & Order was one of the first signs of a willingness to fight police corruption rather than portraying all police officers as heroic, and the story involved the murder of a retired police officer who was then accused of killing two sex workers.

Huffman’s character was a respected PTA mom who was also a sex worker, which helped change the image of sex workers as social deviants. Her claims that she was sexually assaulted and shot the cop in self-defense add to a powerful story that would have been one of Law & Order: SVUs best episodes instead of earning in the original series if the spinoff had existed then. Moreover, the story was so well-done that it was remade for Law & Order: UK. Thus, it deserves recognition despite only a 7.6 average rating on IMDB.

13

Baby, it’s you

Season 8, Episode 6

Long before Murder: Life on the StreetTransferred to the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, John Munch (Richard Belzer) visits New York with the rest of his Baltimore unit in a two-part crossover episode with Law & Order. The episode involves a model found dead in New York, whose injuries suggest she was killed in Baltimore. This leads to a turf war over who gets the case; However, Munch and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) strike up a friendship based on their mutual cynicism and history of failed marriages.

Although the premise is a bit farfetched, it’s fun to watch the two units interact. Orbach and Belzer’s chemistry makes them one of the best platonic duos on TV, and it’s a shame these two didn’t get their own spinoff.His episode is probably partly responsible for Belzer’s invitation to join them Law & Order: SVU Figure. The story also scores high points for Pembleton (Andre Braugher) clashing with Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) over his not-quite-legal methods of securing confessions, making his rating of just 7.7 on IMDB puzzling.

12

Private life

Season 22, Episode 19

Although the soft reboot of Law & Order Has had many tough episodes, sometimes it’s too strong about what the “right” answer to social questions is. That’s not the case in “Private Lives,” which revolves around the murder of a doctor who was providing gender-affirming care to transgender teenagers. Sasha Alexander is excellent as the victim’s wife, a right-wing politician who secretly supports her husband’s work with transgender youth but takes the opposite stance publicly to ensure her election.

The inclusion of this character was a throwback to Law & Orders earlier days, like met presented a quiz question and allowed the audience to make up their own mind as to what the correct answer was. The last scene was especially powerful, with Alexander’s character justifying her apparent hypocrisy by explaining that if she lost her election bid, someone who was really harmful to the transgender community would gain power. This made the issue less clear and left the audience grappling with the question of whether she was right, along with the issue of what care is appropriate for transgender teenagers.

11

Endurance

Season 11, Episode 1

“Endurance” loses points for revolving around a mother who may have killed her disabled child because she was overwhelmed, because it reinforces a negative and harmful idea about children with disabilities, especially autistic children, being a burden that drives their parents to harm However, this problem is balanced by the fact that ultimately, the mother in this story is not responsible for the fire that killed her child. Additionally, this episode introduces Nora Lewin, the new DA who takes Adam Schiff’s (Stephen Hill) place. These elements help it earn the solid 8.0 rating it received from IMDB users.

10

Corruption

Season 7, Episode 5

The 1997 episode offered an interesting twist on the corrupt cop trope. Briscoe finds himself in hot water after a detective with ties to his past shoots a drug dealer, leading to the formation of a police commission on unethical police behavior. The detective tries to turn the tables, accusing Briscoe of covering up evidence after Curtis refuses to say that he saw the deceased holding a gun, which leads to a strong conflict for McCoy, as he wants to prove that the detective is corrupt. And is corrupt despite the risk to his fall if he does.

Amazingly, the episode is based on a real-life case in which heroin was regularly stolen from the NYPD Department property clerk for years, though that’s hard to guess just from watching. It’s a well-crafted story that puts Briscoe, who is one of Law & Order’s most iconic and beloved characters, in danger of losing his job and his freedom, thus earning his place as one of the best episodes of the series. . 8.3 rating on IMDB.

9

Humanity

Season 3, Episode 21

Technically, “Manhood” is guilty of the bury your guys trope, which reinforces negative stereotypes by killing off gay characters, especially if they’re about to find happiness. However, in this case, Law & Order was shining a light on homophobia in the police department at a time when few television shows were willing to address LGBTQ+ issues at all. The episode revolves around the death of a cop at the hands of a suspect after his calls for backup are ignored. The investigation shows that the cop is gay and that his fellow officers ignore his calls because of his sexual orientation.

This episode is strong even on rewatches. Stein prosecutes both the drug dealer who shot the cop and three officers who ignored his calls for backup, which is groundbreaking for the fictional New York justice system, considering how easily he could have ignored the police’s failure to support their brother in blue. Unfortunately, the episode ends with the cops being acquitted, and it is debated whether this underscores the homophobia and overreverence of cops or reinforces the idea that their attitude is moral. However, this episode deals with a sensitive topic fairly and deserves its 8.1 rating on IMDB.

8

Jeopardy

Season 6, Episode 4

In modern episodes, rich people attempting to buy themselves acquittals or immunity is a common theme throughout these Law & Order Franchise. However, in the 1990s, it wasn’t as common, and “Jeopardy” was one of the first episodes to do so. The episode involves a judge throwing out all murder charges against a wealthy defendant accused of murdering three people in a magazine office. and takes the unusual step of a second investigation in the same episode.

in most Law & Order episodes, the DA played only a small part, assigning cases and directing trial strategy to ensure a win. In this episode, however, Schiff is a major player, because the judge is a personal friend, but he suspects him of corruption. Schiff’s internal conflict when he directs McCoy and Kincaid to investigate the judge raises this far beyond the norm Law & Order charge, making the episode’s 8.p0 rating on IMDB a bit low.

