All Law & Order Series Renewed, but One Didn't Get a Full Season Order

Dick Wolf's Law & Order is one of the biggest franchises in the history of American TV, and it just got even bigger with the main series and Law & Order: SVU recently renewed for their 23th and 25th season respectively.

Both shows are getting full 22-episode seasons, which cements their status as the two longest-running scripted live-action series for the time being.

The third currently ongoing Law & Order series also got a renewal — Law & Order: Organized Crime, starring the franchise's veteran Christopher Meloni, is going to continue in Season 4. However, the new season will be much shorter than the norm, consisting of only 13 episodes.

Although NBC hasn't made a definite statement to explain the shorter season length, it looks like the producers have a special plan for Season 4, which makes this shorter format more suitable.

Discussing this issue on the Internet, fans came up with several reasons as to why NBC decided to cut down the season's episode count. First of all, this decision may sit well with the show's current format, allowing the writers to focus on the main storyline, coming up with exciting plot twists and further developing the characters arcs.

In line with the above opinion, one of the fans noted in their comment: 'I actually don't mind this [shorter season] at all because OC is really good about 20% of the time and just sort of mediocre the rest of the time, so maybe cutting down to 13 will give the writers more time to come up with really interesting stories.'

Also supporting this claim, a number of viewers pointed out that the serialized stories of Organized Crime's Season 1 and 2 worked better than the mini-arcs to which the series switches in Season 3.

We must also keep in mind that, in terms of its rating, Organized Crime is the weakest series in the Law & Order franchise, and the reduction in the number of episodes may indicate that NBC is giving the producers a last chance to redeem their show before cancellation.

During its short lifespan, Organized Crime has suffered from several major changes in its crew, with four (!) showrunners leaving the project at different stages, so however sad this idea might be, it definitely seems plausible.

Finally, the change in the season's duration might have something to do with Christopher Meloni's work schedule. Perhaps NBC and Dick Wolf want to loan him out to the original series or SVU the next season — or maybe the actor has some other creative plans.

In any case, fans are glad about the series' renewal and will be happy to meet their favorite characters again in Season 4, even for only 13 episodes. Meanwhile, the current Season 3 of Law & Order: Organized Crime continues, with the next episode scheduled to air on April 27.