Sam Waterston, who plays district attorney Jack McCoy on Law & Order, is stepping down from the role. He joined the show in 1994 and returned in 2022. His last episode will be February 22. 

Tony Goldwyn has been cast as the new district attorney. Goldwyn played Gordon Gray in Oppenheimer. He’s the director and in the cast for the film Ezra, which will be released in May, and his TV work includes Scandal and Lovecraft Country. 

Law & Order debuted in 1990 and ran until 2010. It came back for season 21 in 2022.
The show is averaging 6.4 million viewers this season across all platforms, according to NBC. The cast includes Hugh Dancy, Camryn Manheim, Odelya Halevi, Mehcad Brooks and Reid Scott. 

Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Rick Eid, Pamela Wechsler, Alex Hall, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski are executive producers as well.

Universal Television produces Law & Order in association with Wolf Entertainment.

The Law & Order franchise is bringing all three of its various shows’ casts together for a crossover event on NBC Thursday, September 22, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/PT. The premiere event intertwines cast and plotlines from Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime. 

All are Dick Wolf shows. It represents the first time the three shows’ casts come together. 

NBC promises “a singular and all-encompassing three-hour story.” 

“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,” said Lisa Katz, president, scripted programming, NBCU Television and Streaming. “We couldn’t be more excited to open our season with such a historic event.”

It begins with a young girl shot in cold blood. Det. Frank Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan) teams up with Det. Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) to track down her killer. Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are called in to help when they realize they have more than a typical homicide case on their hands. After uncovering key evidence, Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) seek justice against an international crime ring, but complications threaten the outcome of their case.

Law & Order: Organized Crime goes first that night, then Law & Order: SVU and finally Law & Order.

The telecast was written by Rick Eid and Gwen Sigan. The first two hours are directed by Jean de Segonzac, with Alex Hall helming the final hour. The Law & Order brand is produced by Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment.

“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,” Wolf said. “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.”

The crossover will air the next day on Peacock. ■

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of July 25-31, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Syndicated Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes hopped from No. 4 to No. 1 by TV watch-time week-over-week. From July 25-31, the show collected 1.39% of minutes watched, up from 0.83% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Crime-related programming peppers our ranking, as eight of the top 25 shows are crime-focused procedural dramas.
• Speaking of, Law & Order is a big week-over-week mover in our ranking, up from No. 35 to No. 20 by minutes watched.
• HGTV’s Love It or List It also makes a significant move week-over-week, from No. 33 to No. 17 in our ranking.
• The Rocket Mortgage Classic carries the PGA Tour from No. 12 to No. 8 week-over-week by watch-time.

Golf is a big part of why CBS sits atop our list of most-watched networks for the second consecutive week. CBS increased watch-time from 6.03% to 6.24% week-over-week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from July 25-31:

• With a full slate of Shark Week content, Discovery swims from No. 18 to No. 11 in our ranking, increasing minutes watched from 1.29% to 1.77%.
• NBC stays at No. 3 week-over-week in our ranking, but increases watch-time from 5.55% to 5.84%.
• INSP hops from No. 26 to No. 25 week-over-week, thanks in large part to Gunsmoke syndicated airings (which account for nearly 38% of watch-time on the network).
• TV Land makes its own subtle week-over-week move from No. 21 to No. 20 in our ranking, as audiences tuned into Everybody Loves Raymond and The Andy Griffith Show reruns.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America moves up one spot to No. 1 by TV ad impressions week-over-week, delivering 2.37% (down slightly from 2.40% the previous week) from July 25-31.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• News-related programs dominate, accounting for six of the top 10 spots — and 16 of the top 25 programs — by impressions.
• Reality shows make up three of the top 25 in our ranking, led by La casa de los famosos (the Spanish-language version of Celebrity Big Brother) at No. 14.
• Even without the previous week’s All-Star Game, Major League Baseball games stayed among the top five programs by impressions delivered, at 1.89%.
• The PGA Tour leaps from No. 16 to No. 9 week-over-week, as the Rocket Mortgage Classic served up 1.33% of TV ad impressions.

