SO GOOD IT'S CRIMINAL

Legendary procedural Law & Order rolls out its 25th season with the same winning formula, plus a fresh look at one killer cliffhanger

- ILEANE RUDOLF

Let's break out the best silver—Dick Wolf's Law & Order, the franchise's mothership procedural that spawned six U.S. spinoffs and one iconic theme song, is ready to celebrate its 25th season. That makes the renowned crime show the second-longest-running live-action series on primetime TV, behind only its first offshoot, Law & Order: SVU, with 27 years of service. (A quarter century is especially sweet, given that L&O took an 11-year break, ending with the show's celebrated 2022 rebirth.)

"We'll try to make this a season worthy of the legacy," says show-runner Rick Eid, adding that there's the possibility of a past favorite or two returning.

But first, something new is in order. Season 25 begins with a rare break from the tradition that each episode opens with a new unsolved murder. This time, shares Odelya Halevi, who plays Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun, "the episode is a continuation of last season's story, and the first scene finds Maroun boxing, letting her anger out and dealing with the fear of what might happen to her."