NBC shockingly pulls the plug on Law and Order series

It appears Dick Wolf is going to have to settle for just two nights of programming blocks this fall season as NBC has announced it will not be moving forward with Law and Order: For the Defense. 

In a surprising turn of events, NBC has decided to pull the plug on the series which had been previously received a straight-to-series order and skipped the traditional pilot season. As reported by TVLine, NBC has decided not to move forward with Law and Order: For the Defense and has reversed course in canceling the show before it ever made it to air.

Set to launch as part of this fall’s line-up, Law and Order: For the Defense was to focus on a criminal defense law firm with each episode focusing on a particular case in leaning more heavily into the legal side of the franchise. While no cast had been announced for the series, casting was said to be underway with Carol Mendelsohn signed on as the series showrunner.

What is replacing Law and Order: For the Defense?

By scrapping Law and Order: For the Defense, NBC has been forced to scrap what was originally supposed to be a Thursday-night lineup comprised entirely of Law and Order franchise series.

Although new seasons of Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Organized Crime will both be holding on to their Thursday-night spots in the calendar, NBC has been forced to shake things up a bit by dusting The Blacklist off the shelf in moving it to Thursday night as For the Defense‘s replacement.

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As such, NBC’s Thursday-night schedule will now begin with The Blacklist followed by new episodes of Law and Order: SVU at 9/8c and Law and Order: Organized Crime closing the night at 10/9c.

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