Fox News is parked at No. 1 in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the fifth straight week, delivering 13.55% of impressions (up from 12.71% the previous week).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Shark Week helped fuel Discovery Channel’s migration from No. 13 to No. 10 by share of TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• A full week of games and the looming trade deadline boosted MLB Network’s share of TV ad impressions week-over-week, from 1.14% to 1.88%.
• Fox Sports 1 moves from No. 20 to No. 17 in our ranking, thanks in part to baseball and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
• Summer heat waves warm up TV ad impressions for The Weather Channel, which makes a modest climb from No. 27 to No. 25 week-over-week in our ranking.

NBC has renewed Law & Order for season 22, and Law & Order: Organized Crime for season three. Law & Order premiered in February after being cancelled in 2010. It had 20 seasons before the 2010 cancellation. 

NBC previously renewed Law & Order: SVU for season 24. All are Dick Wolf shows. 

“The iconic Law & Order brand has long been synonymous with NBC and we couldn’t be more excited to bring back all three of these dramas for the 2022-23 season,” said Lisa Katz, president, scripted programming, NBCU Entertainment and Streaming. “It’s a testament to the brilliance of Dick Wolf’s storytelling that audiences remain compelled by these unforgettable characters week after week, year after year.”

Sam Waterston, Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy and Odelya Halevi star in Law & Order. Wolf, Rick Eid, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

Christopher Meloni, Danielle Moné Truitt, Ainsley Seiger and Nona Parker Johnson star in Law & Order: Organized Crime. Wolf, Barry O’Brien, Terry Miller, John Polson, Forney and Jankowski executive produce.

“Dreams do come true,” said Wolf. “The renewals of the entire Wednesday and Thursday night lineups is the ultimate verification of our partnership with NBC and Universal Television. "I personally want to thank the talented writers and casts, the producers who keep the trains running on time and the crews who tirelessly turn out outstanding shows despite a degree of difficulty never before experienced due to the pandemic.”

Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime are produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television. ■

Law & Order returns on NBC February 24. The crime drama had a stunning 20 seasons before going off the air in 2010, and totalled 456 episodes. It will soon add to those totals. 

Sam Waterston plays district attorney Jack McCoy. Anthony Anderson, last seen in Black-ish, plays Detective Kevin Bernard. Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan and Odelya Halevi are in the cast too. 

Detective Bernard came to be in season 18. Anderson said he contacted executive producer Dick Wolf when he heard Law & Order was coming back. “Returning to the streets of New York, returning to our soundstages and that squad room and donning that badge, Badge No. 1901, was just, like, sitting in a well-worn saddle,” Anderson said at a TCA Winter Press Tour event. “It gripped you just right and was comfortable.”

Waterston said he was on board immediately for the reboot. “I don't think [Wolf has] ever stopped talking about it,” he said. “One of the reasons that we're back is because of his persistence and determination and his complete conviction that it was a terrible mistake to stop in the first place.”

Waterston said the other reason the show is coming back is that “the audience never stopped watching them.” Viewers’ “persistent appetite for Law & Order is a major reason why we're back,” he added. 

Law & Order is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Rick Eid, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski. The series is produced by Universal Television, in association with Wolf Entertainment. 

Halevi called landing on Law & Order, which she watched as a child in Israel, “a dream.”

“Ever since I was a kid growing up in a foreign country, I've been watching the show in the '90s with my mom,” she said. “And I said, ‘Oh, Mom, I want to be like her. I want to be a lawyer.’ ” 

Donovan, who starred in Burn Notice, also called ending up on Law & Order a dream. “I‘ve watched almost every episode. I watched it when I was a college student at NYU in the ’90s, and my dream was always to be a guest star on it,” he said. “And I was always envious of all of my friends who were getting on, and now I’m walking on the hallowed grounds of the squad room with Camryn and Anthony. It’s just a dream come true.”

Manheim said her first job out of NYU was Law & Order back in 1991. She played three different characters over the years.  “It was a badge of honor to be able to be in an off‑Broadway play or a Broadway play and say that you'd been on Law & Order and then how many times you'd been on Law & Order,” she said, adding that it’s “a huge full circle for me to come back and play [Lieutenant] Kate Dixon.”