7

Out of the half light

Season 1, Episode 11

This early episode established law & orders willingness to tackle difficult subjects, as well as his brand of ripping stories from the headlines. The episode is based on the infamous Tawana Brawley case, in which a black teenager accused four white men, including an ADA, of ripping her, but a jury found that she had fabricated the assault. Like Brawley, the girl in the Law & Order The story was found with racial slurs written on her body, claimed four white men raped her, and was ultimately disbelieved.

The Law & Order Episode changes some details and uses the case to explore the question of how the powerful can manipulate the legal system. The family of the victim does not want to cooperate with the police and a powerful black congressman describes her in a former church, interferes with the investigation and causes Stein to ask whether the attack happened at all. However, it is equally possible that the family and the congressman were trying to protect the girl from racial prejudice, and The audience is left to make up their own minds, making this one of the most powerful episodes of the series.

6

Killers

Season 10, Episode 2

Law & Order Investigate the question of whether young children can be responsible for murder in an episode with a shockingly brutal case. When a child is found dead, with batteries stuffed in his mouth, the police suspect that one of his classmates, a ten-year-old girl named Jenny, is responsible. The violence, and the fact that a child is believed to be responsible, are terrible enough, but theseHe episode shines because it does not glamorize or sensationalize the event.

As the plot shifts from the question of getting enough evidence to arrest Jenny to the court case, the story moves into controversial territory, with the DA’s office and various mental health experts weighing in on whether Jenny is capable of understanding the severity of her actions and Very foreseeable consequences. This meaty conflict makes this episode one of Sam Waterston’s best Law & Order episodes and earns it an 8.3 rating on IMDB.

5

The ring

Season 13, Episode 5

After the 9-11 terrorist attack in 2001, every New York based television series felt obliged to address it in their stories. Law & Order Waited a year to avoid sensationalizing the attack or retraumatizing the survivors by using their need for entertainment. “The Ring” earns high marks not only for sensitivity, but for a story that is only tangentially related to 9-11, but resonates emotionally and honor survivors.

The story involves a skeleton found a year after the attack. The remains are identified as someone who allegedly died in the World Trade Center that fateful day, but no one has ever been able to confirm that she came to work. The story focuses on the possibility that someone killed her elsewhere and used 9-11 to get away with murder, addressing the issue of exploiting the tragedy for personal gain. The story is also enhanced by DA Branch’s personal connection to one of the suspects, making it difficult for him to prosecute the case without alienating powerful political allies.

4

Cod

Season 14, Episode 24

Jerry Orbach was more closely associated with Law & Order Like anyone else in the 1990s, despite not being part of an original cast. Thus, his final episode was a tearjerker, although the story was mostly typical despite Briscoe’s decision to retire. The story is interesting, since it consists of two women who are separately tried for conspiracy to murder one of the other’s husbands, forcing the two Ada’s to try the cases at the same time.

It is unusual for a Law & Order episode to have two trials, but it is more meaningful that it is Orbach’s swan song. Auerbach had to deal with the short-lived ones Law & Order: Trial by JuryBut unfortunately died of prostate cancer after filming only two episodes. so, The last episode can be considered as a fitting tribute to Orbach and his iconic characterWhom he is best known for playing today.

3

Confession

Season 2, Episode 1

The second season opener is one of Law & Orders saddest episodes, with the murder of original character Max Grevey (George Dzunda), who was gunned down in his driveway. It also foreshadows Logan’s (Chris Noth) eventual exit story, as Logan reacts to Greevey’s death with anger and violence, beating a suspect to get a confession from him.

The evil cop who can’t deal with grief has become something of a tired trope, but it wasn’t so common in 1991, and The emotions in this episode are raw and relatable, although modern audiences will likely be disgusted by Logan’s behavior. His reaction is coupled with the horrific fact that Greevey was killed outside his home, which is supposed to be a safe place. This is one of the most impressive episodes of law and order, Which is even more impressive considering that it was only for one season when it was made.

2

Under the influence

Season 8, Episode 11

Sam Waterston appeared on Law & Order for over 20 years as Jack McCoy, and McCoy’s difficulty dealing with Claire Kincaid’s (Jill Hennessy) death was one of his strongest arcs. In “Under the Influence,“McCoy reacts emotionally to a case involving drunk drivers involved in a fatal hit-and-run, and it’s hard for him to be objective because it reminds him of how Kincaid died.Leading to one of the most emotional episodes in the series.

This episode is also one of the few with Jamie Ross in a compelling role as the assistant district attorney. Ross confronts McCoy during the episode, believing that he is allowing his emotions to get the better of him, which adds to the episode’s appeal. Ross ends up resigning at the end of the episode, and McCoy faces an ethics inquiry for the way he handled the case, making this one of the few times that McCoy’s career is in danger throughout the series.

1

Aftershock

Season 6, Episode 23

“Aftershock” is the only episode of Law & Order This is not according to the format of the detectives who are called in a murder investigation and the lawyers who lead the court case. Instead, this episode involves the lawyers and cops witnessing the execution of a man they arrested and convicted. The event takes a significant toll on each of the characters, and they struggle with their emotions after watching the man die.

This emotional episode is memorable not only for the emotional arc of each character, but for its shocking ending. Kincaid had to resign from her position because of her outrage over the execution, but she suffered a worse and unexpected fate: in the last minutes of the episode, while driving Briscoe home, she was killed when a drunk driver hit her car. The shock of her death would be explored in future episodes of Law & OrderAnd there was an ironic component to it, too, because she was driving Briscoe home since he was too intoxicated to drive safely.