The Road Back to Law & Order

How did the crime classic make a miracle return more than a decade after it was sent up the river? And has L&O changed?

- ILEANE RUDOLPH

YOU DON'T NEED to be a detective to figure out why Dick Wolf, network TV's most prolific producer, revived Law & Order, the crime drama that's about to enter Season 21 after a nearly 12-year hiatus. Rolling cameras again on the hit that spawned six spinoffs is a dream come true for him.

Dick was talking about bringing [L&O] back since the day it was canceled in 2010-which he believed was a mistake, says Sam Waterston, who reprises the role he played for 16 seasons, Jack McCoy, continuing as New York district attorney. He never gave up intending to do the show again..

That reality began to coalesce about a year and a half ago. Dick had been talking to me on and off about the mothership coming back, says exec producer and longtime Wolf lieutenant Rick Eid. Out of the blue, he called and said, 'We're doing it. Are you in?'

Law & Order is one of those shows that is so iconic, it's always been an idea to continue the story, says Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBCUniversal. As for the timing, “It feels like there's a real opportunity to show how the justice system has evolved over the past decade. I think it was one of the fastest yeses in the history of show business.

While issues have changed, the two-part format-investigation, then prosecution-remains the same. Out of six cast members, two familiar faces are returning, beginning with Waterston. Dick felt strongly that it would be great to have Sam back, Eid says.