Anderson said “the magic of the show” is that viewers don’t really get a good look at the main characters’ personal lives, with the focus remaining on how justice is delivered. “It's about the crime,” he said. “It's about solving it. It's about moving it along and bringing law and order to the world.  I think that is part of the magic of what Dick Wolf created.”

Character is revealed in the choices the attorneys and detectives — and criminals, for that matter — make, according to Rick Eid. “It‘s story-first on this show,” he said. “But I think you‘ll see hints of personal backstories and how they inform decisions and choices that people make.”

Law & Order will continue to rip stories from the headlines of New York’s tabloids. “I think that‘s the core of the narratives of this show, year in, year out,” said Waterston. “And, boy, are there a lot of stories that need telling. Boy, are they out there. The challenge must be choosing which one to do first.”

The final season of Black-ish began on ABC last month. Anderson said he was psyched to jump to another well-established series. “Coming back to an iconic show in Law & Order was a no-brainer for me,” said Anderson. “Hopefully 20 years from now people will be clamoring to come back to the Black-ish reboot and hopefully I‘m around for that. But leaving one great show to go back to another great show, I jumped at the opportunity to do it.” ■ 

Sam Waterston will play District Attorney Jack McCoy when Law & Order returns to NBC February 24. It will be season 21 of the show, and season 17 for Waterston. 

The crime drama, which ran on NBC from 1990 to 2010, examines “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders,” in NBC’s words. 

“Very few casting announcements have ever given me this much pleasure,” said executive producer Dick Wolf. “Since day one, Sam has had perfect pitch when it comes to Jack McCoy as a character who both reflects and expands our ability to understand the law. He is the ultimate conscience of the show and I look forward to him emulating the career of New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who served until he was 90. With both Sam and Anthony (Anderson) returning, it shows that the 21st season is merely a continuation of where we left off.”

Waterston is in the cast with Anthony Anderson, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim and Odelya Halevi. His other TV credits include HBO drama The Newsroom and Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie.

Law & Order is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Rick Eid, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski. The series is produced by Universal Television, in association with Wolf Entertainment. ■ 

NBC has shared its midseason premiere dates, which sees the sixth and final season of This Is Us starting Jan. 4 and the return of Law & Order Feb. 24. 

Jan. 4 also marks the official premiere of new comedies American Auto and Grand Crew. Justin Spitzer is behind workplace comedy American Auto and Phil Augusta Jackson and Dan Goor are behind Grand Crew, about a group of Black friends navigating life and love in Los Angeles. 

NBC offers a peek at the new comedies in mid December.

Comedy Kenan starts up Jan, 3, with two episodes airing, before That’s My Jam. Jimmy Fallon is host and executive producer of the latter, a comedy variety game show. Susan Rovner, chairman, entertainment content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said That’s My Jam is an ideal format for family viewing. 

NBC has the Winter Olympics starting Feb. 4 and the Super Bowl Feb. 13. 

On Feb. 21, live event series American Song Contest debuts, featuring original musical performances representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and Washington, DC. One Best Original Song will be named. 

Heist drama The Endgame also premieres February 21 and Law & Order begins February 24. It is season 21 of Law & Order, which was last on in 2010. Rovner called Law & Order “one of the most iconic and enduring dramas” on television. 

The Thing About Pam premieres March 8. A six-episode limited series inspired by episodes of Dateline NBC, the true-crime inspired drama is produced by Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Big Picture Co. Renée Zellweger stars. 

Comedies Young Rock and Mr. Mayor start their second seasons March 15. 

On April 19, New Amsterdam slides into the 10 p.m. time slot. 

“Our goal in the fall was to engage and grow the NBC audience with hallmark dramas, building momentum through the holidays and into the Olympics, all of which will work in concert to provide the best possible launch pads for our new and returning midseason shows,” said Frances Berwick, chairman, entertainment networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “After a premiere week win and tremendous success this season to-date, we’re well-primed to deliver on that promise and continue this winning trend through the remainder of the season.”

In January, NBC will have Sunday Night Football on Sundays, and Mondays offer two episodes of Kenan, then That’s My Jam and Ordinary Joe. On Tuesdays it’s American Auto, Grand Crew, This Is Us and New Amsterdam. Wednesdays have Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. Thursdays, it’s The Blacklist and Law & Order: SVU, then Law & Order: Organized Crime. Fridays offer Dateline NBC. 

