Reports question 'Law & Order' cancellation
FILE - In this April 17, 2008 file photos, from left, actors S. Epatha Merkerson, Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, and director Marisol Torres are shown on the set of "Law & Order" in New York. (AP Photo/Bernadette Tuazon, file) Credit: AP Photo/BERNADETTE TUAZON
A pillar of the New York TV production community and one of the most storied TV series in NBC's long history appeared doomed late Thursday.
Except that maybe it's not doomed just yet.
A blizzard of online reports - beginning with the influential Deadlinehollywood.com - said "Law & Order" had been canceled, ending a shot at tying "Gunsmoke" as primetime's longest running series, at 21 seasons. However, a network source said "discussions" with Dick Wolf, "Law & Order" creator and a powerful figure within the NBCUniversal hierarchy, were ongoing. Wolf, per reports, said he had told colleagues that NBC backed away from an earlier agreement for 16 episodes next season, effectively ending the show's run at NBC. Wolf, per the Deadline report, had been angered by NBC's reported refusal to live up to the terms of that earlier agreement.
So, what now? Wait for the official announcement. Wolf and NBC have fought over license agreements in years past, and they've always ended amicably - amicable until the next negotiation. Nevertheless, "Law & Order" is under pressure: NBC has ordered a large number of new dramas as part of a massive rebuilding effort post-"The Jay Leno Show." An old warhorse like "Law & Order" - with declining ratings and an aging audience - would have been under pressure under normal circumstances, which these are not.
NBC's new schedule will be announced Sunday.
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