Are the Law and Order shows set within the One Chicago universe?

Law and Order is the gold standard for procedural crime dramas. The original series, along with its various spinoffs, have dominated the last three decades of television, and established producer Dick Wolf as a force to be reckoned with.

Law and Order also paved the way for the One Chicago universe, in that it helped to solidify the idea of different law enforcement teams (and titles) co-existing under one banner. This bond is what makes the shared universe between the two franchises particularly fitting.

Here’s what you need to know about Law and Order and One Chicago.

Is Law and Order going to cross over with One Chicago?

For starters, they do exist in the same Dick Wolf-helmed universe. Law and Order and Chicago Fire may have been the first shows for these franchises, respectively, but it was actually the secondary shows, Law & Order: SVU and Chicago PD, that made the ties between them official.

Chicago PD crossed over with Law & Order: SVU six episodes into its first season, and seeing Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) solve a case with Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was a thrill that left fans begging for more.

Thankfully, the showrunners obliged. Law and Order: SVU joined forced with PD and Chicago Fire for a sprawling three-part crossover in 2014, and the response was uniformly positive. There was a second multipart crossover in 2015, though, to everyone’s chagrin, there haven’t been any since.

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There are several reasons why there haven’t been more crossovers in the intervening years. For one, getting that many actors and showrunners together can be tricky, especially when taking into account that Law and Order and One Chicago are on different networks. There’s also the challenge of finding a story that convincingly incorporates every show without it feeling strained or forced.

Dick Wolf talked about the potential of future crossover events during an interview with Variety. He spoke on the return of the original Law and Order show, and what it could mean for the rest of the franchise.

"“It’s a constant exploration of possibilities. There are 56 actors under contract”, he noted. “The concept is there are nine shows, and anybody who’s in any of the nine shows can appear in the other eight, even on different networks. It’s pretty cool.”"

While the chances of seeing a crossover in the immediate future is relatively slim (there’s a better chance we get a One Chicago crossover first), it’s clear that Dick Wolf and company have a desire to give fans the Avengers-style television event that they’ve been talking about since all nine shows were established. We can’t wait to watch it, whenever it does come to fruition.

For the latest spoilers and news on all of Dick Wolf’s hit series, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center!