“Following a fall that launched a pair of dramas and saw huge success from so many returning series, we’re excited to really pull back the curtain in January with big swings across genres that provide something for everyone,” Rovner said. “Over the past year, our programming team has been vigorously chasing down the best content out there, and it’s really exciting to start to see some early fruits of our labor join the longtime fan favorites on the NBC schedule.”

Shows that have been ordered to series but don’t have a premiere date include The Wheel, L.A. Fire and Rescue, AGT Extreme and Night Court. NBC has described AGT Extreme as showcasing ‘the most outrageous and jaw-dropping daredevil acts.” The show halted production after an accident on set last month, but Berwick said the plan is to put AGT Extreme on in the midseason. 

NBC has ordered season 21 of Law & Order. The drama, which ran from 1990 to 2010, examines “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders,” in NBC’s words. 

A premiere date and cast will be announced at a later date.

“Law & Order is quite simply one of the most iconic shows in television history, and the idea of continuing its legacy and partnering with Dick on an all-new season is nothing short of exhilarating” said Susan Rovner, chairman, entertainment content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”

The series won an Emmy in 1997 for Outstanding Drama.

Law & Order will be executive produced by Dick Wolf, Rick Eid (writer/showrunner), Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski. The series will be produced by Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment.

“There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” said creator Wolf. “This is mine.”

Wolf’s shows include Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. on NBC, and FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International on CBS. NBC did not go forward with Law & Order: For the Defense, while Law & Order: SVU has had 22 seasons. 

NBC had the top score in Thursday’s prime, with the Law & Order double bill garnering a healthy audience. NBC earned a 0.6 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. That beat CBS’s 0.5/4. 

Manifest lost 20% for a 0.4 on NBC and Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime both got a 0.7, SVU level and Organized Crime up a tenth. Both Law & Order shows will share Thursdays with newbie Law & Order: For the Defense next season. 

CBS had multiple season finales. The closer for Young Sheldon shot up 40% to 0.7 and United States of Al grew 50% to 0.6. Mom’s series finale grew 17% to 0.7 and the B Positive season finale posted a flat 0.5. Clarice scored a level 0.3. 

ABC posted a 0.4/3. Two Grey’s Anatomy reruns led into Rebel, which lost 40% without a fresh lead-in for a 0.3.

Fox, Telemundo and Univision all scored a 0.3/2. Fox had a Name That Tune rerun before Last Man Standing scored a 0.3 and Let’s Be Real a 0.2, the comedies flat. 

On Telemundo, Exatlón Estados Unidos did a 0.3, as did La Suerte De Loli and Buscando A Frida. All three were level with last week. 

Univision had Liga MX across prime. 

The CW scored a 0.1/1. Walker got a 0.1, as did Legacies. Both stayed flat. 

NBC is going straight to series with Law & Order: For the Defense, the latest installment in Dick Wolf’s list of Law & Order series. The series will take an unbiased look inside a criminal defense firm, NBC said, putting the lawyers “under the microscope, along with the criminal justice system with every week delivering the promise of a contemporary morality tale.”

Carol Mendelsohn will be showrunner and executive producer, along with Wolf, Arthur Forney, Julie Weitz and Peter Jankowski. The series will be produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Wolf Entertainment. 

“This new show is exciting for me personally,” Wolf said. “We spent the last 30 years on shows that played offense. Now it will be great to play defense, and being able to do it with Carol is an honor and an opportunity for both of us to do television that hasn’t been done before.” 

The original Law & Order premiered in 1990. Law & Order: SVU is in season 22. 

“We can’t wait to bring audiences the latest chapter of Law & Order, which will explore a different angle of the criminal justice system,” said Lisa Katz, president, scripted programming, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We’re excited about Dick Wolf’s perpetually thought-provoking approach as well his collaboration with Carol Mendelsohn, who we have been eager to do a series with for a long time.” 

Wolf is also the executive producer of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which stars Christopher Meloni and premiered April 1. Over 18 million watched that premiere. 

Wolf is executive producer of NBC’s Chicago series, and the CBS shows FBI and FBI: Most Wanted.

