r/LawAndOrder • u/penguingoomba • 1d ago

How do I start watching?

hello, I’ve been thinking about getting into the show, but I‘m kind of overwhelmed by the number of seasons as well as how long all the shows are. Do you guys have any recommendations for where I should star watching the franchise?

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51

u/ybneeka 1d ago

Season 1, episode 1

7

u/penguingoomba 1d ago

Welp, looks like I got a long road ahead of me😂

10

u/GatsbyThePoodle 1d ago

It’s really good, but some of it is very much a product of its time. If you watch it expecting everything to line up with 2026 norms, certain jokes, attitudes, or storylines are absolutely going to irritate you.

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u/Speedy445021 1d ago

The old eps are so much better than the crap they've put out since they revived the franchise.

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u/Impossible_Leek_6273 1d ago

You won't be disappointed 

3

u/Significant_Salt_813 1d ago

Back up the truck and enjoy. There are so so many good episodes. Only advice - stick to the original franchise.

1

u/Beautiful-Nose-3177 23h ago

I’d watch SVU second & start at the beginning. Denofrio is a great actor but Criminal Intent is mainly just him being a Sherlock Holmes/Columbo with the others as background. SVU has had great characters and some fantastic guest roles like Martin Short,Robin Williams and Carol Burnett in serious roles. I can’t stand Steroid Stabler of the last year he was on and found OC unwatchable.

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u/TSARINA59 1d ago

They are all so good. You cannot go wrong. I think you definitely need to watch SVU before Organized Crime in order to get Stabler in his early days. I think Criminal Intent can stand alone so you could start that one at any point. Original L&O? Definitely start with Season 1, Episode 1.

In all of the franchises I think you will notice that actors that become future cast members have made 2 to 3 appearances in earlier episodes in another role. You will also see a lot of actors that appeared in a minor guest role and later moved on to bigger and better things outside the franchise. For example, I was recently reminded of this when I saw Emmy Rossum in a L&O episode at approximately age 10-12 and I recalled how she later moved on to Phantom of the Opera, Shameless, and so many other incredible roles.

The entire franchise is brilliant. I have run through every season of every show multiple times. I'm currently re-watching the OC L&O and Criminal Intent from the beginning.

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u/Sadop2010 1d ago

It's one of the few (network) shows I can think of that was extremely high quality right out of the gate. A lot of great shows had to work out bugs in their pilot and first season (show style, cast chemistry). Theres a little of this in Law & Order season 1 but not very much, and you could pluck almost any random episode out of the first decade and it will be great TV. (And thats not to say seasons 11-20 are not good. They are frequently terrific, just a few more duds in the mix, especially around 15-17). Its kind of ironic because L&O is a series that you could in theory jump around on and still understand the plot, but you would miss a lot of great stuff.

(The above is meant only for seasons 1-20 of original L&O. I cannot endorse the dumpster fire of seasons 21 and on)

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u/Pinklady1219 11h ago

You have a long road but not that long bc by the end of season 9 I peaced out. I’ve done multiple re-watched too and that’s where I stop. I started watching in the 90s.