Law & Order

Law & Order  is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise.  It originally aired on NBC and, in syndication, on various cable networks.  Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010.  Its record of 20 seasons is a tie with Gunsmoke (1955–75) for the longest-running live-action scripted American prime-time series with ongoing characters and also the longest-running hour-long primetime TV series.  Set and filmed in New York City, the series follows a two-part approach:  The first half-hour is the investigation of a crime (usually murder) and apprehension of a suspect by New York City Police Department detectives; and the second half is the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.  Plots are often based on real cases that recently made headlines, although the motivation for the crime and the perpetrator may be different.  (More from Wikipedia)