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of March 29 through April 4, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 17 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Unsurprisingly, March Madness games captured the most watch-time for the week, accounting for 2.95% of all live, linear minutes. Meanwhile, MLB baseball, which just kicked off its season, took fourth place with 0.88% of minutes watched, and SportsCenter zoomed up the ranking into No. 7 from No. 22 the previous week. Other shows that had notable week-over-week rankings increases included Law & Order (0.48%, up from No. 30 to No. 17) and SpongeBob SquarePants (0.44% of minutes watched, at No. 19 from No. 26 previously).

On the network ranking, CBS was in first place once again, but saw a week-over-week decrease in the percent of minutes watched, down to 7.51% from 8.27%. NBC moved into second place (7.01%), followed by ABC (6.70%), Fox News (4.02%) and Fox (3.74%). Multiple networks moved up the ranking from the previous week including CNN, ESPN, ION, Investigation Discovery and Food Network, while HGTV, TBS, USA, TNT and Univision dropped positions from the week before.

Also Read: Just How Much of a Slam Dunk Has March Madness Been on Live TV?

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

College basketball continued its domination, racking up 3.7 billion TV ad impressions during the week. American Idol broke into the top five with 659.7 million impressions, beating MLB games, which generated 589 million impressions. The Price Is Right and The Young and the Restless were the only other non-sports or news programs to make the top 10. NBA basketball, which was in fifth place for impressions the previous week, dropped to No. 10 (470.5 million impressions); PGA Tour golf also slipped down the ranking, from No. 2 to No. 14 (427.5 million impressions).

The top of the network ranking was stable week-over-week, led by CBS (8.1 billion TV ad impressions), ABC (5.4 billion) and NBC (4.7 billion). March Madness games accounted for over 34% of the impressions on CBS, while morning news shows were top drivers of impressions for both ABC and NBC (GMA and Today, respectively). MLB Network gained steam from the previous week, rising up to No. 12 with 559.8 million impressions. On the flip side, Golf dropped from No. 12 to No. 17, generating 377.8 million impressions during the period measured. Headline News was a ranking newcomer, with 58% of its 362.2 million impressions coming from The Death of George Floyd: Derek Chauvin on Trial.

Dick Wolf drama Law & Order: Organized Crime premieres on NBC April 1. Featuring a crossover between Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, the event reunites Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, played by Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni. Benson and Stabler were partners on Law & Order: SVU in earlier seasons.

Stabler returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. He will aim to rebuild his life as part of a new elite task force that is taking apart the city's most powerful criminal syndicates.

The cast features Meloni, Dylan McDermott and Tamara Taylor.

Also Read: ‘New Amsterdam’ Back on NBC March 2

Law & Order: Organized Crime was created by Wolf, who executive produces along with Ilene Chaiken, Terry Miller, Fred Berner, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski. Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television produce. 

Season four of Good Girls is on March 7. Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman are in the cast. 

Season three of Manifest starts April 1. Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas and Athena Karkanis are in the cast. 

The series finale of Supernatural airs on The CW on Nov. 19, wrapping up 15 seasons of the fantasy drama, which sees the Winchester brothers face off with a variety of demons and monsters. The CW will air special Supernatural: The Long Way Home leading into the finale. 

It’s an extraordinary run for a series in an era when more and more shows on the streaming platforms have struggled to get past season three. “I can count on two hands — one hand — the series that reach 300 episodes and 15 years,” said Peter Roth, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group, which produces Supernatural. “Supernatural has the basic fundamentals of success — great writing, great performances, great execution, and two stars whose skills and charisma and presence keep growing and growing and growing.”

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles play the Winchester brothers, racing around the country in a 1967 Chevy Impala. As rare as 15 seasons may be, Supernatural is hardly the only series extending well past the industry norm these days. NCIS begins season 18 on CBS Nov. 17. Season 22 of Law & Order: SVU started on NBC Nov. 12, the same day season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC. On Fox, season 32 of The Simpsons is plugging along. Also on Fox, season 19 of Hell’s Kitchen starts in January. 

Series lasting 15 or more seasons may well be going the way of Major League Baseball pitchers winning 300 games. “I don’t think it will ever happen again,” said Steven D. Binder, executive producer on NCIS. “People have been trained to binge-watch a whole season, which is leaning them away from watching each week. Getting people to come back and watch week after week for 12 years is really hard.”

