A new teaser from Law & Order season 21 promises a storyline about how freedom of speech complicates one particular murder trial. The criminal justice procedural series Law & Order, which was created by Dick Wolf, began airing on NBC in 1990. Although the Law & Order universe has become an expansive franchise that includes the long-running Law & Order: SVU, which is currently airing season 23, as well as Law & Order: Organized Crime, which just began running in early 2021, the original Law & Order series concluded its initial run after season 20 in 2010.
Although many characters from Law & Order made appearances on one or more of the many spinoff series in the interim, NBC decided to renew the original show, announcing it in October 2021. The series revival, which began airing on February 24, 2022, reunites many characters from the original series including Sam Waterston As District Attorney Jack McCoy, Anthony Anderson As Detective Kevin Bernard, and Camryn Manheim As Lt. Kate Dixon. Among other new characters, the show has also introduced Jeffrey Donovan as Frank Cosgrove, Bernard's new partner.
NBC (via TV Promos) just dropped the trailer for Law & Order season 21 episode 5, which will air on March 24, 2022. The episode, which is titled "Free Speech," follows Cosgrove and Bernard as they investigate the murder of a congressman by extremists. The plot hinges on whether or not certain social media posts inciting the violence are protected as free speech. Check out the trailer below:
It certainly seems like Law & Order season 21 has been able to keep up with the "ripped from the headlines" approach that made it such a hit in the first place. The legalities and moral quandries around social media and how those online tools can be harnessed to radicalize people and incite violence are a very common topic on the minds of today's lawmakers, so this episode feels particularly of its moment. In fact, a similar idea also forms the crux of the final act of Matt Reeves' The Batman, which just hit theaters earlier this month.
The long-term success of the Law & Order revival dearly depends on how well the first few episodes of season 21 are received. If the show isn't highly regarded or widely watched, this long-awaited return to the screen will likely result in another swift cancellation. However, it certainly seems like the team is pulling out all the stops to make sure the show is just as trenchant and relevant as ever, so hopefully, fans of the original series will respond to that all these years later.
Source: TV Promos