Law & Order has anchored NBC for nearly three decades. The franchise has been responsible for several long running shows and several live-action broadcast records, but it is no longer the domain of NBC alone. The CW has decided to get in to the Law & Order game with a two-season pick up for a series with a pointed international appeal.
Deadline confirmed that The CW acquired Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent on May 13. The show will premiere on the popular network in the fall, with a ten episode season that previously aired on the Canadian station CityTV. It will mark a rare instance of an international Law & Order series airing on an American network.
As one can infer from the title, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is an adaptation of the show Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which aired from 2001 to 2011 on NBC and USA Network. It's not part of the Law & Order franchise in an official sense, since it is technically a remake, but the connection in terms of branding will undoubtedly draw eyes to it in the fall.
Law & Order Toronto heads to CW this fall
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent follows Detective Sergeants Henry Graff (Aden Young) and Frankie Bateman (Kathleen Munroe) as they look into high profile crimes and murders in the Toronto area. Tassie Cameron developed the Canadian adaptation, and currently serves as producer along with Wanda Chaffey.
The first season of the show proved to be a smash hit for CityTV. It was the top primetime premiere on the network, as well as the top primetime debut for a drama during the season. The sophomore season of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is currently airing on CityTV, but it will obviously be a while before it appears on The CW, since the first season will not reach U.S. viewers until the fall.
CW President Brad Schwartz issued a statement following the network's acquisition of the series, and made it clear that he has high hopes for its crossover success. He also, understandably, made reference to the American Law & Order franchise, bolstering the show's profile.
The network 'can't wait' for new Law & Order stories
"Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is the next gripping chapter of one of the greatest and most recognizable broadcast television brands of all time," Schwartz asserted. "And we can’t wait to bring this series to The CW this fall."
The CW President has good reason to be excited. A big part of why Law & Order Toronto has been such a hit is Cameron's insistence upon staying true to the Law & Order formula. The franchise has made compelling TV crime solving into an art form, and the developer knows the significance of playing within the rules.
"We've studied [Law & Order], we've broken it down, we've read their bibles," Cameron told CBC. "We understand the rules. You have to know your framework very, very well." Fans won't be getting any crossover events between the NBC shows and Law & Order Toronto, but it will be cool to see both American and international versions thriving on different networks.