Created by Eric Kripke, Supernatural is so old that it premiered on The WB, back in 2005. When The CW launched a year later, it slotted Supernatural into its primetime. Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW, said the edgy kinship between the Winchester brothers — older brother Dean is something of a guardian for Sam, who often wishes to quit demon hunting and live a normal life — is what has sustained the series over the many years. “The two brothers’ relationship is so identifiable to so many people,” he said. ‘Super’ Star The CW has frequently used Supernatural, which CW insiders say features a broad demographic audience, to promote new programs over the years, including Arrow, The Flash, The Vampire Diaries and Riverdale. “It’s stunning how many shows have been paired with Supernatural,” said Pedowitz. 

He added that the low-maintenance nature of Padalecki and Ackles has been a model for talent on other CW shows. “They set a tone that permeates the whole network,” Pedowitz said. 

The key to any show lasting for 15 seasons is a pleasant and productive atmosphere on the set. Executive producers on every show speak of the family atmosphere on their series, but only the shows that exist for 300 or so episodes can truly boast of it. “Bob [Singer, executive producer] and Eric [Kripke] did a good job creating an atmosphere that is functional and friendly,” said Andrew Dabb, executive producer and showrunner of Supernatural. “It’s a place that people want to be part of.” 

A long-running show ideally experiences an evolution over its lifetime. In the early years of Supernatural, a season would be composed mostly of standalone episodes, with a half-dozen tied to ongoing mythology. Over time, those numbers flipped, and Supernatural became more serialized. 

NCIS, about a team investigating wrongdoing within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, rarely delved into its characters’ at-home happenings in the early days. “Season six took off when we started getting more into their personal lives,” executive producer Frank Cardea said. 

That became part of the NCIS game plan as each season went on. “For a character-based show, the evolution of the characters is the evolution of the show,” Binder said. 

So vital to the CBS primetime lineup is NCIS that spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans just began seasons 12 and seven, respectively. 

For Grey’s Anatomy, staying relevant to viewers is a matter of having the show reflect, to a degree, what’s happening in the world today. “We’ve worked really hard to make our storytelling a balance between the core conceit of the series — the personal and professional lives of surgeons at Grey Sloan Memorial — and the changing world around us,” said Grey’s executive producer Meg Marinis. “We adapt and manage to keep the show feeling true to itself.” 

Season 19 of unscripted Hell’s Kitchen starts on Fox in January. Executive producer Arthur Smith said the key to its longevity, besides a unique talent in Gordon Ramsay, is spicing it up just the right amount each season. “It’s a fine line between keeping it fresh and changing it so much that the show becomes something else,” he said. 

The new season of Hell’s happens in Las Vegas, not Los Angeles, for the first time. “Vegas provides us with a great new way to energize the show,” said Smith. Then again, an early episode of The Simpsons doesn’t feel all that different from one in season 32. The rules may be different for what works in animated comedies. “Animation is evergreen,” said Al Jean, executive producer and showrunner, noting that viewers seeing Bart Simpson in shorts and spiky hair at age 40 would look ridiculous. “Animation just extends your life exponentially.” 

Indeed, Fox has signed up Family Guy for seasons 19 and 20 and Bob’s Burgers for seasons 12 and 13. Voice talent on an animated show has a bit more freedom than cast on live-action shows, making it easier to retain talent. “You can do The Simpsons and not have to give up other ambitions,” Jean said. “You can be the character and then not be the character.” 

Swimming in the Stream 

All the long-running shows have seen a streaming partner introduce the series to a new, younger audience. Having The Simpsons on Disney Plus has been “a huge, huge help,” said Jean. “Kids who haven’t seen the show are drawn in when they see the short [“Playdate with Destiny”]. They watch it and think, Oh my god, there’s an immersive library of 31 seasons!” 

Pedowitz mentioned “a true rebound” for Supernatural after it turned up on Netflix in 2011. “A whole new audience is finding it,” he said. “They may not find it on The CW, but they’re finding it.” 

