Why did NBC pass on Law and Order: For the Defense?

This fall, NBC was set to expand its Law and Order franchise once again with the launch of the newest addition to the long-running franchise, Law and Order: For the Defense.

In the series, the plan was to put a larger focus on the law portion of the franchise in following a criminal defense law firm as they worked various cases. The series received a straight-to-series order earlier this year and was expected to debut this fall alongside new seasons of Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Organized Crime to give NBC a night of Law and Order franchise programs.

Unfortunately, in a shocking turn of events, NBC decided to pull the plug on the series before it ever with the network announcing they would not be moving forward with the show as originally intended.

What happened to Law and Order: For the Defense?

Given the popularity of the Law and Order franchise and the fact that NBC had given the series a straight-to-series order, which is typically a sign of good things to come, the decision not to proceed with the show was one that left fans of the franchise shocked. So what exactly happened to make NBC decide to reconsider the newest addition to the Law and Order franchise?

At this time, it is unclear why exactly NBC decided not to proceed with Law and Order: For the Defense but the most likely reason for the project’s demise could have been creative decisions. It’s not uncommon for networks to scrap projects when they’re not pleased with the direction it’s moving in and that could very well be the case in this instance.

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With Law and Order: For the Defense placed on the bench, NBC will look to call upon The Blacklist to take the opening hour on Thursday night as the new lead-in to Law and Order: SVU.

While we ponder what went wrong with Law and Order: For the Defense, NBC is said to already be in conversation with Dick Wold and Universal Television in developing a new Law and Order series to add to the mix!

For the latest Law and Order franchise spoilers and news, plus more on all of Dick Wolf’s other series, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.