Added Dabb: “It keeps renewing itself over and over again on Netflix. It’s been key to our longevity.” It’s been well-documented how many teen girls binge Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix, with many thinking of the medical drama as a Netflix original. That’s been essential to making new seasons on ABC. “Each month, we know many people start at season one, episode one,” said Marinis, “and then quickly binge 16 seasons to catch up to current times.” 

Besides crediting Netflix, the producers on NCIS single out USA Network, which airs the drama in syndication. They credit USA for helping NCIS move up to No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings in season six. 

Net Losses 

Original shows on those digital platforms rarely have extended runs. Netflix, for one, has been quicker to axe a show after a lackluster first season, with three seasons emerging as something of a norm on the platform for a successful series. Unlike broadcast, Netflix does not go through the pilot process, so tough decisions are made after season one. 

“Broadcast networks live and die by the ratings and streamers don’t — they live and die by monthly subscriptions,” said Dominic Caristi, professor of telecommunications at Ball State University. “They operate different business models.” 

The streaming model isn’t built for growing a series over time, believe some producers. “Everybody wants a hit, but Netflix wants something loud and bombastic,” Dabb said. “When they go to season two, they’re trying to sell people something they already have.” 

Streaming is, of course, becoming more the viewing norm every day, and broadcasters are investing heavily in their own streaming products, be it Peacock or CBS All Access or Hulu. “As more network content moves to streaming, it will be more like the Netflix model,” said Caristi. “It’s not ratings, it’s subscriptions.” 

With a greater number of actors getting used to the 10- or 20-episode model on streaming, getting cast on board for 300 episodes is harder to pull off than it has ever been. “In terms of talent, everyone is commitment-phobic now,” said Binder.

‘Supernatural’ Heads Home 

The Supernatural crew is geared up for the show’s big send-off. Pedowitz said it will be very strange to start a new season in January and not have Supernatural as part of it. Peter Roth admitted getting “quite weepy” while watching the finale’s earlier cuts. “It’s as perfect an ending to a fantasy as exists,” he said. “It’s a perfect conclusion to these brothers’ journey.” 

The producers are pleased with the Supernatural farewell, too. 

“Andrew and I are happy with the way we decided to conclude the show,” executive producer and showrunner Robert Singer said. “We don’t feel like we left anything on the table.”

NBC has shared its fall schedule. The Voice and Manifest go on Mondays. The Voice, This Is Us and New Amsterdam are on Tuesdays. Wednesdays, it’s Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. Thursdays have Superstore, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Law & Order: SVU and new show Law & Order: Organized Crime. Fridays have The Blacklist and Dateline NBC. On Saturdays, it’s Dateline Saturday Night Mystery and Saturday Night Live reruns in prime. Sundays it’s Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football. 

Gwen Stefani returns to The Voice as a judge. 

Law & Order: Organized Crime has Christopher Meloni reprising the Elliot Stabler role he plays on SVU. He “returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. However, the city and police department have changed dramatically in the decade he’s been away, and he must adapt to a criminal justice system in the midst of its own moment of reckoning,” according to NBC. 

NBC touted the stability of its new schedule. “Thanks to the ingenuity of our creative teams and our partner studios, NBC has assembled a remarkably stable schedule at a time when stability is called for,” said Paul Telegdy, chairman, NBC Entertainment. “With the reopening of the Universal lot for select productions this week, we are confident that our schedule will premiere intact later this fall. We design shows for longevity and this schedule remains a powerful propulsive force for shows to start here and carry on entertaining across generations.”

Telegdy continued, “Our brand has always championed positive programming, and the events of this year have allowed us the time to take pause, examine our business with a new lens and take some immediate action. Since many of our writers’ rooms have not yet opened, we are taking this opportunity to offer all of this season’s showrunners the chance to enrich their team with an additional diverse writer at any level. It is not the solution by any means, but it is something we can do right now to take a positive step.”

The midseason and summer seasons feature the Tina Fey/Robert Carlock comedy Mr. Mayor, which stars Ted Danson; Kenan, with Kenan Thompson; and Young Rock, with Dwayne Johnson, and about his childhood. Those seasons will also have Good Girls, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Ellen’s Game of Games, musical game show That’s My Jam, alternative-scripted series True Story and game show Small Fortune.